Featured image: EMore98, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Paul Newman’s watch was a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ref. 6239, a gift from his wife Joanne Woodward, engraved “Drive Carefully Me” on the caseback. His own example sold at Phillips in New York on October 26, 2017, for $17,752,500, and the “Paul Newman” nickname now applies to every Daytona with the same style of “exotic” dial.
Quick answer Newman wore the Rolex Daytona ref. 6239 that Joanne Woodward gave him in 1968, and later a Daytona ref. 6263 known as the “Big Red.” The 6239 sold for $17.75 million in 2017, a record at the time for a wristwatch at auction, and the 6263 sold for $5.475 million in December 2020. Phillips says Newman wore only a small handful of Daytonas in his life.
Rolex Daytona ref. 6239: the original “Paul Newman”
Phillips says Joanne Woodward gave Newman the watch in 1968, and it is engraved “Drive Carefully Me.” He wore it through the 1970s and later gave it to James Cox, who was then his daughter Nell’s boyfriend, in 1984. Cox kept it for more than thirty years before consigning it to Phillips.
The watch is a manually wound, steel-cased chronograph with an “exotic” dial: contrasting sub-dials and Art Deco-style numerals that were unusual in the 1960s. Rolex never called these dials “Paul Newman.” Collectors adopted the name because of the actor’s photographed example, and it stuck.
| Spec | Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ref. 6239 “Paul Newman” |
|---|---|
| Year | 1968 (Newman’s example) |
| Case size | About 37mm |
| Case material | Stainless steel |
| Movement | Manual-wound calibre 722 |
| Water resistance | Not designed for swimming; early Daytonas have non-screw-down pushers |
| Engraving | “Drive Carefully Me” on the caseback |
| Price | Newman’s own watch sold for $17,752,500 including fees in 2017. A modern steel Daytona costs roughly $15,000 to $17,000 at retail. |
Where to buy
Compare the same watch on both sites: eBay for pre-owned and vintage pieces, Amazon for new stock.
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 126500LN Panda
Tudor Black Bay Chrono Alternative
Seiko Prospex Speedtimer Alternative
Tissot PRX Chronograph Alternative
Prices and availability change; check the listing before you buy.
The record 2017 Phillips sale
The watch was Lot 8 in Phillips’ “Winning Icons” sale, held with Bacs & Russo in New York. WorldTempus reports it sold for $17,752,500 after about 12 minutes of bidding, to an anonymous telephone bidder. The hammer price was $15.5 million, and more than 800 bidders from 43 countries had registered for the sale.
It was the highest price ever paid at auction for a Rolex and, at the time, for a wristwatch. Part of the proceeds went to the Nell Newman Foundation and Newman’s Own Foundation. Some Patek Philippe pieces have sold for more, but the Newman Daytona remains the benchmark for vintage Rolex values.
Because the name carries so much value, fakes and “redial” examples are common. Our guide to spotting a fake watch is worth reading before you buy anything vintage.
Before the sale, the watch toured several countries, and WorldTempus reports that the total for the 49-watch “Winning Icons” auction reached $28,875,750 with premiums. The Newman Daytona accounted for more than half of that on its own.
The “Big Red” Daytona ref. 6263
The watch Newman owned longest was a different Daytona. Phillips describes the ref. 6263 as the one he wore for the longest, and says Woodward gave it to him around 1983 for their 25th wedding anniversary. Its caseback reads “Drive slowly Joanne.”
Newman gave it to his daughter Clea in 2008, and she sold it at Phillips’ Racing Pulse auction in New York on December 12, 2020. It fetched $5,475,000, against an estimate of more than $1 million. The nickname “Big Red” comes from the red “Daytona” lettering on the black dial.
| Spec | Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ref. 6263 “Big Red” |
|---|---|
| Year | About 1980 (per Phillips) |
| Case size | 37mm, steel |
| Movement | Manual-wound calibre 727 |
| Dial | Black with white sub-dials and a red “Daytona” logo |
| Auction result | $5,475,000 (Phillips, December 2020) |
Phillips notes that Newman often wore the 6263 with the pushers unscrewed. It has also appeared on an Oyster bracelet, a President bracelet, a Jubilee bracelet and a bund strap over the years.
How to recognize a “Paul Newman” dial
The term now covers any Daytona with an “exotic” dial, meaning one where the sub-dial markings and numerals differ from the standard configuration. Collectors prize them, and prices of true, unaltered examples are far above ordinary vintage Daytonas. Because of that, restored or re-lettered dials are a known problem.
If you are shopping for a vintage Daytona, buy from a specialist who documents the dial’s originality, and ask for the movement and case numbers so they can be checked.
Did Paul Newman wear any other watches?
Phillips frames Newman as a man who wore very few Daytonas, and the record of his other watches is thin. A widely shared vintage photograph appears to show an early dive watch on a leather strap, but Deployant’s analysis concludes the maker cannot be confirmed and that it could even be a Blancpain. We would not call it a Rolex.
Another famous driver-actor pairing is Newman and Steve McQueen, who is linked with the Heuer Monaco. The Peak, a Singapore magazine, wrote about both men’s watches when they came up for auction in 2020. For current celebrity Daytona stories, see our guide to Jerry Seinfeld’s Breitling and famous Daytona.
Similar watches and affordable alternatives
The easiest way to get the look is a modern steel Daytona 126500LN, which comes with a white “panda” dial, but retail supply is limited. You can browse more from the brand in our Rolex hub.
For far less money, a Tudor Black Bay Chrono has a similar tool-watch spirit and appears on our Tudor hub. A Seiko Prospex Speedtimer or a Tissot PRX chronograph in panda colors gives you the Newman-style contrast at a few hundred dollars.
FAQ
What watch did Paul Newman wear?
He wore Rolex Cosmograph Daytonas, most famously the ref. 6239 with an exotic dial that his wife Joanne Woodward gave him in 1968, and the ref. 6263 “Big Red.”
How much did Paul Newman’s Rolex sell for?
The ref. 6239 sold for $17,752,500 including fees at Phillips on October 26, 2017. The ref. 6263 “Big Red” sold for $5,475,000 on December 12, 2020.
Why is it called the Paul Newman Daytona?
Collectors named the exotic-dial Daytonas after Newman because he was photographed wearing a ref. 6239 with that dial. Rolex itself did not use the name.
What does the engraving on Paul Newman’s Daytona say?
The ref. 6239 is engraved “Drive Carefully Me” and the ref. 6263 is engraved “Drive slowly Joanne,” both gifts from Joanne Woodward according to Phillips.
Who owns Paul Newman’s Daytona now?
The buyer of the 2017 ref. 6239 was an anonymous telephone bidder and has not been publicly identified. The buyer of the ref. 6263 also stayed private.
Is the Paul Newman Daytona the most expensive Rolex ever sold?
As far as published auction records show, yes: it has been the most expensive Rolex sold at auction since 2017. It is not the most expensive watch overall, because some Patek Philippe pieces have sold for more.
Sources
- Phillips: Paul Newman’s Rolex Oyster Cosmograph Daytona “Big Red” (press release)
- Phillips: Rolex Cosmograph Daytona “Big Red” ref. 6263, Lot 38
- WorldTempus: New world record set in New York
- The Hollywood Reporter: Paul Newman’s legendary Rolex shatters record at auction
- SJX Watches: Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona 6263 “Big Red” sells for US$5.48m
- Deployant: Did Paul Newman own a Rolex diver in addition to his iconic Daytona?