Sometimes a watch becomes so inextricably linked with its
wearer that it attains iconic status by association. Steve
McQueen had the Heuer Monaco, James Bond (despite the best
efforts of Omega in recent years) had the Rolex Submariner,
and, as popular wisdom tells us, Paul Newman had the 6241
Rolex Daytona with the ‘exotic’ dial.
Except he didn’t. Although there are many theories as to
why this particular model became known as the Paul Newman
Daytona, it is unlikely that he ever actually wore one; the
actor did own a Daytona, but it was a later model given to
him by his wife in the early 1970s.
Despite Newman’s connection with the watch apparently
being apocryphal, the Paul Newman Daytona remains one of
Rolex’s most collectable chronographs (or cosmographs, as
the company is wont to call them), and it is its rarity that
is at least partially responsible for its position on The
List. It is the 250 GTO of sports watches; a prohibitively
expensive object from an iconic manufacturer, which, through
its rarity and classically beautiful lines, has obviated any
of the vulgarity inherent in owning a more recent model from
the same producer.
The Daytona, like the Heuer Carrera, has strong connections
with motorsport, being named after one of the United States’
most famous tracks, as well as being worn by a number of
racing drivers in the late 1960s, who appreciated the
usefulness of its chronograph in measuring lap times and
calculating average speeds. Where it differed from the Heuer
was in its pricing; to use an analogy, the Carrera was the
club motorsport competitor, whereas the Daytona was the F1
driver.
Daytonas have featured a number of different movements
over the years, but the Newman Daytona sports a Valjoux 722
movement, albeit one that has been substantially modified by
Rolex. This may not be quite as exotic as the other ‘out of
house’ movement fitted to Daytonas – the El Primero – which
was used throughout the 1990s, but it is still an attractive
piece of horological engineering.
There are numerous external variations even within the
Newman Daytona model line, but the one to go for in our
opinion is all steel with a black bezel and faces and white
subsidiary dials. This is the classiest example of the
breed, and is easily distinguishable from more modern
versions by its distinctive appearance.
Such aesthetic perfection does not come cheap, though. It
is estimated that only 1000 Newman Daytonas were produced,
and, if you are lucky enough to locate a genuine one, expect
to receive little change from the cost of a new Porsche
Boxster. But it is not just rarity that makes the Newman
Daytona special – it is the notion that you are buying into
the lifestyle of the 1960s racing driver, when the term
‘jet-set’ really meant something, and glamour had not been
diminished by widespread
wealth.
