Discontinued Rolex Daytona Le Mans now selling for $320,000

Rolex has discontinued the $51,400 white gold Daytona Le Mans (126529LN). These watches currently sell for $320,000 on the used market.

Rolex strongly associated the new Daytona Le Mans with Paul Newman's 1963 Daytona, which sold for $17.8 million in October 2017, making it the most expensive watch in the world at the time.

Paying homage to vintage watches is something Rolex has never done openly before—if ever. Robb Report compared the 2023 Le Mans to a limited edition watch that Rolex, of course, did not announce as such.

But with the insanely high prices we're seeing now, the 2023 LeMans is gaining popularity on the open market, as is every little-known limited edition that nods to the heritage of a legendary brand.

Since 2017, when Paul Newman's Daytona became the most expensive watch ever, this strange quasi-Art Deco dial has been universally known as the "Newman dial."

But the origins of the craze for these watches, as well as their nickname, apparently date back to the late 1980s and early 1990s. Some speculate that an Italian magazine cover featuring Paul Newman in a Daytona sparked the craze, although this cannot be confirmed.

Regardless of the exact origins, the Rolex Reference 6263 craze has gone from being a minor interest among enthusiasts to something of a watch mania since the 2017 auction. Considering the prices we're seeing for Newman's 2023 Daytona, it's clear the hype is still around.