Aurel Bacs is the Philips auctioneer who sold a Rolex Daytona formerly owned by Paul Newman which sold for more than 17 million dollars. In the video below, Mr. Bacs talks through his watch collection and also reflects on the sale of the Paul Newman Daytona as one of the most exciting moments in his life. From the IWC he received for his first communion to an 18k gold Zenith El Primero he bought on a whim during a birthday party.
The previous most expensive wristwatch ever sold at auction was a solid gold Rolex with diamond indices that was once owned by Bao Dai, the last emperor of Vietnam. The gorgeous “Paul Newman” white dial with black sub-registers, push-down chronograph buttons, and black acrylic bezel. What you may not know is that back when these watches were in production, no one wanted these “exotic” dials and they sat on the shelf for years. They started to become popular in the 1980s when Italian collectors discovered them and nicknamed them “Paul Newman”.
