Winding up a lifetime of giving to charity

IN THE decade after Paul Newman received a Rolex gift from his wife, Joanne Woodward, the watch travelled the world with the star, appearing on his wrist in promotional materials, magazines and documentary footage.

Then, in 1984, the star passed it on to James Cox, a college student who dated Newman’s daughter, Nell.

“Hey, kid, you know what time it is?” Newman asked one day when he had forgotten to wind up the Rolex. Cox had no clue as he didn’t own a watch.

“If you can remember to wind this daily, it tells pretty good time,” the actor said, handing the Rolex to the young man. Woodward’s reaction is not recorded.

Cox, now 52, is selling the watch to raise money for The Nell Newman Foundation. Nell established the non-profit foundation in 2010 to carry on her father’s legacy of charitable giving.

Although their romance ended, Cox is still a close friend of Nell Newman and honorary treasurer of her foundation which, by all accounts, could do with such a cash injection.

“The watch was a beautiful gift,” Cox says. “It’s now my turn to do something beautiful with it.” – Auctions Writer