The Paul Newman
JPS Cherry

There are Paul Newmans, and then there is the JPS Cherry. In the hierarchy of collectible Daytonas, this watch sits at the very top — not because of its rarity alone, but because of what it represents. A convergence of design, timing, and cultural mythology that could never be replicated.

Black and Gold

The name "John Player Special" comes from the legendary Formula 1 livery — the black-and-gold color scheme that adorned the Lotus cars driven by Ayrton Senna, Emerson Fittipaldi, and Mario Andretti. It was the most iconic livery in racing history, and when collectors saw the same dramatic contrast in this 14-karat gold Daytona with its black Paul Newman dial, the nickname was inevitable.

But this isn't just any JPS. The "Cherry" designation refers to the cherry-red printing of the word "DAYTONA" on the black surface around the lowest sub-dial. It's a detail so small you might miss it at first glance — but it's the detail that separates a $200,000 watch from a $700,000 one.

Anatomy of a Grail

Manufactured between the end of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s in very limited numbers, the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference 6264 was mainly cased in stainless steel. Approximately 100 known examples were crafted in 14-karat yellow gold — like the one you see here.

The tridimensional effect of this spectacular "Paul Newman" dial is given by the contrast created between the black main background with the slightly sunken gold subsidiary registers and outer chapter ring, both of which display black-printed graphics. The result is truly eye-catching — a watch that photographs differently in every light, revealing new depths with each viewing.

"The Cherry JPS is not a watch you own. It's a watch that owns you."

— Philipp Stahl

This particular example is a MK2 variant — identifiable by the "Oyster" Newman sub-dials and the distinctive "Cosmograph over Cosmograph" text arrangement. The dial printing shows "@rolex over @rolex," a detail that only the most experienced collectors can identify and that adds another layer of rarity to an already impossibly rare watch.

The Market Speaks

In the world of vintage Rolex, the JPS Cherry occupies a position that transcends normal market dynamics. When Paul Newman's own Daytona — a stainless steel Ref. 6239 — sold for $17.8 million at Phillips, it didn't just set a record. It redefined what a wristwatch could mean as a cultural artifact.

The gold JPS Cherry exists in a different dimension entirely. With approximately 100 gold Ref. 6264 cases ever produced, and only a fraction of those fitted with the exotic "Paul Newman" dial featuring the cherry-red Daytona text, the survival rate is vanishingly small. Each one that surfaces at auction or in private sales creates its own event.

Beyond Collecting

There was a time — not so long ago — when you could walk into a Rolex dealer and find a Daytona sitting in the display window, unsold. Nobody wanted them. The chronograph was considered too complicated, too niche, too different from the tool watches that defined Rolex's identity.

That world is gone. The Daytona has become the single most coveted reference in all of watchmaking, and the JPS Cherry sits at the absolute pinnacle of the Daytona hierarchy. It represents everything that makes vintage Rolex collecting so compelling: the intersection of mechanical excellence, design perfection, and the stories that only time can write.

This particular watch has traveled the world. It has been worn at dinner tables overlooking the Mediterranean, photographed for books that define the field, and handled by collectors who understand that some objects transcend their material value. It is, in every sense, a piece of horological history.