Nicolas has recently told us his ten years love story with his Platinum Patek Philippe World Time :
That story reminded me that I treated myself with a Paul Newman Daytona when I turned 40…and that I’m now 45. That means I have already spent five years with my grail, the watch that I have always considered as the most beautiful one and the absolute “must have” for any vintage Rolex enthusiast.
When I first got interested in vintage Rolex, I fell in love with the watch. I had always been keen on chronographs and to me, the Paul Newman Daytona had just everything:
• an incredible case, with very sensual curves and a perfect size for my wrist. The Oyster case is very famous for technical reasons and has the reputation of being bullet-proof. But some vintage Rolex models have also very special and sensual curves…something about proportions and balance….to me, the vintage Daytona is the most striking example.
• The beauty of the dial colors and subdials display. The white color of the Paul Newman Daytona is definitely anything but white, it is more “cream”. Also, the texture of the paint is quite unique. The shape of the subdials and the outside minute ring “step” add to the three dimensional effect of this dial, that makes it so special.
• The history of the watch, with of course the whole “Paul Newman thing” . I have always been a huge fan of the actor and knowing that this model was his personal watch and the one he used to wear on the tracks was another reason for me to like it.
• The little extra that is associated with the watch, a kind of mystery and aura. At the same time, the watch is the most famous vintage Rolex and it is very desirable. But it also scares some people, because they know that there are lots of fakes…. so you definitely have to be an expert to be able to tell a good one from a fake. I have always considered that there are two types of vintage Rolex collectors: those who own a Paul Newman Daytona….and the other ones !
The first time I saw a PN in the metal was in a vintage watch dealer shop in Aix en Provence. It was on the wrist of a very classy Italian collector, who wanted to sell it. It was way above my budget, but I knew that I would have one someday. Then I started to “do my homework” about the watch, study the dial details and variations in order to be able to pull the trigger on a good example some day.
About ten years later, I finally spotted a black dial 6239.
But after a couple of months, I realized that the black dial was not for me….So I sold the watch to a good friend collector and started to hunt again, this time for the white dial variation.
About six months later, I found a great example that I could afford. It was a coincidence, but it was just a couple of days before my 40th birthday. So I offered the watch to myself ;-)
So now I’m a happy old collector. I don’t wear my watch on such a regular basis, but I know that I have one….and from time to time, I pick my baby up from the bank vault and take it for a little ride.