Paul Newman 6239 Rolex Daytona

This is the first Daytona, where it all began, 6239. The 6239 Paul Newman, despite not sporting Oyster pushers, is about as close to blue chip in the pump-pusher vintage Rolex world as it gets. Although thanks largely to provenance, a different PN 6239 still holds the record today for the most expensive vintage watch sold at auction. That’s all great, but the 6239 means more than that to watch people. It’s the first Daytona. It’s the first Panda dial Rolex chronograph. And it is, inarguably, the watch of motorsport. Somewhat ironic that the Speedmaster is now the watch for space nerds whilst the Cosmograph is today the watch for Le Mans winners, no?

The 6239 was the first Daytona, at least if you define it as as by what Rolex called it. The first Double Swiss didn’t say Daytona, that came just after, but everything else was there. And that’s part of the fun. From Double Swiss Underline to Solo dials, Small Daytona, Large Daytona, and everything inbetween, there’s a lifetime’s study to learn in 6239 alone. Don’t agree? Just start researching ROW engravings on V72B balance bridges. And then we haven’t gotten to the real significance here yet, the inevitable Paul Newman dials. Rolex has reintroduced the exotic Singer look, but the original will never be bested.

But they are f*cked with, and often. Buying a Paul Newman randomly in the market today is like looking for a wife exclusively on TikTok: you’ll leave crying without precisely half your wealth. Between service replacements, outright frauds, and frankens, bad examples fool auction houses regularly. The value of a good 6239 PN will range from 200-500K USD, depending on condition and condition alone. The lion’s share of this value is in the dial, so know it front side and back. This is an earlier production dial, sporting the wide version of the ‘swelling’ T Swiss T signature that would make sense for its ’67 serial. Same with the 300 UPH, which is a mega detail. But that’s just two data points. Many more should be gathered. The values are astronomical, but so are the historic significance and work you should do first; these three define the professional leagues of vintage Rolex. And even after all that effort, nothing can prepare you for how light, some might even say insubstantial, the watch itself feels relative to modern examples on wrist. But that’s all its charm. It was never meant to be this blue chip titan of watch value. It’s just a humble chronograph that hoped to capture some charm of Le Mans, then Daytona. And then a guy named Paul liked it. I can see why.

This is an earlier production dial, sporting the wide version of the ‘swelling’ T Swiss T signature that would make sense for its ’67 serial. Same with the 300 UPH, which is a mega detail. But that’s just two data points. Many more should be gathered. This example is pretty nearly perfect, and that’s why we’re highlighting it. Mk1 dial, 300 bezel, stout sharp lugs, and a clear clean white dial. I’d rather have this example for its early dial and bezel paired with condition than almost any other I’ve seen recently, and there are many. It comes from a well-regarded Dubai retailer.