In these economically uneasy times it is hard to go anywhere in this country without seeing signs of financial woe.  Whether it be middle-class families selling of their precious goods to pay the bills, or the struggling working-class mother who finds the already high price of food and gas rise beyond reach.

I even hear that the ultra-wealthy are curbing their spending on luxury goods in lieu of these uneasy times.  Apparently though there are still plenty of people out there whose pocketbook has been unaffected in these recent times, because in the recent Sotheby’s “Important Watch” Auction held on April 23, 2008, a new record was acheived for the purchase of a Rolex wristwatch in the tune of a whopping $505,000.00, and here it is:

I don’t know whether or not it is because this watch was previously owned by Eric Clapton (probably not) or because this 1971 “Albino” Rolex Daytona is among the rarest of its kind, but this Rolex set a record for being the second-highest price ever achieved at auction for a Rolex.  This watch is unusual because unlike other Rolex Daytona watches of its time the sub-dials do not contrast in color with the color of the main dial and are instead all silver in color.

No doubt about it, this watch is cool, but in the opinion of your humble presenter, if I were to spend top dollar on a vintage Rolex, I would have one of the more “traditional” “Paul Newman” Rolex Cosmograph Daytona watches any day of the week.