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9 numbers to know about the Rolex watch Jack Nicklaus is auctioning for charity

May 27, 2019

Jack Nicklaus is auctioning off his signature Rolex watch — the same timepiece that was in his possession for the majority of his major wins — to benefit children’s health. The watch will hit the block later this year with the proceeds earmarked for the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation, a charitable organization that aids the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami. Here are 9 numbers to know about a timepiece for the ages.

18: Number of karats in the watch’s gold band.

18: Number of karats in the watch’s champagne-colored hour markers, which were designed to emulate golf tees. In a happy coincidence (or more than that), those figures match the number of major titles Nicklaus won in his career.

1967: Year in which Nicklaus was gifted the watch. For more than half a century, the watch has had a front-row seat to history.

12: Number of Nicklaus’s major wins at which he had the watch in his possession: 1967 U.S. Open, 1970 British Open, 1971 PGA Championship, 1972 Masters, 1972 U.S. Open, 1973 PGA Championship, 1975 Masters, 1975 PGA Championship, 1978 British Open, 1980 U.S. Open, 1980 PGA Championship and the legendary 1986 Masters.

Nicklaus with his Rolex (and Claret Jug) at the 1978 British Open.
Nicklaus with his Rolex (and Claret Jug) at the 1978 British Open.
Getty

$31,550: Price that a modern-day version of Nicklaus’s Rolex would command. The auction house is reluctant to put a number on what Nicklaus’s watch might fetch, but consider this next figure…

$17,800,000: Winning bid that actor Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona drew when auctioned off in 2017.

$100,000,000: Amount that Jack and Barbara Nicklaus have raised for children’s health care through their foundation.

12/10/19: Date on which the Rolex will become available to bidders.

1: Yes, there’s only one of them! For one lucky bidder, the timepiece make for a heck of a conversation piece.

Nicklaus Companies and GOLF.com are affiliates of 8AM Golf.

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