Hollywood icon Paul Newman’s Rolex sold for record $17 million (Rs 115 crore) at auction

A Rolex Daytona Ref. 6239, owned by and named after the legendary star Paul Newman, sold for $17.75 million (Rs 115 crore) at an auction.

A Rolex Daytona Ref. 6239, owned by and named after the legendary star Paul Newman sold for $17.75 million (Rs 115 crore) at an auction.

The sale, made on Friday at a Phillips in association with Bacs & Russo auction broke the record for a Rolex, or any wristwatch, sold at auction. The watch is considered to be one of the most iconic in history. It was sold to an anonymous buyer over phonecall after a 12-minute bidding war.

“The previous record for a Rolex sold at auction was $5-million for a Rolex Ref. 6062, nicknamed the Bao Dai because it was owned by the last emperor of Vietnam,” reported Forbes.

Officially called the Rolex Oyster Cosmograph Daytona, the watch was renamed after Newman wore it in 1980. It was a gift from his wife, Joanne Woodward, who engraved it, “Drive Carefully, Me.” He gifted it to James Cox, the then boyfriend of Newman’s daughter Nell.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale will go to the Nell Newman Foundation, which continues Paul Newman’s philanthropic efforts.

Newman died in 2008, and received a posthumous credit in 2017 for his voice performance in the animated film Cars 3.