Singer Gary Barlow spotted wearing a Rolex

Gary Barlow, the British singer-songwriter best known as the creative engine behind Take That, has been spotted wearing a vintage stainless steel Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference 6239 with an exotic dial — the configuration the collecting world universally calls a 'Paul Newman.' It is exactly the kind of understated yet devastating wrist choice that separates a genuine watch enthusiast from a celebrity who simply buys what a stylist recommends.

The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ref. 6239 is the founding reference of the entire Daytona family, entering production in 1963 alongside the transitional ref. 6238. Where the 6238 carried a smooth bezel, the 6239 introduced the now-iconic engraved tachymetre scale on an aluminium bezel insert, establishing the visual grammar that Rolex would refine for decades. The movement inside is the manually wound Valjoux 72 — a column-wheel chronograph calibre of Swiss ébauche origin, reliable, serviceable, and entirely appropriate for a racing-derived tool watch of the era. The name 'Daytona,' referencing the Florida circuit, was not printed on dials until 1965; earlier examples, Barlow's among potential candidates, carry only 'Cosmograph.'

The 'Paul Newman' designation attaches to ref. 6239 examples fitted with exotic dials — characterised by Art Deco-style applied hour markers, a contrasting sub-register colour, and a distinctive square-tipped minute track around the chapter ring. The nickname became canon after Newman's own 6239 sold at Phillips Geneva in 2017 for $17.75 million, shattering records and permanently anchoring the moniker in auction history. Not every exotic-dial 6239 commands that figure, but all are considered first-tier vintage Rolex.

Barlow has demonstrated consistent and educated taste in watches over the years, gravitating toward pieces with genuine mechanical and historical substance rather than contemporary hype. Wearing a ref. 6239 Paul Newman — rather than, say, a modern ceramic Daytona — signals an owner who appreciates provenance and patina over novelty.

On the current grey market, authentic stainless steel Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ref. 6239 examples with genuine exotic 'Paul Newman' dials in honest condition trade anywhere from $80,000 to well over $300,000 depending on dial originality, case sharpness, and provenance. There is no official retail price; these watches exist exclusively in the secondary market, and condition and authenticity documentation drive value more than almost any other variable in vintage Rolex collecting.