A new Daytona record?

PAUL NEWMAN’S WATCH UNDER THE HAMMER

The most sought-after watch ever? Rolex’s 1969 Cosmograph Daytona, colloquially known as the “Paul Newman Daytona” after a version worn by the Hollywood icon, motorsport enthusiast and salad dressing mogul, featuring an unusual cream dial, art deco font and red lettering. They’re really hard to find. Impossible to find — until now — has been Paul Newman’s actual Daytona. Perhaps the greatest “lost” watch in horological history, it’s to be auctioned at Phillips in New York City in October. Bought as a gift by Newman’s wife in the late Sixties for $300, the star later gave it to James Cox, his daughter Nell’s boyfriend, who wore it till the mid-Nineties when an enthusiast twigged what was on his wrist. Phillips recently hammered a Paul Newman Daytona for just over £1.6m, and has sold Rolexes for near £4m, so get set for a new record.

phillips.com