Hearing that Sylvester Stallone is selling a film-worn Panerai replica from his personal collection is the kind of news that perks up your ears. A few weeks ago, we reported that the black dial replica Panerai Luminor “Pre-Vendôme” 5218-201A worn by Stallone in 1996’s Daylight would be hitting the block as part of the Phillips New York “Racing Pulse” auction. The watch was estimated to sell for between $40,000 and $80,000 (no small sum), but it more than outperformed expectations. When the hammer fell after after more than four minutes of bidding and 18 bids, the watch brought in $214,200. But even that still feels like a deal.
“I wanted to wear a best copy watch that no one had ever seen,” said Stallone about the Luminor in question. “I strapped this on my wrist that day and didn’t take it off until the end of filming.” Famously sentimental, Stallone kept the stainless steel case replica Panerai watch in his possession until he consigned it for this sale, nearly 30 years after filming. It might sound weird to think of Panerai as a brand no one had ever seen, but, at the time, that was very much the case. Today’s result shows just how far Panerai has come since then.
Many actually attribute Stallone’s affinity for Panerai as the reason the brand was able to achieve such success over the last three decades. Stallone not only made this watch look good on screen, but started a Panerai craze in the process – with fellow stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger soon picking up on the trend. In a way, this best replica watch did for modern Panerai what Paul Newman’s Paul Newman Daytona did for vintage Rolex collecting. With this in mind, one could argue that the winning bidder of Stallone’s Panerai just took home the deal of the sale.
We’re still not even halfway through today’s auction. Click here for the full lot listing and be sure to check out the rest of our “Racing Pulse” coverage.