Throwback Thursday: Rolex Daytona “Paul Newman” Ref 6241 Retailed By Hermès

By Martin Green June 29, 2017

When it comes to vintage watches, the same model can have different tiers of rarity and desirability. This Rolex Daytona “Paul Newman” ranks very high on both accounts. Being a reference 6241, it is fitted with a tachymeter scale, printed on an acrylic bezel, as well as the so-called “pump-pushers.” While these characteristics set this reference apart, it is the dial that adds to this even more.

The black dial features gold sub-dials and minute track, for which it got the nickname “John Player Special.” This is a reference to the black and gold livery that the race cars sponsored by this British tobacco company sported. Especially the Lotus Formula 1 cars in this color combination are well known. On the Daytona these colors, combined with the 18K yellow gold case and that exquisite riveted Oyster bracelet, is very stunning, a bold yet refined statement!

While this together already makes for quite a tempting and desirable Daytona, this one goes even a tier higher. Many of the world’s leading jewelers have, at some point in time, been a Rolex dealer. This has resulted in models that featured not only the Rolex brand name but also that of the retailer. While Cartier and Tiffany are among the most notable, this Daytona was sold by Hermès.

The back of the watch is stamped with the Hermès name, who sold the Daytona on November 30th, 1971 in Paris. It is what makes this watch unique, and quite understandable that it sold for CHF 569.000,- when it was auctioned by Phillips in 2015. If it came up for auction again, it would not be surprising if it would fetch even more, as Rolex in general, and the Daytona especially continues to captivate the minds and hearts of collectors, especially when it concerns rare piece such as this one!