This Rolex “Paul Newman” Daytona reference 6239 is property of the original owner, who received it as a gift in circa 1969 from his mother who purchased it while traveling in Europe. The young gentleman had asked his mother to bring him back an Omega Speedmaster as a gift for him. His mother was not able to find a Speedmaster for sale during her travels due to the intense demand for them after the moon landing in July 1969. She instead purchased this Rolex chronograph. The gentleman got this Rolex serviced in 2000 by Rolex Venezuela and at that time Rolex Venezuela changed the pushers to screw-down pushers for enhanced water resistance, without his permission. We understand that in some cases these converted watches can be changed back to correct pump pushers.

The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona is one of the most iconic and collectable chronograph models by any watchmaker, in particular those with the “Exotic” or “Paul Newman” dials. These “Exotic” dials were alternatives to the standard dials at the time. Ironically, these dial variations were not particularly appreciated by the market at the time of production. The nickname “Paul Newman” caught on after collectors realized that Paul Newman had worn one of these watches frequently, particularly for his racing career. Paul Newman had a reference 6239 with the same style of dial and it was reportedly a gift from his wife.