In many ways, the vintage collectible watch market owes its existence to the Paul Newman Rolex Daytona. Named after the late Hollywood icon who voiced the part of Doc Hudson in Cars, these now discontinued variations of the classic Cosmograph Daytona gained prominence in 1972 after Newman began sporting the watch while indulging his penchant for auto racing.
Although the majority of Newman’s Daytona collection resides with his immediate family, 2017 marks the first time any such pieces will be available to the public. Once gifted to James Cox – teenage boyfriend to Newman’s daughter, Nell Potts – the current Reference 6329 Daytona is slated to be sold at Phillip’s New York auction on 26 October.
The watch possesses historic provenance and rare features. Originally given to Newman by his wife of 50 years, Joanne Woodward, the caseback of this timepiece is engraved with a loving declaration urging the Cool Hand Luke star to “Drive Carefully, Me”. The cream dial, weathered by a gentle patina, has not been restored since the watch was originally manufactured.
Cox recalls Newman’s acerbic wit when the latter gifted the timepiece to him in 1984: “Here’s a watch. If you wind it, it tells pretty good time”. For contemporary collectors, it tells something more – a pretty remarkable story.