Singer Ed Sheeran spotted wearing a Rolex

Ed Sheeran is no stranger to horological depth, and his latest sighting confirms a collector's eye well beyond celebrity novelty. The British singer-songwriter was recently spotted wearing a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ref. 6239 in stainless steel, fitted with the famed 'Paul Newman' exotic dial in a black panda configuration — one of the most mythologized references in all of vintage watchmaking.

The ref. 6239 holds a foundational place in Daytona history. Launched in 1963, it was the first wristwatch to bear the Daytona name, a tribute to the Florida racing circuit that Rolex sponsored. Powered by the manually wound Valjoux 72 calibre — a robust, column-wheel chronograph movement with a 17-jewel lever escapement and approximately 40 hours of power reserve — the 6239 was produced until around 1969. Its 37mm stainless steel case was fitted with a push-button bezel insert graduated for tachymeter calculations, and the dial measured elapsed time across three subsidiary registers.

The so-called 'Paul Newman' dial designation refers to a family of exotic, Art Deco-inflected dials featuring squared-off register chapter rings, Art Deco numerals, and a distinctive two-tone aesthetic. The black panda variant inverts the conventional layout: a black outer dial with white subsidiary registers, producing a bold, high-contrast face. These dials were not marketed as premium options at the time — Rolex sold them at standard prices — and many retailers struggled to move them, which partly explains their relative scarcity today.

The name 'Paul Newman' became attached to these dials after the actor and racing driver wore one throughout the 1970s, a detail that exploded into auction legend when his personal ref. 6239 sold at Phillips in 2017 for $17.75 million, setting a world record for any wristwatch at auction. That sale permanently cemented the mythology around every Newman-dial Daytona.

For Sheeran, this is a statement of genuine collector intent. A stainless steel black panda Newman in honest vintage condition is a watch that demands knowledge to acquire and confidence to wear. On the current grey market, examples in solid condition routinely command figures that reflect that status.