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Proof American director Spike Lee is way ahead of the collecting curve, from a PN Rolex Daytona in ’92 to Casio Proof American director Spike Lee is way ahead of the collecting curve, from a PN Rolex Daytona in ’92 to Casio

Proof American director Spike Lee is way ahead of the collecting curve, from a PN Rolex Daytona in ’92 to Casio

Nick Gould

The last episodes of The Last Dance, the epic documentary series on Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, have just aired. While watching, our Deputy Editor, Nick Kenyon, caught a glimpse of what looked like a vintage Rolex Daytona with a “Paul Newman” dial on the wrist of American director Spike Lee, who was a spectator at a Bulls match in 1998.

Spike Lee rolex daytona
Spike Lee pictured in Netflix’ The Last Dance in 1998 wearing his 6240 Rolex Daytona with a “Paul Newman” dial. Image: Netflix.com

Lee is known for films such as BlacKkKlansman, Do the Right Thing, Inside Man and Malcolm X. We know Lee is a watch guy, with pieces ranging from the evergreen cool Casio G-Shocks to watches from Jaeger-LeCoultre and Rolex. I did some digging through photo archives and discovered that Lee rocked a Rolex reference 6263 Daytona in steel with a white non “Paul Newman” dial back in 1992.

Spike Lee rolex daytona
Director Spike Lee attending the grand opening of ‘Spike’s Joint West’ on October 24, 1992 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

Through further searching, I came across images from 1996 of Lee sporting a vintage Daytona with a “Paul Newman” dial, but couldn’t completely make out the exact reference due to the distance of the photograph. Rocking a vintage Daytona in the ’90s would have been a rarity, considering there wasn’t the level of interest like we have seen in the past 15 years for these timepieces, and it shows Lee was ahead of the curve.

Rocking a vintage Daytona in the ’90s would have been a rarity, considering there wasn’t the level of interest like we have seen in the past 15 years for these timepieces, and it shows Lee was ahead of the curve.

Spike Lee rolex daytona
UNITED STATES – MARCH 01: Spike Lee, Tonya Lewis (Photo by The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images)

Now comes the moneyshot from 2006, which clearly shows Lee’s vintage Paul Newman Daytona. It is a reference 6240 Daytona with a “Paul Newman” dial and screw-down pushers.

Spike Lee rolex daytona
AUGUST 3: Spike Lee attends “World Trade” inside arrivals at Ziegfeld Theater N.Y.C. on August 3, 2006. (Photo by Chance Yeh /Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Spike Lee rolex daytona
Spike Lee during “World Trade Center” New York Premiere – Inside Arrivals at Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by Jemal Countess/WireImage)

In addition to the vintage pieces, Lee also has a stainless steel reference 116520 Daytona with a black dial and a rose gold Rolex Day-Date with black dial.  

Spike Lee during Celebrities at Game 4 of the NBA Finals with the Los Angeles Lakers and the New Jersey Nets at Continental Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. (Photo by KMazur/Getty Images)
Spike Lee (right) and Tonya Lewis Lee during Grand Opening Weekend of The Cove Atlantis on Paradise Island – Cain at The Cove and AURA – Day 1 in The Bahamas, United States. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

Then there is his customised steel 115620 “Cool Hand Brooklyn” Daytona edition made in collaboration with Artisans de Genève, which was a tribute to his hometown of Brooklyn and Paul Newman.

Spike Lee rolex daytona
Director Spike Lee is photographed with his Artisans de Genève personalized “Cool Hand Brooklyn” Rolex on April 25, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Marc Baptiste/Contour RA by Getty Images)

His collection of Jaeger-LeCoultres includes a Reverso, Reverso Gran Sport (pictured) and an Amvox 2 Chronograph (pictured).

US film director Spike Lee poses during the photocall of “Bad 25” during the 69th Venice Film Festival on August 31, 2012 at Venice Lido. “Bad 25” is presented out of competition. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/GettyImages)
US film director Spike Lee poses during the photocall of “Bad 25” during the 69th Venice Film Festival on August 31, 2012 at Venice Lido. “Bad 25” is presented out of competition. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/GettyImages)
NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 22: Director Spike Lee directs a commercial for the New York Knicks at the Grand Canal Courts September 22, 2005 in New York City. (Photo by Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images)

He also rocks the classic Casio G-Shock in a variety of guises and is pictured below wearing one with a black and orange colourway. 

Spike Lee (Photo by Robin Holland/Corbis via Getty Images)