Watch Icons follows the people whose watches became part of cultural history. Today: Paul Newman and the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference 6239.
A gift with a warning
Rolex records that Joanne Woodward gave Paul Newman a Cosmograph Daytona before filming Winning. Its caseback carried a personal engraving: “DRIVE CAREFULLY ME.” The message joined two chapters of Newman’s life—acting and motor racing—in one object.
Phillips documented the same stainless-steel reference 6239 as a 1968 watch with an off-white “exotic” dial and Bund-style strap. Newman wore it for years, and the design later became so closely associated with him that collectors adopted the “Paul Newman” nickname for this dial style.
From personal watch to collecting icon
The watch’s importance is not only its auction result. It is the unusually direct provenance: a gift from Woodward, worn by Newman as his racing life developed, with a private inscription still intact. When Phillips sold it in New York in 2017, it realized US$17,752,500.
Sources: Rolex, “Born to race”; Phillips, Winning Icons, Lot 8.
The accompanying image is an AI-generated editorial illustration. This historical feature is independent editorial content. Paul Newman, his estate, and Rolex are not affiliated with or endorsing SEKUND.STORE. The featured watch is not represented as SEKUND.STORE inventory.