1969 Rolex Paul Newman Daytona 6263 White Tropical Mk 1.75 Panda ‘Big Eyes’

Case: The excellent case with only light wear from gentle use. The black bezel insert is also in excellent condition showing only very light wear overall. There is some very light delamination occurring between the 60 and 65 index markers and the 140 and 160 index markers. The crystal appears to be original to the watch and shows some crazing from age over the 6 o'clock sub dial.

Dial: Excellent and rare Mk 1.75 Paul Newman Panda ‘Big Eyes’ dial. The white center portion of the Paul Newman dial has aged to a light clean creamy hue. The black outer portion of the dial is also in excellent condition showing a significant amount of warm chocolate brown tropical patina and only very light wear for its age. The black sub-dials are also in excellent condition showing tropical patina consistent with the rest of the dial. The lume has aged to a warm creamy hue and the hands match perfectly. All lume plots are present and fully intact. All the lume glows brightly under UV light and falls off rapidly at the same rate which is correct for this series of dial.

Bracelet: The 13 folded link Oyster bracelet is excellent showing only very light stretch for its age. The clasp is stamped with 1972 date code.

Accessories: None.

Notes: It's hard to think of a watch more deserving of its elevated status than the Paul Newman Rolex Daytona. With everyone always desperately trying to connect a watch with some famous person, or some story, it has become more and more difficult to know which ones are earnest. But undoubtedly the story of Joanne's gift to Paul, inscribed with a loving reminder of the world beyond the race track is absolutely a story deserving of the attention of collectors.

The watch has undoubtedly had a beautiful life and has publicly surfaced once before at a Christies auction in 2022:

https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6367454

Hodinkee "Bring a Loupe":

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/bring-a-loupe-august-30-2024

Inventory: 6bhe