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Rolex has long held its status as one of the most prestigious luxury watch brands in the world. Its high standards of craftsmanship and innovation are two of the most important qualities that have propelled it to the top of watchmaking. While many Rolex sports watches are relatively affordable, certain models have become some of the rarest and most sought-after collector’s items in the watch world and, therefore, sell for millions of dollars at auction. 

Why is Rolex so expensive? For some models, the answer is their materials or their extremely limited production. Through the years, the brand has experimented with different watch parts and precious metals to create exclusive, one-of-a-kind pieces. On the other hand, many of the most expensive Rolex watches are prized for their notable provenances (previous owners). The “Jack Nicklaus,” for instance, is a relatively common Rolex Day-Date Oyster (Ref. 1803). However, because it belonged to a legendary golfer, Phillips — a leading auction house — fetched $1.2 million for it in December 2019, and Nicklaus donated the proceeds to his charity, Children’s Health Care Foundation. These treasures, therefore, represent a wide range of styles — from stainless steel sports watches to bejeweled masterpieces. We consulted the auction houses and Everywatch, an extensive watch database, to round up the most expensive Rolex watches ever sold at auction, including the buyer’s premium (the additional fee a winning bidder must pay on top of the hammer price), and explain the factors that make them so unique. If you’re interested in learning more about how to buy a watch at auction, this guide explains the entire process.

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• Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona, Ref. 6239: $17.75 million
• Rolex Unicorn Daytona, Ref. 6265: $5.9 million
• Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona, Ref. 6263: $5.47 million
• Rolex Marlon Brando GMT-Master, Ref. 1675: $5.1 million
• Rolex Bao Dai, Ref. 6062: $5 million
• Rolex Daytona End Game, Ref. 6270: $4.1 million
• Rolex Lemon Paul Newman Daytona, Ref. 6263: $3.74 million
• Rolex Split-Seconds Chronograph, Ref. 4113: $3.5 million
• Rolex Lemon Paul Newman Daytona, Ref. 6263: $3.4 million
• Rolex Daytona in Platinum With Lapis Lazuli Dial, Ref. 16516: $3.27 million
• Rolex Daytona in Platinum With Turquoise Dial, Ref. 16516: $3.14 million
• Rolex Daytona The Neanderthal, Ref. 6240: $3 million
• Rolex Platinum Yacht-Master, Ref. 16620: $2.57 million
• Rolex Daytona John Player Special, Ref. 6241: $2.49 million
• Rolex Milgauss, Ref. 6541: $2.49 million 

How Much Is the Most Expensive Rolex Watch?

The most expensive Rolex watch ever sold is Paul Newman’s personal Daytona watch. It sold for a staggering $17,752,500 at a Phillips auction in New York in October 2017. Why did a steel sports watch command such a high price? Provenance. The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona launched in the 1960s, but it gained popularity only after the late actor and race car driver Paul Newman popularized it. His wife, Joanne Woodward, gifted him this particular timepiece in 1972. Her gesture commemorated the first day of his racing career, hence the “Drive Carefully Me” engraving on the back of the watch. Today, a specific color combination on the dial is dubbed the Paul Newman Daytona in his honor, and it’s one of the most covetable Rolexes there is. 

The 15 Most Expensive Rolex Watches

Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona, Ref. 6239: $17.75 million

Any Daytona with an exotic dial is called a Paul Newman Daytona. More specifically, the moniker refers to a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona with the reference numbers 6239, 6241, 6262, 6263, 6264, or 6265. These references must also have one of four dial color combinations: a panda dial with a black background and white chronograph subdials, a reverse panda dial with a white background and black chronograph subdials, a reverse panda dial with a cream-colored background and black chronograph subdials, or an anthracite-colored background and white chronograph subdials.

When this watch sold for $17.75 million in October 2017, it was the most expensive wristwatch ever sold. Today, Paul Newman’s Daytona is the third most expensive watch to ever sell at auction, eclipsed only by two grand complication Patek Philippe timepieces. Its staggering price shows the importance of provenance in the auction world.  

Rolex Unicorn Daytona, Ref. 6265: $5.9 million

The second most expensive Rolex watch ever sold is the Unicorn Daytona. While Ref. 6265 is usually made from stainless steel, this 1971 Rolex Daytona is the only manually wound vintage 18K white gold Daytona the brand ever produced. As the only example of its kind, it earned the moniker “The Unicorn.”

