Rolex

1968 Rolex Daytona 6239 "Paul Newman Exotic Dial" W/ Box and Rolex Service Papers

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If you ask a vintage watch collector what their "Holy Grail Watch" would be, many would answer without a stutter the Rolex Paul Newman Daytona." Perhaps the most important watch and dial configuration when considering vintage Rolex, or Rolex in general. Known today to be one of the most prestigious and valuable watches ever produced by Rolex. The Rolex Daytona exotic dial received its name the "Paul Newman", after the famed actor and then racecar driver Paul Newman chose a Rolex 6239 Daytona with exotic Panda Dial configuration as his personal watch. In the mid-1960s, Rolex decided to introduce an alternate, “exotic” dial design for their reference 6239 chronographs. These exotic dials were characterized by their stepped, contrasting-color minute track rings, and the art-deco style font that was used for the numerals on their chronograph registers. Additionally, the hour markers on a Paul Newman dial appear as small metallic blocks with luminous dots placed at the edge of their innermost side and are significantly shorter than the stick-style hour markers found on a normal vintage Daytona dial. In October of 2017, Paul Newman's personal Rolex exotic Ref. 6239 was auctioned by Phillips auction house in NYC for $17.75M making it the most expensive and iconic wristwatch ever sold.

The Paul Newman Daytona is often credited as being the watch that jump-started much of the vintage Rolex collecting market that is so alive and strong today. The history of the watch itself has a fascinating trajectory, making the leap from unwanted dial variant of a humble sports chronograph, to becoming one of the most expensive and widely-coveted watches in the entire world. The rise in value and collectability of the Paul Newman Daytona very much dovetails with that of the vintage Rolex market as a whole, and few watches embody the values and overall spirit of vintage Rolex collecting better than the Paul Newman Daytona. 

- What makes this specific example insanely special is that the watch was sourced from the original owner who wore the piece for many years while splitting time between Germany and the USA. The original owner serviced the watch exclusively at Rolex in Germany and retained the box and the last service receipt which notates the serial number of the watch. This is one of the nicest Paul Newman Daytona examples we have ever had within our collection here at Craft and Tailored!-

Stock #
RLXDTPN6239-69FUAR
Brand Rolex
Style Daytona
Model 6239
Serial 17XXXXX
Size Men's
Material Stainless Steel
Dial 3 Color Paul Newman
Millimeters 36
Strap Rolex Oyster 78350 Bracelet With 571 End Pieces

 

CASE & BRACELET

The case retains thick and even lugs and shows minimal wear.  The bezel is in absolutely stunning condition showing minor enamel loss. The Rolex Oyster 78350 Bracelet With 571 End Pieces remains in excellent condition and shows little to no stretch.

DIAL & HANDS

This is a stunning example of a rare "Paul Newman Exotic Dial" that remains in remarkable condition, the 3 color dial is in crisp condition showing no marks or discoloration. All 11 lume dots are fully intact making this a 10/10 example showing no lume degradation when viewed under U.V. light. The hands were replaced by Rolex with luminova service hands during its last service interval by Rolex Germany which is documented in the accompanying Rolex service document.

ACCESSORIES 

Watch comes complete with the original inner box and Rolex official service documents from Rolex Germany, The watch was just completely overhauled and is running at COSC spec backed by a 1-year warranty on accurate timekeeping.