The Paul Newman Daytona is perhaps the best known and most sought after vintage watch in the world right now. That sentence could have been written at any time in the last ten years, and it would have been just as true as it is today. There seems to be no end to the interest in the exotic dial variant of the Rolex Daytona, even after the Paul Newman sold for nearly $18 million at a Phillips auction in the fall of 2017. While truly rare and ?important? fresh to market examples are dwindling, good, honest watches can still be found, even if you can?t say with a straight face that any of them can be had for what would amount to a good value.
Skinner is a full service auction house with multiple locations throughout the US, but a homebase in Massachusetts. I took a trip to Marlborough one day a few weeks ago to visit with Jonathan Dowling, Skinner?s watch specialist, so that he could show me the 6239 Paul Newman they?re about to sell.
The Rolex 6239. Photo by the author.

Skinner, like most auction houses, does business on many fronts. They have auctions devoted to fine art, musical instruments, wine and spirits, and so on. As Jonathan led me through the massive Marlborough facility, I was a bit dumbstruck by the amount of stuff on shelves, leaning against walls, and on tables as we made our way back to the very humble watch department. Paintings, tall clocks, and furniture take up quite a bit more physical space than watches – someone who didn?t know better could tak...