Today, the Rolex Daytona is one of Rolex’s most sought after models. However, its popularity didn’t happen overnight.
In 1955, Rolex released the modern day Daytona’s predecessor, the Rolex reference 6324 Chronograph. It was not well received as many people were already happy buying from Rolex’s competitors who had already established themselves as leading manufacturers of chronographs. There were only 500 watches released per year until this model was discontinued in 1961. Nowadays, they are rare and highly sought after by Rolex collectors and the price tag now starts at a massive $20,000, which is dramatically different to the $200 they were sold for when they were first released.
Rolex became the official timekeeper for the Daytona International Speedway and then in 1963, in honour of the brand’s sponsorship of the race, Rolex released the Cosmograph Reference 6239. This model was then given the nickname “Rolex Daytona” shortly after. The watch was specifically designed for race car drivers and included a tachymeter scale and a larger bezel.
The first celebrity to wear the Rolex Daytona was the actor and successful race car driver Paul Newman. He wore his Daytona during races but it was also reported that he wore it every day from 1972 up until his passing in 2008. Even with Newman’s widespread appeal, the Daytona watch was still not a bestseller for Rolex.
Today, Paul Newman’s name is well associated with Rolex. For a watch to be classed as a “Paul Newman Daytona” it needs to be one of the following references: 6239, 6241, 6262, 6263, 6264 or 6265. These rare Daytonas are identified by their distinctive sub-dials, and a seconds sub-dial placed at the 9 o’clock hour marker.
In 1970, for one year only, Rolex issued Reference 6262. It was not warmly received as many fans thought it wasn’t practical. This model was decked out with 17 jewels and baton numerals but it didn’t include Rolex’s “Oyster” case.
Initially, the reference 6262 was a bit of a sales flop for Rolex. However, it marked the brand’s return to the engraved steel bezel and unthreaded push buttons. Today Reference 6262 rarity has made it a sought after item for collectors.
Whilst Rolex’s sales weren’t at their best, they introduced Reference 16520, a self-winding Daytona that housed a modified self-winding Zenith Caliber 400 movement. Throughout the 1980s, the demand for sportier looking chronographs blew up which was great timing for Rolex and their release of the self-winding Daytona. With Rolex’s manual-wind Daytonas being discontinued and their new modernised Daytona being released, the demand for both old and new Daytonas began to significantly rise. 1n 1988, Rolex Daytonas had a three year waiting list and the demand for the ever popular model has not decreased since.
Up until 2000, the Rolex Daytona’s movement was not an exclusive, in-house design. However, Rolex then debuted its in-house Caliber 4130 movement which is still used in Daytona watches today. The Caliber 4130 has 44 jewels, Kif shock absorbers and it boasts a very impressive 72-hour power reserve.
In October 2017 an anonymous bidder won Paul Newman’s personal “Paul Newman Rolex Daytona” for a huge $17.75 million (approximately £13.5 million). The seller was James Cox, Newman’s daughter Nell’s college boyfriend. Cox donated a significant portion of the watch’s sale price to the Nell Newman foundation and Newman’s own Foundation.
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