Since the vast majority of Daytona watches from the 1970s are stainless steel, this rare vintage watch sold for a whopping CHF 5,937,500 ($5.9 million) at the Daytona Ultimatum sale hosted by Phillips in Geneva in May 2018. The proceeds from the auction were donated to Children Action, a UK-based charity that helps place children in safe homes.

Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona, Ref. 6263: $5.47 million

This is the second Daytona owned by Paul Newman to sell at a Phillips auction. Also a gift from his wife, the watch was engraved with the message “Drive Slowly Joanne” on its case back, another reminder for Newman to care for his safety. Newman wore this watch, dubbed Big Red, quite frequently and gifted it to his daughter Clea Newman Soderlunch in 2008 before he passed away. She consigned this watch to Phillips, and it sold for $5,475,000 at the Racing Pulse New York auction on December 12, 2020.

Rolex Marlon Brando GMT-Master, Ref. 1675: $5.1 million

This 1972 GMT-Master watch has serious Hollywood bona fides, courtesy of the legendary actor Marlon Brando. He donned this watch in the 1979 movie Apocalypse Now and even customized the piece in several ways. The film’s director, Francis Ford Coppola, didn’t want Brando to wear the watch in the movie because it stood out too much and might be distracting to viewers. Brando asked to remove the watch’s shiny steel bezel to make it less distracting and was able to wear the watch during filming. In addition, he modified the watch by wearing it on a black rubber strap instead of a bracelet and hand-carved “M. Brando” on the caseback. The combination of a notable provenance and the rather unusual modifications make this watch a true collector’s item, as well as a piece of film history. 

This iconic watch disappeared from public view until it surfaced in 2019, when Brando’s daughter, Petra Brando Fischer, sold it for $1,952,000 at the Phillips Game Changers auction in December 2019. The winning bidder and watch collector, Mohammed Zaman, listed it again at a Christie’s auction in Geneva in November 2023. The second time, it fetched CHF 4,582,500 ($5.1 million) without the buyer’s premium — more than double what Zaman originally paid for it, making it the most expensive Rolex GMT-Master of all time. 

Rolex Bao Dai, Ref. 6062: $5 million

If you’re a fan of moon phase watches, the Bao Dai will dazzle you. In 1954, the former and last emperor of Vietnam, Bao Dai, participated in a convention in Geneva to split Vietnam into two states. While there, he walked into a Rolex store and asked to see the finest and rarest watch they had. The store’s associates showed him this Ref. 6062 watch, an 18K yellow gold watch with a triple-calendar moon phase, a black dial, and diamond indices. 

It is one of three diamond-dial Ref. 6062 watches in existence, and this one is the rarest, thanks to its five diamond hour markers. The Bao Dai originally sold at a Phillips auction in 2002 for $235,000. It sold again for CHF 5,066,000 ($5 million) at a Phillips auction in May 2017 — a price surely attributed to its imperial provenance and rarity. At the time, it was the most expensive Rolex ever sold, but it was quickly eclipsed by Paul Newman’s personal Daytona later that year. 

Rolex Daytona End Game, Ref. 6270: $4.1 million

The Daytona 6270, nicknamed “the End Game,” is crafted from 18K yellow gold and has a pavé diamond-set dial with sapphire numerals, a bezel set with baguette diamonds, and bold blue subdials. It blurs the line between watches and jewelry. Rolex produced this watch in 1988, marking a cultural transition from using watches as practical tools to wearing them as dress pieces. Only eight examples exist, making it incredibly rare. It fetched CHF 3,690,000 ($4.1 million) at a Phillips auction in Geneva in May 2023, breaking the record for the most expensive Daytona 6270 ever sold. 

Rolex Lemon Paul Newman Daytona, Ref. 6263: $3.74 million

This ultrarare 1969 Paul Newman Daytona has a lemon grené dial with black subdials, an outer seconds track, and a bezel. It is one of three 18K yellow gold Paul Newman watches with screw-down pushers in existence. In addition to its 18K gold case and bracelet, it has a unique lemon-colored dial instead of the typical ivory dials that stainless steel versions have. This water-resistant Oyster-cased timepiece first emerged in 2013 at an auction in Geneva, where it became known as “the Legend” due to its rarity. This watch sold for CHF 3,722,000 ($3.74 million) at a Phillips auction in Geneva in May 2017.

