Watch Paparazzi

Actor Daniel Craig spotted wearing Rolex

Daniel Craig was photographed signing autographs at what appears to be a major film premiere — likely a Skyfall or Spectre event given the red-carpet setting — wearing a vintage Rolex Cosmograph Daytona on a stainless steel Oyster bracelet. The watch at his wrist is consistent with a ref. 6239, the earliest screw-back Daytona reference produced from roughly 1963 to 1969, distinguished here by its black-bezel configuration and the unmistakable 'Paul Newman' exotic dial layout.

The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ref. 6239 was Rolex's first reference to carry the Daytona name, powered by the manually wound Valjoux 72 movement — a robust, column-wheel chronograph calibre with a 17-jewel construction and approximately 40-hour power reserve. The case measures 37mm, compact by modern standards, and the pump-style pushers flank the crown in the classic pre-Oyster-pusher format. The 'Paul Newman' dial variant features an Art Deco typeface on the sub-registers, a square-notched chapter ring, and alternating tone blocks between the hour markers — details that Rolex never officially named but that collectors codified in honour of the Hollywood icon.

From a collector standpoint, the ref. 6239 Paul Newman sits at the apex of vintage Rolex desirability. Condition, dial originality, and matching serial numbers to the case drive enormous price variance. The 2017 auction of Paul Newman's personal example — a ref. 6239 gifted by his wife Joanne Woodward with 'Drive Carefully Me' engraved on the caseback — reset the global record for any wristwatch sold at auction at $17.75 million. Even standard examples routinely clear six figures at major auction houses today.

Craig's association with watch culture runs deep: his Bond tenure saw him transition the franchise from Omega Seamaster product placement into a broader horological conversation, and he has spoken publicly about his appreciation for vintage timepieces. Wearing a genuine vintage Daytona Paul Newman to a black-tie premiere, rather than a modern press-loan, signals a collector with genuine conviction.

On the current grey market, a stainless steel ref. 6239 with an authentic Paul Newman dial in honest condition commands between $150,000 and $300,000 depending on provenance, dial integrity, and whether original parts are intact. Exceptional examples with documented history regularly exceed that range at Phillips, Christie's, and Sotheby's. This is not a watch worn for appearances — it is a statement of serious horological knowledge.