.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
1968 , Presumably destined for the American market, but immediately loved by the Italians too, the Daytona 'Paul Newman' is one of the most fascinating phenomena in the watch collecting market.
It seems that the legendary American actor and driver wore this wristwatch while shooting the movie "Winning", in 1969, at least according to the horology press at the time. However, looking at the posters of the film, it is apparent that Newman was indeed wearing a Rolex, but definitely not a chronograph. However, subsequent images of the actor picture him wearing a Daytona several times, sometimes sporting the two-tone dial, hence justifying its legacy. In any case, the 'Paul Newman' designation, originating in Italian watch collecting circles, became internationally recognised as the unmistakable name of this model.
The Paul Newman affair is a success story unmatched by any other collectible. Its most interesting aspect is the disproportion between the attention gained by this model before and after its discontinuation. When available in the Rolex catalogue, it was considered one of the less interesting and appealing Rolex timepieces, at times even offered at a discount. Only with the introduction of the automatic Daytona model several years later, did its popularity skyrocket and never come down.
Presented in 1966, ref. 6241 sports a slightly wider metal bezel with an acrylic insert. The overall production is around 3000 pieces, a quarter of them in gold (14k and 18k) and the rest in steel.
The present watch is a superb example of a white first production Paul Newman. Its 3 colors dial is absolutely perfect: white background, black registers and red second track. The sing-a-song "T SWISS T" and all the minute marking on the outer track are printed using two subsequent layers of paint; firstly the white, followed by red, thus making it stand out. The black indexes on the Paul Newman white background model are not painted, as is the case for those with a black background.
It seems that the legendary American actor and driver wore this wristwatch while shooting the movie "Winning", in 1969, at least according to the horology press at the time. However, looking at the posters of the film, it is apparent that Newman was indeed wearing a Rolex, but definitely not a chronograph. However, subsequent images of the actor picture him wearing a Daytona several times, sometimes sporting the two-tone dial, hence justifying its legacy. In any case, the 'Paul Newman' designation, originating in Italian watch collecting circles, became internationally recognised as the unmistakable name of this model.
The Paul Newman affair is a success story unmatched by any other collectible. Its most interesting aspect is the disproportion between the attention gained by this model before and after its discontinuation. When available in the Rolex catalogue, it was considered one of the less interesting and appealing Rolex timepieces, at times even offered at a discount. Only with the introduction of the automatic Daytona model several years later, did its popularity skyrocket and never come down.
Presented in 1966, ref. 6241 sports a slightly wider metal bezel with an acrylic insert. The overall production is around 3000 pieces, a quarter of them in gold (14k and 18k) and the rest in steel.
The present watch is a superb example of a white first production Paul Newman. Its 3 colors dial is absolutely perfect: white background, black registers and red second track. The sing-a-song "T SWISS T" and all the minute marking on the outer track are printed using two subsequent layers of paint; firstly the white, followed by red, thus making it stand out. The black indexes on the Paul Newman white background model are not painted, as is the case for those with a black background.