Rolex Face-off: LeMans Daytona 126529 vs. Vintage Paul Newman Daytonas

Paul Altieri, the founder and CEO of Bob’s Watches, is opening his vault for a special discussion about the 2023 Rolex Daytona Le Mans and its muse, the Rolex Paul Newman.
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Paul Altieri sits with editor and industry expert Ripley Sellers to discuss the Rolex Daytona ref.126529LN, released in 2023, to celebrate 100 years of the Le Mans race. He took advantage of the opportunity to pull two remarkable editions of the vintage Rolex Paul Newman from his personal collection to help illustrate the inspiration for the 2023 model.
Continue watching or read on to learn more about the unique discussion.
Learn more about the 2023 Rolex Daytona Le Mans:
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Paul Altieri’s Watches:
Rolex Daytona Ref. 6239 Reverse Panda Dial Paul Newman (The first Rolex Daytona)
Rolex Daytona Ref. 6263 Panda Dial Paul Newman
What is the Rolex Paul Newman?
The Rolex Paul Newman is a widely sought-after edition of the vintage Daytona made famous by beloved actor and racing enthusiast Paul Newman. Specifically, Daytona watches with “exotic” dials, which are distinguished from other models produced during the same era by sub-dials with Art Deco Arabic numerals and square-tipped hashes.
What is the Rolex Daytona Le Mans Ref. 126529LN?
Ref. 126529LN is rare for many reasons. For starters, it is one of the very few commemorative Rolex watches released by Crown, which marks the 100th anniversary of the Le Mans race. Collectors might also be familiar with the colorful James Cameron Deepsea with its special blue gradient dial. Furthermore, it was only produced for a year before it was discontinued and is only the second Daytona ever to sport an exhibition case back, the first being the platinum Daytona ref. 126506 launched earlier in 2023.
The Le Mans also boasts its own bespoke Rolex movement, the caliber 4132, based on the new caliber 4131 used for the rest of the Daytona collection.
The Le Mans is entirely made of 18k white gold, not stainless steel, as collectors might expect from a black dial/bezel Daytona. The precious metal finish properly underlines the exclusivity and uniqueness of the watch’s release.
Like the rest of the Daytona collection, the ceramic bezel insert is trimmed in white gold to match the case. However, the 100 marker on the Tachymeter bezel is in vibrant red, a nod to the 100th anniversary of the Le Mans race.
Flipping the watch over, the case has an exhibition-style back revealing the beautifully decorated caliber 4132, developed exclusively for the Le Mans Rolex Daytona. The main difference between the Le Mans movement and the caliber 4131 is the sub-dial at 9 o’clock, which displays 24 hours instead of 12 hours. This upgrade allows the wearer to measure the full 24-hour duration of the Le Mans race and was made possible by a patented seven-component mechanism.
Arguably, the most important feature is the dial, which collectors are already calling the “modern Paul Newman,” complete with all-white sub-dials with similar, square-tipped hashes. It is not an exact replication, but it pays proper homage to Daytona’s past.
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