DALLAS, TX.- A Rolex, Important and Rare Ref. 6239 “Paul Newman” Cosmograph Daytona, circa 1969 sold for $250,000 to lead Heritage’s June 3 Watches & Fine Timepieces Signature® Auction to $3,831,915.

“Vintage Rolexes remain enormously popular within the collecting community, and this is a magnificent example of this popular model, with the dial named after the Hollywood legend who famously wore this model,” says Jim Wolf, Watches & Fine Timepieces Director at Heritage Auctions. “Nearly two dozen bidders knew it is a timeless classic.”

The auction included more than 60 Patek Philippe lots, including a Ref. 5370P-001, An Extremely Fine Platinum Split-Seconds Chronograph Wristwatch, Full Set, circa 2016 that ended at $168,750. It features a black grand feu enamel dial, Arabic numerals, a 30-minute register and subsidiary constant seconds, and feuille hands, all housed in a 41 mm platinum case with concave bezel.

Other top Patek Philippe lots in the auction included, but were not limited to:

· A Ref. 5980/1A-001, Steel Automatic Nautilus Chronograph, circa 2007: $70,000
· A Fine 18k Yellow Gold Lady's Nautilus Ref. 4700/5 Circa 1982: $45,000
· A Pink 18k Rose Gold Ref. 3969R “Jump Hour,” 150th Anniversary Edition, Circa 1989: $35,000

An F.P. Journe, Fine And Important Platinum Chronomètre Optimum Wristwatch drew 25 bids on its way to $162,500. This beautiful watch features a grey and white dial with radial Arabic numerals and a subsidiary dial for the constant seconds, all in a 42 mm platinum case with a transparent back that reveals the inner mechanisms in this extraordinary timepiece.

One of the auction’s remarkable items was the 16th known example of a Tudor, Extremely Rare Ref. 7923 Stainless Steel Submariner, Gilt Dial With Red Depth Marking, circa 1955. Once purchased at a swap meet for just $20, it brought a winning bid of $131,250 — more than 13 times the high pre-auction estimate.

The fifth lot to reach six figures was an Omega, Rare And Historically Important Gold Speedmaster Professional Wristwatch, No. 25 that was awarded by Omega to astronaut Russell L. “Rusty” Schweickart and soared to $125,000. Also a former aeronautical engineer, research scientist and U.S. Air Force pilot, Schweickart was among the astronauts who received their watches at a NASA event in 1969 in Houston, just after the Apollo 12 mission. The back of the watch is engraved: “Astronaut Russell L. Schweickart … to mark man’s quest of space with time, through time, on time.”

The Ref. 6239 “Paul Newman” Cosmograph Daytona was one of more than 60 Rolexes sold in the auction. Others included, but were not limited to:

· A Rare Ref. 6536/6538 Stainless Steel Submariner, Gilt Dial With Red Depth Marking, circa 1950s: $62,500

· A Mint Day-Date II Platinum Wristwatch With Ice Blue Arabic Dial, Full Set: $50,000

· A Fine 18k Everose Daytona Ref.116505, circa 2019 Full Set: $42,500

· A Day-Date 40 Gold Oyster Perpetual Baguette Diamond Dial, Diamond Bezel: $40,000

Bidders also were drawn to a pair of magnificent A. Lange & Söhne timepieces: a Ref. 403.035 Platinum Datograph Fly Back Chronograph, Full Set, circa 2005 that drew $60,000 and an 18k White Gold “Langematik” Perpetual Calendar Circa 2015 that closed at $47,500.