The “Paul Newman” is not a single watch but a dial: the exotic, Art Deco-style dial fitted to vintage manual-wind Daytona references 6239, 6241, 6262, 6264, 6263 and 6265 between roughly the mid-1960s and the early 1970s. Made by dial supplier Singer, it is identified by square-tipped markers in the sub-registers, Art Deco numerals and a stepped outer seconds track in a contrasting colour.
Why is it called the Paul Newman?
Paul Newman wore a 6239 with an exotic dial — a gift from his wife Joanne Woodward, engraved “DRIVE CAREFULLY ME” — from around the time he filmed Winning in 1968–69. Italian collectors reportedly coined the nickname in the 1980s after the watch appeared on his wrist in widely circulated photographs, and the name attached itself to the dial style rather than any one reference. In period the exotic dials sold poorly; estimates commonly put them at under 5 per cent of Daytona production of the era, which is precisely why they became the most valuable. Newman’s own 6239 sold at Phillips in New York in October 2017 for $17,752,500 — at the time the highest price ever paid for a wristwatch at auction.
References
Exotic dials were fitted to six manual-wind references, all long discontinued:
| Reference | Years | Key spec | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6239 | c. 1963–1969 | Pump pushers, steel tachymeter bezel | Discontinued |
| 6241 | c. 1965–1969 | Pump pushers, black acrylic bezel | Discontinued |
| 6262 / 6264 | c. 1970–1972 | Calibre 727, steel or acrylic bezel | Discontinued |
| 6263 / 6265 | c. 1971–1988 | Screw-down pushers, Oyster case; exotic dials early in the run only | Discontinued |
Super clone availability
Grand Watch Club does not currently list an exotic-dial vintage Daytona, and we would rather say so plainly than stretch the term. A convincing Paul Newman would demand a correct vintage case with pump or screw-down pushers, a faithful Singer-style exotic dial and believable ageing — a far taller order than replicating a watch still in production. The closest matches in stock are the modern panda and reverse-panda Daytona super clones, in white-dial and black-dial 126500LN and 116500LN configurations, which carry the same light-dial, dark-counter contrast the exotic dials made famous. These run from £434 to £1,125 across Japanese and Swiss movement tiers.