Swiss Fake Rolex ‘Zenith’ Daytona ref. 16520 presented to and worn by Paul Newman

What I really like about the two Paul Newman Rolex Daytona replica watches online that Sotheby’s will be hammering off is the fact they are not your typical Paul Newman pieces with exotic panda dials. This ref. 16520 is even more of a standout due to the fact its caseback does not have an engraving from his wife Joanne Woodward commenting on how he should drive – the engraving it has tells a different story. This particular 1:1 fake Rolex Daytona was presented to Newman after winning the GTS-1 class 24 hours of Daytona endurance race in 1995. This watch not only commemorates his win, but also that fact he was named the “Rolex Motorsports Man of the Year 1995”, a title that’s engraved on the casebook alongside the logo of the race and his name.

Sotheby’s explains that the watch first went up for auction in 1999 during Antiquorom’s “Famous Faces” sale. Well known for his philanthropic work and for founding American food company Newman’s Own that donates all of its after-tax profits to child-focused charities, Newman put his prized perfect replica Rolex Daytona up for sale to benefit his charity organisation, The Hole in the Wall Gang, which provides medically supervised summer camps and programs free of charge to children with serious illnesses. Revealing how much the watch market landscape has changed, this headlining lot in 1999 achieved a US$39K winning bid – which, at the time, was the most expensive luxury fake Rolex Daytona ever sold at auction. By today’s standards it is an absolute bargain considering that a standard ref. 16520 Zenith Daytona hovers around US$30K – US$40K while this lot sits between US$500K – US$1M (and it could easily go for even more).

Now, you might be thinking so Paul only had the watch for four years? Well, it turns out that the watch was likely purchased by a friend or loved one at the auction and returned to Newman as he can be spotted wearing the Swiss movement replica Rolex many times in later years – notably after winning the Champ Car World Series Grand Premio Tecate in Mexico City back in 2007. You can tell the watch was well-loved and by no means in pristine condition. The lines of the case are still present, and the hairline markings throughout the case and bracelet offer a sense of character that proves you are truly wearing an aaa quality replica Rolex that Newman often wore.