The Ultimate Replica Rolex Daytona Watches To Be Auctioned Today

To clear up the situation, what we have here is a fully original replica Rolex Daytona ref. 6263, with an exotic ‘Paul Newman’ dial (a specific layout and sub-counters typo) that has turned into a coffee color (due to humidity, sun exposure or a bad reaction of the lacquer).
We are all aware that the replica Rolex Daytona is one of the main attractions in auctions. If you look at the catalog of this Artcurial auction, you might find several very nice Pateks, some rare Submariners or everything from the Rolex catalogues, new or vintage. And amidst of these watches, one is creating (once again) a real buzz in the watch world: lot 313: a ‘unique and ultimate’ Rolex Daytona 6263 Paul Newman with an estimate of $ 200.000 – $ 400.00 Euro. We have to admit, the brown color is pretty surprising. We have to admit that the watch has a very impressive pedigree and that its genuineness shouldn’t be a problem as well. However, (and that’s a big BUT) is the estimation justified? We also understood the reason why Eric Clapton’s PN Daytona reached $ 500.000 USD. It was a tremendously rare ‘albino’ version (full silver dial) and it was worn by legendary guitar player, singer, song writer and most important and influential guitarists of all time. Compared to a standard 6263, the one we have here has just a very nice patina. It is quite difficult to find a nice Rolex Daytona 6263 Paul Newman in good condition and with papers, but it is probable – and for much less than this ones estimate. The 6263 is not the rarest of them all.

You might find it weird because these 6263 PN are not the rarest and are usually sold for approximately $ 100.000 – $ 120.000 Euro, even with a good pedigree and all the required papers / authenticity proofs.
The explanation for that price is clearly speculation. We’re not into passion anymore but into pure finance. Stocks are facing a large volatility, bonds are not giving profits anymore and gold is overpriced. Recently, a Rolex Daytona ‘Paul Newman’ in gold, with a unique lemon dial was sold for $ 560.000 Euro. OK, that was a prototype, a gold edition and a UNIQUE one. It reached an insane price but it was sort of understandable. In addition to that, the watch was owned by the same family for many years with a complete service historic from 1976 to 1993, with not less than 11 recorded services (with engravings inside the caseback). This piece has been authenticated as fully original and is in a mint condition.
Not only is the watch is protected against electrostatic fields but also against magnetic fields. Nevertheless, replica Omega is doing better since their 15.000 Gauss-proof watches are not based on a protective case, but on a completely new movement that is fully anti-magnetic, that allows slimmer watches and even a see-trough caseback.
Of course replica watches Rolex, the company known for being sealed like an oyster, does things in their own time and we’ll have to wait until Monday before we really know what’s cooking. Therefore, here it begins to get complicated for non-initiates. In recent days, a very nice and rare example of a Daytona Paul Newman transitional 626 was displayed to you, which will be auctioned soon in Monte-Carlo. This one was already a rare bird, complete with papers and boxes, and a reference number rare enough to set the estimation at $ 150.000 Euro – an ‘impressive’ estimate for a ‘Dayto PN’.
Nevertheless tonight, 22 July 2017, there is another Paul Newman Daytona that might get collectors even more exited. There is no doubt that it will be auctioned by Artcurial in Monte-Carlo, and this one could break the ceiling, with an estimate of $ 200.000 – $ 400.000 Euro: a Rolex Daytona 6263 Paul Newman with a tropical ‘Coffee’ dial and a unique pedigree. Big question: insane or justified?

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Praised Replica Rolex Submariner 5512 With Possible Sealab Provenance

Let’s imagine if you stumbled upon a vintage Omega Speedmaster with “Gemini 7″ engraved on the caseback during your late night eBay surfing,. You might stop and guess, “Oh, why?” Well, a sharp-eyed Hodinkee reader found something just as (potentially) perfect. A US-based eBay seller has quietly posted – alongside a jade elephant pendant, a set of three Elgin pocketwatches, and some other bits and bobs – a Rolex Submariner replica watch. The gilt four-line dial printing, lovely patina and riveted bracelet would make it a nice find for any collector. But this may not be any ordinary vintage Sub. On the caseback is engraved, “SEALAB-13″, which possibly ties this iconic diving watch to one of the most famous, and motivated, of man’s early attempts to live at the bottom of the ocean. 
While most public attention in the 1960s was given to the dueling American and Soviet space programs, the US Navy was putting men into an equally difficult and alien environment, under the guise of the “Man in the Sea” SEALAB program. Astronauts were fighting for control of the high ground of the heavens at the same time, the Navy saw the ocean floor as the next frontier. The only way to truly obtain a foothold below the waves was to enable humans to live there for extended periods, with ambitions of colonies and workplaces, and of course for defense purposes. After all, this was during the height of the Cold War. But living underwater, at even relatively shallow depths, is fraught with complication and danger.
Two more SEALAB missions were conducted, with the second at 205 feet of depth off of La Jolla, California. SEALAB II had hot showers and refrigeration, and former Mercury astronaut turned aquanaut, Scott Carpenter, remained submerged for a record 30 days. Flush with the success of this second mission, SEALAB III, launched in February of 1969, was to be the most ambitious of all, at a depth of 610 feet with a slew of planned experiments. But when the habitat developed a leak on the first day, divers were sent down to solve the problem. One of them, aquanaut Berry Cannon, died of acute hypoxia, due to his rebreather lacking the key ingredient for removing carbon dioxide from his breathing gas. Rumors of sabotage swirled, and the successful Moon landing mere months later, as well as the public’s general lack of interest in undersea habitation, caused the SEALAB program to be deleted. 
For those of us interested in watches, particularly replica watches, SEALAB has become legend for its role in the development of arguably the most purpose-built watch ever made—the Rolex Sea-Dweller. Chief Warrant Officer, Robert A. Barth, the only aquanaut to take part in all three SEALAB missions, famously approached a fake Rolex rep at a trade show, complaining about the fact that the crystal of his Submariner was popping off during the divers’ long decompression cycles. The answer, of course, was a helium release valve, which could evacuate the built-up helium inside the watch. But the Sea-Dweller wouldn’t be developed until SEALAB III, so for the first two missions, most of the divers wore Submariner.

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