The Record Ledger · updated October 2026 · 35 documented results
The 10 Most Expensive Rolex Daytona Watches Ever Sold
The most expensive Rolex Daytona ever documented by MostExpensiveWatches is the Rolex Daytona 'Paul Newman' ref. 6239, which realized $17,752,500 at Phillips New York in 2017 — the top of 35 documented results totaling $79,755,927.
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1
Rolex Daytona 'Paul Newman'
$17,752,500 · 2017 · Phillips New York
Paul Newman's personal Daytona, gifted by his wife Joanne Woodward in the late 1960s. Caseback inscribed 'DRIVE CAREFULLY ME'. The watch that defined the exotic-dial Daytona category.
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2
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona "The Unicorn"
$5,936,906 · 2018 · Phillips Geneva
The only known vintage white gold manual-winding Daytona ever produced, donated by collector John Goldberger to benefit the Children Action charity.
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3
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona "Big Red"
$5,475,000 · 2020 · Phillips New York
Paul Newman's personal 'Big Red' Daytona, gifted by his wife and worn by the actor for over two decades.
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4
Rolex Daytona 'Big Red' (John Mayer's)
$5,400,000 · 2024 · Phillips New York
Featured in John Mayer's 'Talking Watches' episode. Black dial 6263 'Big Red' Daytona — one of the most photographed vintage Daytonas in the modern era.
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5
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona "The King"
$5,230,100 · 2025 · Sotheby's Hong Kong
Commissioned by Sultan Qaboos of Oman, this is one of only eight known examples, featuring a baguette-cut diamond bezel and a pavé-set diamond dial with sapphire hour markers.
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6
Rolex Daytona 'The Legend'
$3,726,000 · 2017 · Phillips Geneva
One of only three known yellow gold 6263 Daytonas with a 'Paul Newman' lemon dial and screw-down pushers. This lot set a world record for the reference at the time of sale due to its extreme rarity and exceptional condition.
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7
Rolex Daytona 'RCO' Paul Newman Oysterquartz Concept Outdated
$3,724,000 · 2018 · Phillips Geneva
Exotic-dial 6263 with 'RCO' configuration (Rosso Corsa Outline). From John Goldberger collection.
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8
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona
$3,100,000 · 2021 · Sotheby's Hong Kong
A unique platinum Daytona featuring a turquoise lacquered "Stella" dial, powered by the Zenith-based caliber 4030 and manufactured circa 1998.
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9
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona "The Neanderthal"
$3,012,422 · 2018 · Phillips Geneva
A unique transitional reference featuring oversized white subdials and Art Deco numerals, predating the standard Paul Newman dial configuration.
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10
Rolex Daytona "John Player Special"
$2,800,000 · 2023 · Sotheby's Geneva
An exceptionally rare 18k yellow gold Paul Newman Daytona with the iconic black-and-gold "JPS" livery, one of only approximately 300 gold examples produced.
How the record was set
Every documented result that beat all before it.
| Year | New record | Watch |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | $155,000 | Rolex Daytona Tiffany & Co. · Antiquorum New York |
| 2013 | $838,090 | Rolex Cosmograph Daytona "Pulsation Dial" · Christie's Geneva |
| 2013 | $864,521 | Rolex Cosmograph Daytona "Sultan Qaboos" · Christie's Geneva |
| 2013 | $1,089,186 | Rolex Cosmograph Daytona "RCO" Paul Newman · Christie's Geneva |
| 2015 | $1,418,000 | Rolex Cosmograph Daytona "Albino" · Phillips Geneva |
| 2017 | $3,726,000 | Rolex Daytona 'The Legend' · Phillips Geneva |
| 2017 | $17,752,500 | Rolex Daytona 'Paul Newman' · Phillips New York |
Part of the Rolex record ranking.
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Cite this record
Every figure above is a documented hammer price with a primary source on its lot page. Cite as “MostExpensiveWatches Record Ledger”, e.g.:
“The most expensive Rolex Daytona ever documented by MostExpensiveWatches is the Rolex Daytona 'Paul Newman' ref. 6239, which realized $17,752,500 at Phillips New York in 2017 — the top of 35 documented results totaling $79,755,927.” — MostExpensiveWatches, October 2026. https://mostexpensivewatches.net/most-expensive/model/rolex-daytona
Machine-readable: /data/records.json · See also the Grail Index and the daily Price Index.