Why the Rolex Daytona is the most expensive watch
Watches such as the Daytona are classified by Rolex as "professional" watches: they have a specific purpose and are made for a small community. The Submariner was made for divers, the Explorer for great adventurers, and the GMT for pilots and businessmen who frequently flew. The Daytona was designed for race car drivers with a chronograph (stopwatch) feature that they could use to time their laps. On the Rolex website, the brand wrote about its precision timing that "the Daytona is a watch for winners". This is especially true since the watch is a prize for those who finish first in the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Rolex introduced the Daytona in 1963, hoping to compete with the Omega Speedmaster and capture an audience of racing fans. The name is borrowed directly from what is probably the most famous race in the world, the Daytona 500. Offering the watch with the trophy was a good marketing coup: a way for Rolex to cleverly associate itself with the winners, in the same way, that they give watches to those who climbed Mount Everest and the swimmers who crossed the English Channel.
The Rolex Daytona Paul Newman is the Rolex that sold for 15.3 million euros, making it the most expensive second watch in the world. It bears the name of the actor who wore it in the cult movie Winning and who made the success of this watch.
