Scheduled on 7th November 2022, the Christie’s Geneva Rare Watches Live Sale will be auctioning an extremely rare Daytona watch with a Paul Newman Lemon Dial.
This Rolex Daytona ref. 6263 “Paul Newman with Lemon Dial” is the earliest of only three known examples of the 18K gold version of the iconic Rolex.
In Pucci Papaleo’s definitive Ultimate Rolex Daytona reference work, the 18K gold reference 6263 with ‘Oyster Lemon’ dial featuring white subsidiary graphics is called THE LEGEND –fitting for the One among the three rarest and most fabled of all gold Cosmographs.
The so-called ‘Lemon’ Paul Newman refers to the rich yellow hue of the background colour, very different from the usual cream/champagne colour. It is furthermore distinguished by the white printing on the engine-turned subsidiary dials.
Rolex usually produced the yellow gold ‘pump pusher’ Paul Newman Cosmograph references with champagne/gilt numbers and indexes on their totalizers which blend with the tonality of the dial as a whole, instead, the white numbers and indexes on the present ‘Lemon’ dial watch sharply contrast with the dark background providing a rather striking visual addition to the overall effect.
For many years it was supposed that no gold Cosmograph Daytonas with screw-down chronograph pushers existed with ‘Oyster Lemon Paul Newman’ dials.
The present watch from ca. 1969 caused a sensation when it appeared at auction for the first time in 2013; indeed, it was one of the most significant moments for Rolex scholars and Daytona collectors.
The serial number 2’330’402 placed it very early in the production of reference 6263, predating even some of the last examples of the earlier ‘pump pusher’ references 6262 and 6264, at a time when Rolex were experimenting with different dial types.
Estimate: CHF3,000,000-5,000,000 (US$3,200,000-5,200,000 / €3,200,000-5,200,000)