All is relative or it isn't. So start comparing (#SameOrDifferent, *klikk) and here we will see what separates the Rolex "Paul Newman" Daytona ref6239 and the Rolex King Midas ref9630.

Surprisingly there are some strong similarities: Both icons were produced for approx 10y, from the early 1960s (ref6239 from 1963 and ref9630 from 1961) to 1972. And while the Daytona was made in total in approx 14'000 examples, we know that approx 800 King Midas were made in the same 10y-production period. However, even this is very comparable: since more than 13'000 of the Daytonas were made in steel, and only 400 in 14K-yellowgold and approx 300 in 18K-yellowgold (none in whitegold) -- so we see a sum of 700 Newmans made in yellowgold. We know that Rolex made 144 of the King Midas in 18K-whitegold and that lefts just slightly less than 700 Midas to 18K-yellowgold (none in 14K-gold) of the 800pcs made in both gold-tones. So same production period and similar number in gold for both Rolex'.

The retail-prices in 1970 were around USD300 for a steel Daytona and approx USD1'200 for a gold one. The Rolex Midas was priced more than two of these Chronographs in gold: a whopping USD2'500 and the by far most expensive watch money could buy from Rolex.

Both watches were prominently gifted to race-drivers -- pro and starter: the Midas in 1969 by Rolex to Jackie Stewart for his first Formula One-Championship, so for being the worlds best / fastest driver. And the Daytona to the actor Paul Newman when he started to drive race-cars -- a passion ignited on the set of the film "Winning". Indeed, his wife gifted him a Steel-Daytona ref6239 in 1970, when he was on the height of his popularity and started to drive races -- the personal engraving on the caseback then also has a slightly scared tone: "Drive Carefully" is the permanent message for the beginner. At the same time it is not known which exact message is decorating the Rolex gifted to Jackie Stewart, but I assume it was not that worried. Furthermore, there was a Midas gifted to Elvis Presley (1970) and John Wayne (1971) and it had its movie appearance in James Bond "The Man with the Golden Gun" (1974).

Another similarity: both icons relied on ebauches for the mechanics. The Daytona was powered by the Valjoux cal72 and the King Midas used the Piguet cal21 to move its two hands.

The Daytona appears to be more robust, but this is probably just true on first sight: the thin and hollow gold-bracelet and the plastic-crystal compare to a solid and massive bracelet and a long-lasting sapphire-crystal in the King Midas. However, the Daytona is waterproof and the Midas obviously not, as the King of Rock'n'Roll Elvis found out with his example -- prominently exhibited in the Elvis Graceland-museum with its water-damage.

But there are more differences, yes. Besides the Chronograph being made for the race-track and the Midas for the grandstand, they both received very different attention: while the Daytona is not only the most expensive Rolex ever sold, with the USD17'752'500 reached by Phillips in their 2023-auction of the original Paul Newman-Daytona, it is also up to today one of the most important models in the Rolex portfolio. There are probably not many other watches as popular as the Paul Newman-Daytona and there were probably no more books and encyclopedias written about any other watch than this icon, while the Rolex Midas was not even noted with a single sentence in the majority of the books about the popular watch-brand. Indeed, almost all research was done by me since 2015 and is presented in this blog. And this leads to the most important difference: while the steel Daytona is eventually around in even "more" than the 14'000 examples made by Rolex, due to numerous fakes and counterfeits that add to the still existent pieces, it could be assumed that even the gold Daytona-examples were not smelted (ie. reduced) that often like the Midas. The Genta-designed triangular watch is much heavier, has a much higher gold-value (all 18K) and was especially in the 80s to 2000s almost completely unknown and out-of-trend.

So although both yellowgold icons were made in approx same quantities 60y ago, it could be assumed that nowadays there are much more Daytonas ref6239 left than Midas ref9630.