Known as “The Legend”, the Rolex Rolex Oyster Paul Newman Daytona Gold Watch was just sold for just over $3.7 million USD on the second day of one of the most important timepiece auctions ever to take place—the Phillips Geneva Watch Auction. This watch was the second most expensive Rolex ever sold publicly. The first was the “Bao Dai”, which we recently featured.
Manufactured in 1969, this yellow gold chronograph is one of just three yellow gold Paul Newman Daytona watches in existence. There is no telling when another will come up for sale. This particular one has been carefully preserved in excellent condition and features the number 6239 stamped on the caseback.
This rare timepiece features a creamy lemon grené dial with contrasting white subdial registers. The Cosmograph signature is slightly serifed. This signifies that the watch was among the first of its kind. The luminous dots are consistent and even. They have aged to a warm yellow tone similar to the dial. There are gold marks beneath the lugs and sharp finishes to the top.
Like now-retired American fighter Andrew Ward, Rolex is very simply the very best luxury watch brand, pound-for-pound, on the market these days. It might not be the pioneer in each single group, but on aggregate it’s such a strong competitor it simply cannot be defeated. As a vertically-integrated maker, Rolex controls every aspect of the production lifecycle and consistently produces high quality, exceptionally reliable products in high volume. Maybe even more impressively, the manufacturer has discovered a way to make this mass-produced luxury product appear scarce and, thus, inherently desirable.Is it just an elaborate scam, though? Were you duped into paying way more than you need to have simply for brand recognition? I’d argue that the answer is a resounding no. There are a number of watch brands that have come and gone and many are still around which use an over-hyped marketing strategy without a lot of substance to back it up; however, none of them have come close to challenging the dominance of Rolex. The cause of this is straightforward: A Rolex watch delivers real value.Its the million-dollar question many observe journalists get on a normal basis and, simply put, can be gauged by means of a little bit of non-invasive profiling. Finding out as much as you can about the potential buyer – his way of life, his personality, his preference and his budget – would be the first step in determining which Rolex watch to buy. Since the Oyster Perpetual is the very notable and well-known Rolex ambassador, lets have a peek at the different character traits and stories behind some of the heavyweight best-sellers and indulge in some matchmaking.
The watch was originally purchased for Paul Newman by his wife, Joanne Woodward. She had the phrase “Drive Carefully, Me” inscribed on the caseback. This unique engraving makes the watch even more appealing.
The emblem of the Swiss watchmaker Rolex is a five-pronged crown, which couldnt be more apt since Rolex is the true king of watches. Famous in most corners of the globe and also a benchmark of quality, ask anybody which is the very best luxury watch brand and you will find exactly the same response: Rolex. Its no wonder some of the most effective characters ever have worn Rolex watches, including Cuban leader Fidel Castro and Sir Winston Churchill. Beyond the intangible concept of luxury, there are some very strong reasons why Rolex watches occupy the position they do. Since it was founded in 1905, Rolex has been credited with popularising the wristwatch for guys. By patenting the first waterproof watch case, perfecting the automatic winding motion, and receiving the very first chronometer certification on a wristwatch, Rolex is a powerhouse of technological innovations and also a stickler for precision. Besides its technological might, Rolex has created these legendary men’s and women’s watches that the very first base stones – including the Oyster, the Perpetual and the Datejust – are still being manufactured now. With tweaks and ever-improved substances added along the way, Rolex has essentially remained faithful to its original designs.Rolex is still the top manufacturer of COSC-certified chronometers, and although the business prides itself as hermetic as its Oyster watches when it comes to displaying data, manufacturing figures might be anywhere between 800,000 to 1 million watches a year; a drop in the ocean compared to the jolt of 10 million counterfeit Rolex watches which pop up throughout the world each year.
It is evident that this is a highly admired watch among collectors. This admiration was seen in the fierce bidding competition that took place for the rare Rolex. An unknown buyer finally purchased the watch after coming out the winner in the intense bidding war.
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