Phillips described the atmosphere as electric through the sale of the Paul Newman watch and 49 other iconic watches from the 20th century, including rare and important models from Omega, Heuer, Audemar’s Piguet, Cartier and other leading watchmakers.
The Paul Newman watch is described as an “understated piece with an exotic dial. Crafted in stainless steel, it features a cream-colored dial with black subdials and the word ‘Daytona’ written in red. Its three colors make it unusual.”
Phillips, in association with Bacs & Russo, which is the watch department at Phillips auction house, in the past, sold a Patek Philippe stainless steel watch last November for $11 million and a Rolex “Bao Dai” for $5 million, which until Thursday was the highest sale price for any Rolex.
The house has two more watch sales, one in Hong Kong and one in Geneva, in November.