Paul Newman's Rolex Daytona Sells for Nearly $5.5 Million USD
Making history as the third highest-ever price for a Rolex watch at auction.
Phillips‘ final auction of 2020 saw the sale of Paul Newman’s famed Rolex Daytona, which an anonymous collector snagged for a record-breaking price of $5,475,000 USD — the third highest-ever price for a Rolex watch at auction.
The Rolex Daytona, reference number 6263, is a driving watch that features the Daytona name in extra-large red lettering, earning its nickname “Big Red.” (Not all Daytonas bear branding in an extra-large font, making Newman’s watch a rarity.) The actor was frequently photographed wearing the timepiece, which his wife, Joanne Woodward, gifted him in 1983 for their 25th wedding anniversary. The watch’s caseback is engraved with the words “Drive Slowly Joanne,” a reference to a serious motorcycle accident Newman suffered in 1965. He handed down the watch to his daughter, Clea Newman Soderlund, in 2008.
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona 6263 “Big Red” will benefit several charities Newman founded during his lifetime.
