Taxi Gourmet – Fasten your seat belt and let the food quest begin…
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The Wall Street journal reported this morning that Paul Newman’s “Paul Newman” rolex Daytona replica — what many would without hesitation call the holy grail of watch collections — has not only been found, but will be auctioned off by Phillips in New York later this year. Now, I’ll admit right away that this isn’t something we usually report on. Auctions aren’t really something we care about. But that aside, it’s definitely cool.
For as long as people have been collecting vintage watches, they have been asking questions and speculating about Paul Newman’s personal Daytona. This is an amazing watch. Most collectors — even those who cannot find a way to buy it at auction — covet antique watches, and it is no exaggeration to say that they are at least partly responsible for the hype of the antique watch craze. 
Speaking for myself, the fact that the fake watch is tied to Paul Newman—who was as much a committed activist and philanthropist as he was a talented and prolific actor—makes any watch that he wore, by association, badass. The fact that the “Paul Newman” Daytona ref. 6239 is, on its own, a stellar timepiece is simply icing on the cake.
In my previous life, I once spoke to a gentleman who worked with Paul Newman for a few years, and who claimed to have been given a replica watch by Paul Newman to commemorate their partnership. He said it was a Rolex, though he was unsure of the reference. The watch was stolen in a burglary, so its fate is up in the air, but it was a cool story to hear.
The watch was given to James Cox by Newman in 1984. As Cox tells it, he was dating Newman’s daughter, Nell Potts, at the time, so he spent vacations with the Newman family in their home in Westport, Connecticut. One day, Newman asked Cox for the time, to which the latter replied, “I don’t know—I don’t have a watch.” So Paul Newman did what many of us would naturally do—or not. He handed Cox his Daytona and said, “Here, here’s a watch. If you wind it, it tells pretty good time.”
All in all, this is a very important finding, even if it’s not something you really like. I’m looking forward to seeing how much this history will sell for, just out of curiosity. Oh, and in keeping with Mr. Newman’s generosity, a significant portion of the proceeds will go to the Nell Newman Foundation.
