Paul Newman is famous for many things in every aspect. He’s an icon — an award-winning actor best known for his work in movies like The Color of Money, The Hustler, The Sting, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and more. He was even popular for his salad dressings, and his passion for race car driving. But for all this man did, only one thing is a Rolex named after him.
When the replica Rolex first introduced the Daytona, a fake watch inspired by racecar drivers and named after the well-known Florida track, it wasn’t a big hit. Back in the day, the watch sold for a couple hundred bucks, and the face didn’t resonate with the general public.
Then, Paul Newman was spotted wearing one. The world-famous actor was also into racecar driving, and for that, the Daytona served a purpose. Soon, watch retailers all over the world were able to sell dusty Daytona’s off their shelves by calling them Rolex’s ‘Paul Newman’ watch.
Today, it’s one of the most recognizable replica watches in the world. Although, it is important to note that Daytona stands for a line of high-performance luxury timepieces, not a single model. There are three distinct series, the first being the smallest and beginning in 1963 and lasting through the 1980’s. During the first series, all models were given a four-digit model number and featured a manual-wind movement. This is also the most important series because so few were made. Besides, this is the original Daytona that Newman made famous.
The second series is categorized as the generation after Newman made it a hit. Today, we’re in the third series with self-winding chronograph functions and a six-digit model number. Although the first series are amongst the rarest and most expensive replica watches to date, the second and third series are further proof that Newman’s stamp of approval is all this watch needed to catapult it to stardom.
Another way you can tell if it’s an original Newman Daytona is if the domed crystals are made of acrylic. The sub-dials also have block markers instead of the more modern lines, and each sub-dial also has crosshairs placed on them.
This original was available with both black and white dials, but you can see here, Newman preferred the black. You can also see the very detailed, beautiful red that reads out ‘Daytona’ stretched across the sub-dial above six o’clock. There’s even that rare, nice red in the outer minute track.
The replica watch was originally gifted to Newman by his wife, Joanne Woodward, and on the back you’ll read, “Drive Carefully, Me.” clearly inscribed. Eventually, you it can’t go without mentioning that this watch sat on Newman’s wrist for decades. Just imagine all that watch has seen and done.