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Highlights from our international wristwatch auction on 31 May 2018.
Highlights from our international wristwatch auction on 31 May 2018.

Press release -

Rolex "Paul Newman" Daytona up for Auction at DKK 1 million

At this summer's international auction in Copenhagen, Bruun Rasmussen offers a unique and iconic Rolex Daytona Cosmograph from 1964-65, identical to the wristwatch owned by Paul Newman, which last year went for USD 15.5 million. The auction house has never before offered this model.

“The word iconis an overused term in watchmaking. But it is fair to say there are a select breed of wristwatches so stylish, so elusive that the tag is fitting. The Paul NewmanDaytona would be the jewel in any collector’s watch box, and this extraordinary Daytona Cosmograph ref. 6241 offered at our next international auction is second to only Paul Newman’sown watch”says Casper Behrendtzen, Head of Wristwatches at Bruun Rasmussen.

History

It was back in 1962 that Rolex became the official timekeeper of the famous Daytona racecourse in Florida. It also happened to be one year before the manufacturer launched the Cosmograph ref. 6239, nicknamed the “Daytona”. The watch featured a tachymeter scale on the bezel and was very much targeted at drivers.

Paul Newman was a celebrated actor but also an avid motorsports enthusiast, a political activist, and generous philanthropist. Newman began wearing a variety of Rolex Daytonas in 1972. Interestingly, the “exotic dial” or “Paul Newman”Daytona variations, like this ref. 6241, were hugely unpopular at the time, so much that Rolex could not give them away. As legend has it, the moment Newman was captured on the cover of an Italian magazine sporting the timepiece, it gained exponential popularity and the association between the man and the watch developed from there.

Design

Though there are many variations of the Daytona, a “Paul Newman”Daytona comes in one of four dial combinations, the ref. 6239, 6241, 6263, 6264 and 6265. The ref. 6241 offered here is equipped with a caliber 722 movement and a white dial with black sub-registers. This model features push-down pushers, not screw-down chronograph buttons (Rolex switched to screw-in push buttons with the debut of ref. 6240 in 1965). It is also the first model that the word “Daytona”appeared on the dial. As a result, the ref. 6241 is highly regarded by collectors.

Price Development

It is incredible to think a watch that began life costing approximately USD 1,500 in the late 1980s, went on to become a USD 10,000 watch in the early 1990s, and then a triple digit watch in the early 2000s. The most expensive Rolex Daytona ever sold (aside from THE Paul Newman Daytona), a ref. 6263, is one of only three known yellow gold Oyster Paul Newman Daytonas, with a lemon green dial, and it ended up making USD 3.7 million in May 2017. The iconic “Paul Newman”Daytona’s winning pedigree is showing no signs of slowing.

Exhibition in London

Prior to the auction, selected wristwatches will be exhibited at South Kensington Club, 38-42 Harrington Road, SW7 3ND London on Monday 14 May 6-8 pm, where we host a joint event with “Red Bar Crew”. The following days, 15-16 May, the wristwatches will be displayed at The Danish Embassy, 55 Sloane Street in London. In connection with the exhibitions, it will be possible to meet our Head of Wristwatches, Casper Behrendtzen, who will be available for interviews with the international press.

South Kensington Club: 14 May 6-8 pm

The Danish Embassy: 15 May from 12 am - 9 pm and 16 May from 10 am - 5 pm
Please note, that you need to register in advance via sales@bruun-rasmussen.dk and bring ID to enter the embassy.

Preview and Auction in Copenhagen

All of the watches up for auction, which includes brands such as Audemars Piguet, Breitling, Omega, Patek Philippe and Rolex can be seen at the preview at Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers, Bredgade 33, Copenhagen, from 24-28 May. The auction itself will be held at the same address on 31 May.

Preview: 24-28 May

Auction: 31 May

Press photo

Rolex Daytona Cosmograph "Paul Newman" Ref 6241, of steel. Serie nr. 1764897 Mechanical chronograph movement with manual winding. Panda dial with steel index and hands. Rolex bracelet with folding clasp. Circumference 18 cm. Diameter 37 mm. 1964-65. Estimate: DKK 800,000-1,000,000 (€ 105,000-135,000)

Rolex Submariner, ref. 6204, of steel. Mechanical movement with automatic winding. Black dial with white index and hands. Rolex bracelet with folding clasp of steel. Circumference 17.5 cm. Watch diameter 37 mm. 1953-54. Estimate: DKK 400,000-500,000 (€ 53,500-67,000)

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, ref. E23626, of 18k gold. Mechanical movement with automatic winding. Gold-coloured dial with index and hands of gold. Royal Oak bracelet with folding clasp of 18k gold. Circumference 18 cm. Watch diameter 41 mm. 2000. estimate: DKK 150,000-175,000 (€ 20,000-23,000)

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Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers is one of Scandinavia’s leading international auction houses, and one of Denmark’s oldest. It all started on 6 October 1948, when Arne Bruun Rasmussen conducted the first traditional auction in the saleroom at Bredgade 33 in Copenhagen. Today, Jesper Bruun Rasmussen stands at the helm of the family-run business together with the third generation of the family, his son Frederik and daughter Alexa, and the company’s CEO Jakob Dupont.

In 2004, the first online auction was launched, and today the auction house has expanded to include departments in Copenhagen and Aarhus and representations in Sweden, Germany, England, France, Belgium, Luxemburg, Spain, Italy, Thailand and the US. About 100,000 lots are put up for auction each year at the traditional auctions and daily online auctions. Here you can bid on everything from art, antiques, modern design and jewellery to books, coins, stamps, wine and weaponry.

Contacts

Kirstine Dam Olsen

Kirstine Dam Olsen

Press contact +45 8818 1064

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Bruun Rasmussen – the Whole World's Auction House!

"Going once, going twice. Sold to the lady in the front row”. For 75 years, Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers has sold art, antiques, design, jewellery, wristwatches and collector’s items in the heart of Copenhagen. It was Arne Bruun Rasmussen who founded the auction house at Bredgade 33 in 1948, and until 2022 the Bruun Rasmussen family owned the company. Today, the company is owned by the British auction house Bonhams - one of the world's leading and oldest auction houses.

Being a part of Bonhams, means that Bruun Rasmussen has joined a global network, which benefits both the art and the customers, the latter has gained access to far more auctions and the former has a better chance of achieving the market's best hammer prices. The goal is to constantly confirm to our customers that Bruun Rasmussen is a sought-after auction house with the highest expertise in valuation and sales. Bonhams and Bruun Rasmussen share the core values of knowledge, credibility, commitment and renewal, and the old Copenhagen auction house will thus continue to base its business on its well-known values under the auspices of Bonhams.

With CEO Jakob Dupont at the helm, an extensive digitization process has taken place during the past years, making the auction house a significant player on the international market. With solid experience and in-depth knowledge complemented by highly professional advice and appraisal service, the company is the link between sellers and interested buyers from all over the world. Every year, 70,000 unique works of art are sold at three types of auctions – the traditional Live Auctions and the two web-based auctions Online Auction and Direct Auction.

Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers
Sundkrogsgade 30
2150 Nordhavn
Denmark
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