Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona Just Became the Most Expensive Watch Ever Sold
This is incredible.
The most expensive wristwatch ever sold at auction, a Rolex Daytona owned by legendary movie star and avid race car driver Paul Newman, just smashed records with a $17,752,500 sale at a Phillips auction.
The bidding war started at $10 million and lasted a mere 12 seconds. There was a ton of interest in this classic timepiece, which steamrolled the previous world record holder—a stainless steel Patek Philippe that went for a mere $11,136,642.
The significance of this watch cannot be overstated. Rolex had been making the auto racing-inspired timepiece since 1963 but it became wildly popular among collectors when Newman started rocking it after first getting behind the wheel in 1969.
Some forget the star of The Hustler, The Color of Money and Cool Hand Luke had a decorated second career—as a four-time national title-holding race car driver. Newman even placed second in the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race in 1979. Dude was a straight-up legend.
Phillips, the storied auction house that sold the watch, called Newman’s signature Rolex Daytona “arguably the most iconic collector’s wristwatch of the 20th century” in statement.
Read more about this historic, record-smattering auction on the Phillips website.
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