Prince Harry’s military Rolex, Sylvester Stallone’s Richard Mille from The Expendables 3 and Steve McQueen’s Heuer Monaco: the celebrity watches selling for huge sums at auction

Dec 22 , 2020

Prince Harry was part of the British RAF’s Attack Helicopter Regiment gifted the limited edition Explorer II watch by Rolex – now a comrade has sold his and it fetched nearly US$40,000 thanks to the connection. Photo: Watchfinder & Co.

Celebrity-owned timepieces or watches with unique provenance – such as Paul Newman’s record-breaking Rolex – have been known to hit astronomical prices at auction. For example, a Rolex with a special connection to Britain’s Prince Harry recently sold for just under HK$300,000 (US$39,000).

Here’s a look at some timepieces with unique stories that recently made their way onto the market.

Paul Newman wearing the recently auctioned Rolex Daytona. Photo: Geoffrey Hewitt Photograph Collection

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A Rolex Daytona previously owned by Paul Newman recently sold for US$5.5 million at a Phillips sale in New York. Photo: Phillips

For some perspective, at the recent Phillips’ “Racing Pulse” New York auction, which sold 99 per cent of its lots on December 12, a Rolex Daytona once belonging to actor and racing car driver Paul Newman fetched US$5.5 million. While that’s still some way off smashing the US$17.8 million record that the original Paul Newman Daytona set in 2017, it still marked a significant moment in the world of watch auctions.

Paul Newman's Rolex Daytona made auction history in 2017; when fetched US$17.8 million at a Phillips sale. Photo: Phillips

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Also sold at the Phillips sale was actor Steve McQueen’s Heuer Monaco. The watch was one of seven Heuer Monacos worn on the set of 1971 film Le Mans. The timepiece brought in 10 times its estimates and sold for US$2.2 million, more than doubling the previous record of the others.

Steve McQueen during the shooting of his film Le Mans. Photo: Getty Images

The Heuer Monaco watch used on the set of 1971 film Le Mans starring Steve McQueen. Photo: Phillips

A collection of Sylvester Stallone’s watches were also up for grabs at the same sale, which included four Richard Mille pieces as well as a Panerai, a brand regarded as one of the action star’s favourites. The collection of five watches sold for a total of US$3.1 million – over three times the estimate.

Sylvester Stallone with his Richard Mille RM032 that he wore in the movie The Expendables 3. Photo: Getty Images for Lionsgate

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Stallone’s Panerai Luminor was recently auctioned in New York. Photo: Phillips

Stallone’s Panerai Luminor, which he wore in the 1996 film Daylight, sold for US$214,200.

The limited edition Rolex Explorer II 216570 Attack Helicopter watch is only four years old. Photo: Watchfinder & Co.

A limited edition Rolex Explorer II has recently found its way to Watchfinder & Co. One of a specially-commissioned limited edition run, the watch was made for the British Attack Helicopter Regiment Prince Harry served in. The Rolex Explorer II Attack Helicopter was commissioned to mark the regiment’s deployment to Afghanistan.

A total of 48 of these timepieces were produced in 2016 and this piece is only the fourth to have ever come to auction.

According to experts at Watchfinder & Co., Prince Harry owns an Explorer II with a white dial that they believe to be from this limited edition run. The former pilot has been seen wearing the watch on several occasions.

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The reference on Watchfinder & Co. features a black dial and a caseback engraved with an Apache Helicopter as well as the name of the serviceman who owns the watch.

A military Rolex Submariner Reference 5517. Photo: Phillips

Military watches, with or without a royal connection, have performed well at auctions over the past few years. At the Phillips auction, a Rolex Submariner Ref 5517 made in 1977 set a world record for military-issued watches by the brand, according to Robb Report. The watch sold for more than five times its low estimate, fetching US$567,000.

Fans of Rolex are fascinated by limited edition and commissioned runs of its timepieces. Among the most commonly found on the market? Pieces featuring Arab military crests.

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Timepieces

There’s a Rolex, and then there’s Paul Newman’s Rolex; A Panerai, and the Panerai Luminor Sly Stallone wore in Daylight: discover the watches with famous connections fetching millions at auction