The Paul Newman Rolex Daytona (Lifetsyle)
October 18, 2024
Paul Newman was an actor and race car driver, and is commonly associated with the Rolex Daytona. Rolex never made a specific Daytona for Paul Newman, but he was also know for his style and often wore the Daytona during his lifetime. Newman popularized the Rolex Daytona, and it is one of the most famous and coveted watches in horology today.
The cases, bracelets, and movements on vintage Daytonas and “Paul Newman” Daytonas are identical, and the only difference between the versions is the dial on the “Paul Newman.” The only Daytonas that originally feature a Paul Newman dial are References 6239, 6241, 6262, 6263, 6264, and 6265.
Characteristics of a “Paul Newman” Daytona dial:
- The subdials in a contrasting color to the main dial
- The three subdials feature art deco-style font
- The three subdials feature hash marks at the end
- The small seconds subdials include the numbers 15, 30, 45, and 60 (traditional ones have 20, 40, 60)
- The dial features a small step in between the center and the outer minute track
- Most (but not all) have tri-color dials
“Paul Newman” Daytona reference breakdown:
- Reference 6239: produced approximately 1963 – 1969, pump pushers, metal bezel
- Reference 6241: produced approximately 1965 – 1969, pump pushers, acrylic bezel
- Reference 6262: produced approximately 1969 – 1970, pump pushers, metal bezel
- Reference 6264: produced approximately 1969 – 1972, pump pushers, acrylic bezel
- Reference 6265: produced approximately 1971 – 1988, screw-down pushers, metal bezel
- Reference 6263: produced approximately 1971 – 1988, screw-down pushers, acrylic bezel
