The Rolex Daytona Is the Most Expensive Wristwatch Ever Sold. What Makes It So Valuable?

As Dowling tells it, Rolex watches in the early '60s, when the Daytona launched, could be counted on to display the date, dip underwater without breaking, and wind themselves automatically Forty years later, the Rolex Daytona is one of the most-wanted models on the planet Watches like the Daytona are classified by Rolex as "Professional" timepieces: they serve some purpose, and are made with niche communities in mind.

On Rolex's website, the brand writes of its precision timing: "The Daytona is a watch for winners." That's true in a literal sense: the watch is literally a prize for first-place finishers in the 24 Hours of Daytona and France's Le Mans, both 24-hour races Rolex introduced the Daytona in 1963, in hopes of competing with Omega's Speedmaster and capturing racing fans A Singapore-based Daytona collector who goes by Ron K tells me that before watches, he fell hard for cars.

The story goes that once Newman started seriously racing his wife went to Tiffany & Co and bought a Daytona with a black-and-white "Exotic" dial. . Source