Rolex - The New York Watch Auction: NINE New York Saturday, December 9, 2023 | Phillips

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  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: Circa 1970
    Reference No: 6264; inside caseback stamped 6241
    Case No: 2’357’442
    Model Name: Cosmograph Daytona “Paul Newman Lemon”
    Material: 18K yellow gold
    Calibre: Manual, cal. 727, 17 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: 18K yellow gold Rolex Oyster bracelet, end links stamped 71
    Clasp/Buckle: 18K yellow gold Rolex deployant clasp, reference 7205, stamped “H”
    Dimensions: 37mm Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement, and clasp signed.

  • Catalogue Essay

    While any vintage Rolex Cosmograph Daytona with a “Paul Newman” dial can be considered a trophy watch for a collector, when one is found bearing a “Paul Newman Lemon” dial, it becomes an ultimate trophy due to its utmost rarity and attractiveness.

    What differentiates a “Lemon” Paul Newman Daytona from the more commonly found champagne-dial Paul Newman Daytona? The devil is in the details, and the details are in the dial. To be considered a “Lemon” Paul Newman, the main dial must have a matte-finished, grené texture with an almost powdery effect with a more cream yellow color than a metallic gold or champagne. Compared with the dial on the champagne Paul Newman Daytonas, the “Lemon” dials feature an intense and creamy shade of yellow that sets them apart.

    The most distinctive feature can be found on the sub-dials of the “Lemon.” Instead of matching the gilt printing found on the black outer track, they have vivid, white-printed Art Deco numerals – a coveted characteristic immediately spotted by those who know. Overall, the combination of the creamy yellow dial and stark, white sub-dial numerals is quite striking – especially when paired with a black outer track.

    Complemented with a luxurious yellow gold Oyster bracelet, the serial number matches closely with several other Paul Newman “Lemon” reference 6264s in 18 karat yellow gold, beginning with 2’357’XXX; the current example is within 37 digits of “El Limoncito,” sold by Phillips New York, in June 2022, for over USD $2,000,000.

    Having aged beautifully over the past half-century, and consigned by an important American collector, the present reference 6264 is at the pinnacle of desirability for collectors of highly important timepieces.

  • Artist Biography

    Rolex

    Swiss • 1905

    Founded in 1905 England by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis, it soon became known as the Rolex Watch Company in 1915, moving its headquarters to Geneva in 1919. Like no other company, the success of the wristwatch can be attributed to many of Rolex's innovations that made them one of the most respected and well-known of all luxury brands. These innovations include their famous "Oyster" case — the world's first water resistant and dustproof watch case, invented in 1926 — and their "Perpetual" — the first reliable self-winding movement for wristwatches launched in 1933. They would form the foundation for Rolex's Datejust and Day-Date, respectively introduced in 1945 and 1956, but also importantly for their sports watches, such as the Explorer, Submariner and GMT-Master launched in the mid-1950s.

    One of its most famous models is the Cosmograph Daytona. Launched in 1963, these chronographs are without any doubt amongst the most iconic and coveted of all collectible wristwatches. Other key collectible models include their most complicated vintage watches, including references 8171 and 6062 with triple calendar and moon phase, "Jean Claude Killy" triple date chronograph models and the Submariner, including early "big-crown" models and military-issued variants.

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Ref. 6264; inside caseback stamped 6241
An exceptionally rare, extremely attractive, and important yellow gold chronograph wristwatch with “Paul Newman Lemon” dial and bracelet

Circa 1970
37mm Diameter
Case, dial, movement, and clasp signed.

Estimate
$600,000 - 1,200,000 
CHF531,000-1,060,000
€550,000-1,100,000
HK$4,680,000-9,360,000
S$806,000-1,610,000

Sold for $965,200

Contact Specialist

Paul Boutros
Deputy Chairman and Head of Watches, Americas
+1 (212) 940-1293
WatchesNY@Phillips.com
 
Isabella Proia
Head of Sale, New York
+1 (212) 940 1285
iproia@phillips.com

The New York Watch Auction: NINE

New York Auction 9 - 10 December 2023