In brief
- Paul Newman’s personal Rolex Daytona (ref. 6239, 1968) was sold for $17,752,500, buyers premium included, at Phillips in New York on 26 October 2017, against an estimate of 1 to 2 million.
- Phillips also expressed it in Swiss francs (CHF 17,709,894); in euros, around 15 million at the October 2017 rate.
- Phillips still presents it as the highest price ever achieved by a vintage wristwatch at auction.
- Its case back bears the engraving “Drive Carefully Me”, a message from his wife Joanne Woodward.
- A Daytona with a “Paul Newman” dial without this pedigree is worth considerably less: CHF 1,079,500 and CHF 1,391,000 for two exceptional examples at Phillips in Geneva in November 2025.
“Rolex Paul Newman price”: the search query conflates two things, the actor’s watch and the model that bears his name. The former broke all records in 2017. The latter, a Daytona featuring a so-called “exotic” dial, trades at a fraction of that amount. Here are the two figures, backed by official sources.
How much did Paul Newman’s Rolex cost?
On 26 October 2017, Phillips, in association with Bacs & Russo, held the “Winning Icons: Legendary Watches of the 20th Century” sale in New York. Lot 8 was the Cosmograph Daytona that Paul Newman wore for years. Estimated at 1 to 2 million dollars, it was sold for $17,752,500, including buyer’s premium, according to the lot page.
In its press releases, Phillips converted this amount to CHF 17,709,894 and continues to present it, in 2025, as the highest price ever achieved by a vintage wristwatch at auction. In euros, the sum represented approximately 15 million at the October 2017 exchange rate (editorial conversion).
Paul Newman’s Daytona in figures
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Model | Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, reference 6239 |
| Year | 1968 |
| Case | steel, 37 mm, number 2’005’325 |
| Movement | manual winding, calibre 722, 17 jewels |
| Dial | off-white “exotic”, tachymeter bezel |
| Engraving | “Drive Carefully Me” on the case back |
| Sale | Phillips New York, Winning Icons, 26 October 2017, lot 8 |
| Estimate | $1,000,000 to $2,000,000 |
| Price | $17,752,500 premium included (CHF 17,709,894, ≈ €15M) |
| Source | Phillips, lot page and press releases |
A gift from Joanne Woodward
According to the Phillips catalogue, the watch was likely purchased in 1968 by actress Joanne Woodward for her husband, a passionate motor racing enthusiast. The message engraved on the back, “Drive Carefully Me”, sounds like an affectionate word of caution to a driver. It is this provenance, and not the model itself, that explains the price: Paul Newman wore this watch on a daily basis before it left the family.
It was entrusted to Phillips by James Cox, accompanied by a letter of provenance signed by Nell Newman, the actor’s daughter. Phillips emphasised that it was coming up for auction for the very first time since leaving the Newman family. The photograph of the actor wearing his watch, reproduced in the catalogue, made its way around the world of collectors.
The price of a “Paul Newman” Daytona
The nickname “Paul Newman” also refers to a type of Daytona dial from the 1960s and 1970s, featuring contrasting sub-dials and Art Deco style numerals. These watches are highly sought after, but their market value bears no comparison to that of the actor’s personal timepiece. In Geneva, in November 2025, Phillips sold a yellow gold 6239 “Paul Newman” known as the “Golden Pagoda” for CHF 1,079,500, a record for this configuration, and a steel 6263 “Paul Newman, Oyster Sotto” for CHF 1,391,000.
These two results indicate the order of magnitude for the finest examples: around one million Swiss francs, which is more than ten times less than Paul Newman’s own watch. To track Daytona valuations, see also the most desirable Rolexes of 2026 and our round-up of Rolexes at auction in 2025.
Its place among the most expensive watches
Paul Newman’s Daytona holds third place in our ranking of the world’s most expensive watches, behind two Patek Philippe timepieces: the Grandmaster Chime 6300A (31 million Swiss francs, Christie’s, 2019, charity auction) and the Henry Graves Supercomplication (CHF 23,237,000, Sotheby’s, 2014), which is a pocket watch. It remains just ahead of the steel Patek Philippe 1518, which fetched $17,631,075 at Phillips in November 2025, by a margin of just $121,425.
Prices verified and updated on 13 October 2026. Sources: Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo (lot 8 page of the Winning Icons sale, press releases from August and November 2025), Patek Philippe, Sotheby’s.
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