Rolex Split-Seconds Chronograph, Ref. 4113: $3.5 million

While Rolex is a master of chronograph watches, this split-seconds chronograph is unusual because Rolex does not produce many high complications. In fact, only 12 of these watches were ever made, and they weren’t even sold commercially. In addition, it has an oversize 44mm case, which is the largest case size Rolex has ever made. As a result, these split-seconds chronographs are some of the most covetable and most expensive Rolex watches of all time due to their rarity and complications, not just their provenance. In April 2014, the famous watch collector John Goldberger sold this timepiece for €3,284,000 ($3.5 million) at a Monaco Legend Group auction in Monte Carlo.

Rolex Lemon Paul Newman Daytona, Ref. 6263: $3.4 million

Before this watch emerged in 2013, watch experts believed that an 18K yellow gold Cosmograph Daytona with screw-down chronographs and a lemon grené dial didn’t exist. Therefore, it caused quite a stir when it appeared at a Christie’s auction in Geneva in November 2022. The winning bid was CHF 3,414,000 ($3.4 million) for this rare and exclusive timepiece, which was in excellent condition. 

Rolex Daytona in Platinum With Lapis Lazuli Dial, Ref. 16516: $3.27 million

Rolex doesn’t produce many platinum watches, so any platinum watch is a sought-after piece. However, this is thought to be the only platinum Daytona with a lapis lazuli dial, making it even more covetable — and expensive. It’s a stunning example of stone dial watches. In addition, this 1999 model is powered by a Zenith movement. It sold for 25,375,000 HKD ($3.27 million) at a Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong in July 2020. 

Rolex Daytona in Platinum With Turquoise Dial, Ref. 16516: $3.14 million

Another exclusive platinum 16516 model, this watch is the only Daytona with a turquoise blue lacquered “Stella” dial in existence. Rolex manufactured it in 1998 using a platinum case and an automatic Zenith movement. Watch experts believe that this timepiece is one of five rare platinum treasures that the late CEO of Rolex, Patrick Heiniger, commissioned. It sold for 24,375,000 HKD ($3.14 million) at a Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong in April 2021.

Rolex Daytona The Neanderthal, Ref. 6240: $3 million

Ref. 6240 was the first Rolex Cosmograph watch to incorporate screw-down pushers, which prevent water from entering the watch’s mechanism and render the case water-resistant. Rolex ceased producing Ref. 6240 in the early 1970s, and the brand replaced it with other models. Ref. 6240 is considered the predecessor of the Paul Newman Daytona. Experts think this possibly unique piece was an experiment in design and ultimately led to the creation of the now-iconic exotic dials on the Paul Newman Daytonas. Its predecessor status earned it the name “the Neanderthal.” The watch has a unique dial configuration, with a black dial, oversized white subdials, a white seconds track, and a black bezel. Another unusual characteristic is that it doesn’t have a Cosmograph or Oyster designation on the dial; it simply says “Rolex” below the brand’s crown at 12 o’clock. This watch sold for CHF 3,012,500 ($3 million) at a Phillips auction in May 2018. 

Rolex Platinum Yacht-Master, Ref. 16620: $2.57 million

The Heiniger family, which ran Rolex for decades, commissioned the platinum Yacht-Master to commemorate the brand’s 10-millionth chronograph movement. It belonged to the late Rolex president Patrick Heiniger, who adored platinum. The dial has diamond and blue sapphire hour markers and says  “Dix Millionième Chronometre” above 6 o’clock. Monaco Legend Auctions sold this model for €2,316,800 ($2.57 million) in April 2023. It also has the distinction of being the only Yacht-Master to make the list of the most expensive Rolex watches.

Rolex Daytona John Player Special, Ref. 6241: $2.49 million

This Ref. 6241 is called the John Player Special, after the British Team Lotus Formula One car from the 1970s. It earned this name because of the watch’s black dial, gilt subdials, and outer rim that recalls the car’s iconic black-and-gold design. Rolex produced 3,000 examples of Ref. 6241, but only 300 in 18K yellow gold. What makes this watch even rarer is that only a few of the 18K yellow gold watches have the unique John Player Special dial. It sold for CHF 2,238,000 ($2.49 million) at a Sotheby’s auction in May 2023. 

Rolex Milgauss, Ref. 6541: $2.49 million

This 1958 Milgauss is one of the best preserved original Milgauss watches. Rolex designed the Milgauss to withstand magnetic fields up to 1,000 oersted and marketed this watch to technical fields, focusing on scientists and engineers. Ref. 6541 also has a playful seconds hand in the shape of a lightning bolt, another nod to magnetism. This impressive watch with a black honeycomb dial sold for CHF 2,238,000 ($2.49 million) — more than double its estimate — at a Phillips auction in Geneva in May 2023.