Paul Newman’s Daytona Rolex Sells for a Record $17.8 Million
- Hollywood legend wore the wristwatch daily during the 1970s
- Proceeds from the sale to benefit his daughter’s foundation
A Rolex that once belonged to Paul Newman became the most expensive wristwatch ever sold in an auction as it fetched $17.8 million Thursday night in New York.
The stainless-steel Daytona Rolex was the star of a special 50-lot evening sale, “Winning Icons -- Legendary Watches of the 20th Century,” at Phillips auction house. The timepiece had been estimated at more than $1 million. The previous record for a wristwatch belonged to a stainless-steel Patek Philippe that sold for $11.1 million at Phillips in November.