Tom Brady’s Rolex Paul Newman Daytona “John Player Special” was the top lot of a sale of the retired quarterback’s personal possessions held Tuesday at Sotheby’s New York. A buyer paid $1.1 million for the timepiece. (Photo courtesy of Sotheby’s)
New York—A rare Rolex was the top lot at Sotheby’s special single-owner sale featuring the personal possessions of the man many consider to be the greatest quarterback of all time.
Evenly divided between luxury watches and sports memorabilia, “The GOAT Collection: Watches and Treasures from Tom Brady” pulled in a total of $9 million, with the watch lots totaling $4.6 million.
The top lot overall was a Rolex, a rare yellow gold Paul Newman Daytona “John Player Special” from 1969.
The “John Player Special” is the nickname given to Paul Newman Daytona watches that have a gold and black dial.
The name dates back to when cigarette company John Player & Sons sponsored the Lotus Formula One team, which displayed the company’s logo and painted its cars black and gold to match Player’s colors.
Sotheby’s said that Brady was first seen wearing his Paul Newman Daytona “John Player Special” at the start of the 2023 football season when the New England Patriots honored their former QB at the team’s home opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.
A buyer paid $1.1 million for the watch, topping its pre-sale estimate of $600,000 to $900,000.
All told, Brady, who retired after the 2022 season, put 21 watches up for sale—a mix of Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Richard Mille, Tudor, and IWC timepieces. (Brady was once an IWC ambassador.)
Tom Brady’s custom-made Audemars Piguet Royal Oak flying tourbillon has a salmon-colored dial in the brand’s “evolutive tapisserie” pattern, with Brady’s name spelled out in diamonds. (Image courtesy of Sotheby’s)
The second highest-grossing watch after the Rolex “John Player Special” was the white gold Audemars Piguet Royal Oak the Super Bowl winner wore when he was roasted on Netflix.
Brady had the diamond-set watch custom-made for “Netflix’s Greatest Roast of All Time: The Roast of Tom Brady,” which aired earlier this year.
His name is spelled out in calibré- and baguette-cut diamonds, with the Roman numeral VII placed between the “M” and the “B” as a nod to the QB’s seven Super Bowl victories.
A custom rotor with Brady’s signature is visible through the sapphire crystal caseback.
A buyer paid $720,000 for the Audemars Piguet, within its estimated range of $400,000 to $800,000.
Tom Brady put three Richard Mille watches up for auction at Sotheby’s, including this “Baby Nadal” model encased in blue quartz TPT. (Image courtesy of Sotheby’s)
The third highest-grossing watch in the sale was Brady’s Richard Mille RM 35-03 “Baby Nadal,” the fourth model in the watch brand’s collaboration with another sports star, tennis pro Rafael Nadal.
The watch is encased in blue quartz TPT, a material known for being both durable and lightweight, and it features the “butterfly rotor” winding mechanism.
It sold for $384,000, at the low end of its estimated range of $300,000 to $500,000.
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Held Tuesday night in New York, “The GOAT Collection: Watches and Treasures from Tom Brady” sale had a total of 41 lots, all of which sold.
The 20 lots of sports memorabilia totaled $4.4 million.
Brady’s jersey from his final game at the University of Michigan—the Wolverines’ 35-34 overtime victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2000 Orange Bowl—was the most expensive piece of memorabilia sold.
A buyer paid $792,000 (est. $300,000-$500,000) for the game-worn No. 10 jersey.
Sotheby’s said 60 percent of the 41 lots offered exceeded their highest pre-sale estimates.
More than 800 people from 45 countries registered to participate in the auction, 34 percent of whom were new to Sotheby’s and 40 percent of whom are under the age of 40.
“To have had the opportunity to work directly with him, showcasing some of his most prized possessions from his football career, as well as a collection of watches that have been a meaningful part of his personal journey—pieces he loved and lived with—has been truly unforgettable,” Sotheby’s Senior Specialist, Watches, Richard Lopez said.
“Sharing these treasures with so many fans and admirers has been an experience like no other, especially for those who visited our exhibitions and the hundreds who participated in tonight’s sale.”
To see the full results of the “GOAT” sale, visit the Sotheby’s website.
