Writer Giorgia Mondani spotted wearing a Rolex

Giorgia Mondani — author, publisher, and arguably the most authoritative voice in Rolex literature — was recently seen wearing one of the most consequential wristwatches in horological history: a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference 6239 in the coveted 'Paul Newman' exotic dial configuration. The piece presents a white dial with black subsidiary registers and a red inner chapter ring, the precise combination that collectors have chased for decades.

The reference 6239 was produced by Rolex between approximately 1963 and 1969, representing the first generation of what would become the Daytona line. It was powered by the manual-winding Valjoux 722 ebauche, a robust and reliable column-wheel chronograph movement that Rolex regulated and cased in a 37mm stainless steel case fitted with a screw-down pushers system — the latter a genuine technical innovation for motorsport timing. The bezel carried engraved tachymeter graduations without the acrylic insert that would follow on later references. The crown at this period was not yet the screw-down type, a detail that distinguishes early Daytonas from the waterproof architecture of later references.

The 'Paul Newman' designation refers specifically to the exotic dial variant — characterized by its Art Deco-style subsidiary dials, square indexes within the registers, and contrasting outer chapter rings. These dials were slow sellers in their era, which means survival rates are significantly lower than standard Daytona dials, compounding their rarity. The nickname entered the lexicon after a 1969 photograph confirmed actor and racing driver Paul Newman wore one, gifted by his wife Joanne Woodward. Newman's own ref. 6239 sold at Phillips in 2017 for $17.75 million, permanently cementing the mythology.

For Mondani, the context could not be more fitting. She is the author of the definitive Rolex reference works published through Mondani Editore, making her perhaps the single most credentialed private individual to be seen wearing this reference. This is not celebrity borrowing — it is a collector of encyclopedic knowledge wearing a watch she understands better than nearly anyone alive.

On the current market, a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ref. 6239 Paul Newman in white dial with black registers commands prices in the $200,000–$300,000 range depending on condition, dial originality, and provenance. The example Mondani wears is estimated at approximately $250,000 — a figure that reflects strong, sustained collector demand with no signs of softening.