What changed hands?
Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona. Date also verified against Phillips auction NY080117. Premium basis confirmed in https://www.phillips.com/press/release/phillips-to-present-a-piece-of-new-york-city-history-the-patek-philippe-wristwatch-owned-by-the-builder-of-the-empire-state-building ; record language in source title is historical.
A name shared by different watches
This sale concerns Paul Newman’s personal Rolex Daytona. That is a narrower identity than a watch described by a collector nickname. Ownership history is part of what identifies the object; the price cannot simply be attached to another Daytona.
A headline and its underlying amount
Phillips’ headline rounds the result to $17.8 million. The recorded figure used here is $17,752,500, including buyer’s premium. The distinction is small for casual reading but matters when a site claims to preserve the price record.
Read the number carefully
An auction result captures a particular object, a particular sale and the buyers competing on that occasion. It does not establish the value of every similar object, or what this one would sell for today.
Our selection keeps historical results separate from asking prices and estimates. Where the cited report does not break out fees, we say so rather than inventing a hammer price.
Sale documentation: Paul Newman’s ‘Paul Newman’ Rolex Daytona Sets World Record, Fetches $17.8 Million ↗
What does “source reviewed” mean?
We checked the published report against the amount and object listed here. That does not independently authenticate the object or confirm settlement of the transaction.
