FLOAT

Paul Newman's own Rolex Daytona Ref. 6239

Maker
Rolex
Year
1968 (sold at auction 2017)
Rank
98 of 100

Paul Newman's own Rolex Daytona Ref. 6239

Paul Newman's own Rolex Daytona Ref. 6239 by Rolex (1968 (sold at auction 2017)) is ranked 98 in the FLOAT 100 for Watches. It sold for $17,752,500 on 26 October 2017. Paul Newman's own Paul-Newman-dial Daytona, gifted by Joanne Woodward — the single most famous wristwatch in the world.

What is it, and why is it in the FLOAT 100?

Paul Newman's own Paul-Newman-dial Daytona, gifted by Joanne Woodward — the single most famous wristwatch in the world.

Cosmograph Daytona ref. 6239, 'Paul Newman' exotic dial — Newman's personal watch ('DRIVE CAREFULLY ME' caseback)

What is the best-sourced number for it?

Figure
$17,752,500
Kind
Realized at auction
Date
26 October 2017

Phillips New York, 'Winning Icons' sale, Oct 26 2017, lot 8 — $17,752,500 incl. premium. World-record wristwatch at the time.

This is a realized sale. Somebody paid it. Source.

How this is made

The figure
One reference price, taken from a named public source and shown with its own kind. FLOAT does not average it with anything or adjust it for time.
Realized or not
A realized price is a completed sale. A market asking price and a price-guide value are not sales, and are labeled as such wherever they appear.
Why no grade ladder
Most FLOAT 100 entries are individual objects. There is one of this, so there is no population and no spread across grades to show.
Archive
2026-08-08