Famous watches worn by race driving actors – Paul Newman and Steve McQueen to be sold by Phillips in New York at their “Racing Pulse” sale on December 12 2020.
Featured will be Newman’s Rolex Daytona, which was inscribed “Drive slowly… Joanne” by Newman’s wife, Joanne Woodward, as well as the legendary Heuer Monaco worn by McQueen during the filming of the 1971 endurance racing classic film…Le Mans.
The auction house states that Paul Newman gifted the watch to his daughter, Clea Newman Soderlund and McQueen gave his watch to Haig Alltounian, his personal racing mechanic.
“While many know Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman as actors and philanthropists, their names signal something more to watch collectors – an extraordinary impact on the field of watch collecting,”
Says Paul Boutros of Phillips who added Newman was long associated with a number of Rolex Daytona watches.
“Of these, the watch he owned and wore the longest is the present ‘Big Red’ Daytona Ref. 6263. It is amongst the most exclusive handful of watches with impeccable Newman-family provenance… With the support of Clea’s sisters and with a portion of proceeds benefiting charitable organizations founded by Paul Newman, we are thrilled and honored to offer what is one of the most storied vintage Rolex watches of our era.”
Woodward gave the watch to Newman for their 25th wedding anniversary in 1983, and the engraved request refers to a motorcycle accident in 1965 and his later work in the Indy-racing movie, Winning.
The Steve McQueen Heuer Monaco was worn by the screen racing legend while filming ‘Le Mans’
The timepiece is engraved “To Haig Le Mans 1970” and was given to the mechanic after filming was completed. Alltounian has owned the watch since and is the consignor to the auction.
“The Heuer Monaco will always be associated with the glamor and thrill of auto racing,”
Boutros continued ..
. “Preserved in superb, original condition with its fascinating caseback engraving remaining perfectly crisp, it can certainly be considered as one of the most important Heuer wristwatches of all time.
“Worn on McQueen’s wrist while driving the film’s Porsche 917 at speeds above 200 mph, its incredible provenance, wonderful state of preservation, and adrenaline-fueled history make it an ultimate trophy watch for the connoisseur.”
The pair of watches are expected to fetch well over $1,000,000 at the sale with both vendors making donations to charity.
