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Royal Ammar bin Humaid Al Nuaimi spotted wearing Rolex

The wrist of Ajman Crown Prince Ammar bin Humaid Al Nuaimi recently drew attention not for ceremony but for horology: a stainless steel Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference 6265 wearing one of the rarest dial configurations in the entire vintage Daytona canon — a 'Paul Newman' dial bearing the 'ROC' (Rolex Oyster Cosmograph) designation.

The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ref. 6265 was produced from approximately 1971 through 1988, bridging the hand-wound Valjoux 727-era Daytonas and the eventual transition to the in-house Cal. 4030 under the reference 16520. What distinguished the 6265 from its near-twin, the ref. 6263, was its screw-down chronograph pushers — a feature borrowed from Rolex's core Oyster philosophy to enhance water resistance. That engineering decision entitled Rolex to print 'Oyster' on the dial alongside 'Cosmograph,' producing the ROC designation. On standard dials this is already noteworthy; on a Paul Newman exotic dial, with its art-deco-style subsidiary registers, contrasting tracks and printed inner chapter rings, it becomes extraordinarily rare.

The 'Paul Newman' designation itself — a collector term never used by Rolex — refers to the family of exotic dials that gained their nickname after actor Paul Newman famously wore a ref. 6239. By the time the ref. 6265 was in production, these dials were already becoming scarce factory options, making any surviving ROC-inscribed Paul Newman 6265 in steel a piece that serious collectors actively chase across decades. Documented examples in stainless steel with the full ROC+Paul Newman combination are a single-digit proposition at major auction houses.

Ammar bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, heir apparent of the Emirate of Ajman and a figure known for cultural patronage across the UAE, choosing this watch for a public appearance signals genuine connoisseurship rather than trophy display. Gulf royalty has long been a quiet but powerful force in vintage Rolex collecting, and a ref. 6265 ROC Paul Newman in steel fits that profile precisely — understated to the uninformed eye, explosive in collector significance.

On the current market, a standard stainless steel Rolex Daytona ref. 6265 in honest condition trades in the $40,000–$80,000 range depending on dial and provenance. A confirmed Paul Newman variant commands a substantial premium, and an ROC Paul Newman example — should one surface at auction — would realistically enter six-figure territory without argument, with comparable exotic-dial 6265s in steel having cleared $200,000 at Philips and Christie's in recent seasons.