Two of Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytonas Head to Auction

The magic combination of Hollywood legend/race car driver/philanthropist and a Swiss luxury watch brand has led to the most expensive Rolex ever sold at auction. Well, two more of Newman’s Rolex Daytonas are going to hit the auction block this summer. The pair consist of a one-off “Zenith” Daytona (ref. 16520) and a Daytona (ref. 116519). Newman received the “Zenith” in 1995 after winning in the GTS-1 class at the 24 Hours of Daytona. The caseback reads “Rolex at Daytona 24 Paul Newman Rolex Motorsports Man of the Year 1995”. The second watch, a white-gold chronograph from 2006, was a gift from his wife, actress Joanne Woodward. The caseback engraving states, “Drive Very Slowly Joanna.” The watches are expected to command upwards of a million bucks at RM Sotheby’s Important Watches auction in New York on June 9th.