An example of a Rolex sold only to clients personally selected by the company’s boss will be auctioned this month with an estimate of around £200,000.
The Daytona is one of Rolex’s most famous marques, and among the most valuable watches ever made.
The Daytona was introduced in 1963 and is named for Daytona Beach, one of the US’s foremost racing towns.
Daytona International Speedway, the birthplace of one the greatest watches of all time.
The watches are intimately linked with actor, racing driver, and Rolex owner Paul Newman for whom one style is named. Their distinctive dial set-up is designed to deliver split-second accuracy on everything a racing driver needs to record their performance.
One of Newman’s own Daytonas auctioned for $17.8 million in 2017, setting a record as the most valuable wristwatch ever sold at auction.
This example is being sold at Christie’s Rare Watches, Featuring Stories in Time: A Collection of Exceptional Watches sale on May 12 in Geneva.
Christie’s say the watch, a “stickered” example from 2024 – basically, brand new and still packaged – is of a type sold only to hand-picked Rolex buyers.
With its complete packaging, this watch could have come straight from the Rolex workshop, but these watches were too precious to ever make it to a store’s shelves. Image courtesy of Christie’s.
Their lot essay says: “To own a Rolex Daytona ‘Le Mans’ in yellow gold is to possess one of the most exclusive and sought-after contemporary timepieces. On the wrist, it confers a prestige that is beyond price. Completely ‘off-catalogue,’ the yellow gold ‘Le Mans’ Daytona is a VIP-exclusive, invitation-only model, with each owner hand-picked by Rolex CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour.”
Most of the examples of this reference were made in white gold. The first yellow gold example recorded was seen being worn by Roger Federer at the 2024 US Open.
The watch carries an estimate of CHF150,000 to CHF250,000 (around £136,000 to £227,000).
A white gold example of the watch – a celebratory release for the centenary of the Le Mans race – realised $228,600 at auction in New York in December 2024.
Three watches are expected to sell for around £1 million at the sale on May 12.
This Richard Mille is a special edition with Ferrari and shows his trademark, innovative and super-thin style. It should be a million-pound watch. Image courtesy of Christie’s.
A Richard Mille Rafael Nadal model carries a top estimate of around £1.8 million as does a Patek Philippe 18K pink gold, perpetual calendar reference 2497. Another Richard Mille, a Ferrari special edition, is expected to make as much as £1.45 million.
There have been ups and downs in the watch market in recent years, but it will be a surprise is this example doesn’t surpass its estimate.
