5 Rolex Watches Made Famous By Paul Newman, Saun Connery, Clint Eastwood, Robert Downey Jr, 'Tony Soprano'

That Rolex watches define luxury timepieces is a given. However, Rolex watches do not always become icons in a boutique. Sometimes it takes more than marketing to make a watch iconic. It can happen on a movie set, on an actor's own wrist, off-script and unplanned. The Paul Newman Rolex Daytona, the Sean Connery Rolex Submariner, the Clint Eastwood Rolex GMT-Master 'Root Beer', the Robert Downey Jr.'s customised Rolexes, and the Tony Soprano, or should we say James Gandolfini, Rolex Day-Date, all trace back to that same accident of timing, a watch worn on camera long enough, or often enough, that it stopped being a prop and became a legend. Here is the story behind each one of these Rolex watches, and what they are priced at today.

Paul Newman's 'Exotic Dial': Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 6239

In 1972, Joanne Woodward gave husband Paul Newman a Rolex Daytona Ref. 6239 as a gift, shortly after his role in the 1969 film Winning sparked his real-life passion for auto racing. Newman wore the Rolex watch, easy to spot thanks to its unusual art-deco font and blocky hash marks, almost daily for the next decade, and it appeared with him in countless photos over the years. The watch became so closely linked to Newman that collectors eventually named the entire Rolex 'exotic dial' style after him.

Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Auction Price: Sold for US$17.8 million at Phillips in 2017-still the most expensive Rolex ever auctioned.

Sean Connery Bond Watch: Rolex Submariner Ref. 6538

Before 1962, the Rolex Submariner watch was a slow seller next to the dressier Rolex Datejust. Then Sean Connery wore the Rolex Submariner on a leather strap as James Bond in Dr. No, and diver's watches never looked the same again. Connery is often credited as the star who sold Rolex a million Submariners. He kept wearing the same reference through From Russia with Love, Goldfinger and Thunderball.

Rolex Submariner Auction Price: An ultra-rare 'Big Crown' Ref. 6538 Submariner fetched over $1 million at Christie's.

Clint Eastwood Root Beer: Rolex GMT-Master Ref. 1675

This one was not a prop pick, it was the actual Rolex watch that Clint Eastwood wore so often off-camera that it kept turning up in his films. The two-tone steel-and-gold 1675/3 earned its 'Root Beer' nickname from its warm brown dial. The Clint Eastwood Root Beer Rolex GMT-Master appeared in Firefox (1982), Tightrope (1984) and In the Line of Fire (1993).

Rolex GMT-Master Market Price: Vintage examples typically sell for $15,000–$50,000, depending on condition and provenance.

Robert Downey Jr.: Rolex Submariner Hulk And Rolex GMT-Master II Ghost

Actor Robert Downey Jr. actually splits his Rolex wear across two watches. He owns a stock green Rolex Submariner Hulk (ref. 116610LV) he calls his 'green money Rolex,' and separately, a Rolex GMT-Master II (ref. 116710LN) customised by Bamford Watch Department into the blacked-out 'Ghost.'

Rolex Submariner Hulk And Rolex GMT-Master II Ghost Market Price: The custom Bamford GMT retailed around $20,000, while the discontinued 'Hulk' sells for $18,000–$24,000 on the pre-owned market.

James Gandolfini aka Tony Soprano: Rolex Day-Date President Ref. 18038 -

James Gandolfini, who famously essayed the role of Tony Soprano, also made a Rolex watch the talk of the town. The Tony Soprano Rolex watch did a lot of narrative work without a line of dialogue. Gandolfini wore a 36mm yellow-gold Rolex Day-Date, ref. 18038, with a champagne dial and stick markers, a permanent fixture on his wrist across all six seasons, and now informally known among collectors as 'the Tony Soprano Rolex Day-Date'.

Rolex Day-Date Market Price: Gold examples in this specific configuration generally sell for $15,000–$20,000.

Some Rolex watches become collectable because of their rarity, while others acquire a different kind of status through the people who wear them. From Paul Newman's Rolex Daytona to Tony Soprano's Rolex Day-Date, these Rolex watches have become part of popular culture, carrying stories that extend well beyond their movements, materials and price tags.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Which Rolex did Paul Newman wear?

Paul Newman famously wore the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 6239 with the 'exotic dial', later associated with his name.

How much did Paul Newman's Rolex Daytona sell for?

The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 6239 associated with Paul Newman sold for US$17.8 million at Phillips in 2017.

Which Rolex watches does Robert Downey Jr. wear?

Robert Downey Jr. has been associated with the Rolex Submariner 'Hulk' and a customised GMT-Master II 'Ghost'.

Which Rolex became famous through James Bond?

Sean Connery wore the Rolex Submariner Ref. 6538 as James Bond in films including Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger and Thunderball.