Watch Paparazzi

Pilot Jorge Lorenzo spotted wearing Rolex

Jorge Lorenzo, the Spanish motorcycle racing legend who claimed three MotoGP World Championships in 2010, 2012, and 2015, has been spotted wearing one of the most sought-after vintage Rolex references in existence — the Cosmograph Daytona Paul Newman MK1 in stainless steel with a Panda dial, reference 6265. At current grey-market values approaching $411,000, this is not a watch you wear casually. Lorenzo, clearly, is not a casual collector.

The reference 6265 was produced from 1969 through the early 1980s and represented Rolex's first use of a screw-down pushers system on the Daytona case — a critical technical evolution that improved water resistance and gave the case its distinctively clean profile. The so-called Paul Newman dial, named after the American actor and racing driver who famously wore a related exotic-dial Daytona, features a square-font subsidiary register with Art Deco-style numerals and a contrasting track on the outer edge of each subdial. The MK1 designation refers to the earliest iteration of this exotic dial, identifiable by specific font characteristics and the absence of a seconds track on the outer dial ring — details that separate a six-figure watch from a seven-figure conversation piece.

Powering the 6265 is the manually wound Valjoux 727 movement, a robust and well-regarded column-wheel chronograph caliber that Rolex sourced and heavily modified before transitioning to in-house movements in later decades. The combination of screw-down pushers with a manual-wind movement made the 6265 a transitional reference — technically forward-looking, mechanically traditional.

For collectors, the steel Paul Newman 6265 sits at the intersection of rarity, provenance, and cultural mythology. The Panda dial configuration — black subdials on a white main dial — is among the cleanest executions of the exotic dial, and surviving examples in strong condition command premiums that continue to climb regardless of broader market fluctuations.

Lorenzo's affinity for Rolex is well documented, fitting for a rider whose career was defined by technical mastery and a relentless pursuit of perfection. Wearing a reference 6265 Paul Newman MK1 suggests a collector operating at the serious end of the market — not a brand ambassador, but a genuine enthusiast who understands exactly what is on his wrist.