Paul Newman’s $17M Rolex & Drake’s Hulk: Watch Stories That Shook the World

In 2017, Paul Newman's personal Rolex Daytona — a gift from his wife, inscribed with “Drive Carefully, Me” — sold at auction for a jaw-dropping $17.8 million. It became the most expensive wristwatch ever sold at the time, and with it came a flood of interest in vintage Rolex watches, especially the Daytona line. Collectors worldwide began hunting for 'Newman dials', catapulting Rolex from a luxury brand to a cultural icon with investment-level value.

Not all watch stories end in celebration. In 2021, a man was mugged in London after being followed from a restaurant — all for his Patek Philippe Nautilus. Surveillance footage showed how thieves had learned to spot luxury timepieces on Instagram and TikTok. Incidents like these gave rise to “stealth wealth” trends — buyers seeking under-the-radar pieces with high resale value, like certain models from Vacheron Constantin, Audemars Piguet, or vintage Omega watches.

Then came the rise of the ‘watch investor.’ In 2023, a viral TikTok trend showed Gen Z creators explaining how Rolex Submariners, GMT-Masters, and Datejust models were outperforming stocks and crypto. Suddenly, ‘buying a watch’ became a conversation about market timing, scarcity, and brand equity. Grey market watch dealers saw surges in online searches for “Rolex investment value,” “luxury watches NYC,” and “where to buy a Rolex with box and papers.”

And in the heart of Manhattan’s Diamond District, Global Sky Diamonds has become a go-to spot not just for diamond jewelry, but for pre-owned Rolexes, iced-out APs, and collectors’ Patek models. We've seen shoppers come in asking for “the watch Drake wore” or “the green Hulk Submariner.” For many, watches aren’t just about telling time — they’re about telling your story, whether that’s a career milestone, a family legacy, or a wrist flex with resale value.