Watches at auction

Here are a few highlights of the upcoming auction held by Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo on 6-7 December in New York.

 

This 67-year-old Rolex Submariner Ref. 6538 has never been polished. Its case retains the original bevels and facets. The “four liner” glossy dial makes it particularly desirable. Estimate: $160,000-320,000

 

This Omega Constellation Grand Luxe is one of only two known examples in platinum. It is believed to have been specially commissioned for a member of the Kuwaiti royal family in the late 1950s. Estimate: $100,000-200,000

 

Known as the “Padellone” (Italian for large frying pan) by collectors, this triple date Ref. 8171 dates back to 1952. Hardly ever worn and never polished, it features a dial with original grainé surface in outstanding condition with minor signs of aging. Estimate: $250,000-500,000

 

 Accompanied by its original Certificate of Origin, purchase receipt, and presentation box, this Patek Philippe perpetual calendar Ref. 3940J features a doré dial that was produced exclusively during the first and early second series of the 1980s iconic model. Estimate: $120,000-140,000.

 

This Omega Tourbillon 30 I houses one of only twelve experimental movements created by Omega in 1947 for observatory chronometer trials, and one of just three known to be cased in 18K yellow gold. Estimate: $60,000-120,000

 

Recently inherited by the grandson of the original owner, this Rolex Ref. 6036 Dato-Compax features a clean grené dial with strongly inked blue numerals, a crisp Oyster case, and a stretch riveted bracelet with matching engravings. Estimate: 120,000-240,000 

 

 

New releases – Aera C-1 Chrono

 

With its reverse panda dial, and red detailing, this timepiece references the classic mid-century chronograph most closely associated with motorsport. The 42 mm 904L stainless steel case houses a Swiss-made Sellita SW510 BH Bi-compax Elabore grade automatic movement, delivering a 56-hour power reserve. The domed sapphire crystal features two coats of anti-reflective coating. The C-1 Chrono comes in an edition of 300 pieces, launched in phased releases. Price: USD 2’475.

New releases – Swan & Edgar Horizon

 

This limited edition timepiece by the British brand evokes the meeting of the White Cliffs of Dover and the blue sky and sea – a landscape rooted in the country’s past as a symbol of the Battle of Britain during World War II. This version features a fumé enamel dial kiln-fired at high temperatures and a gold-plated triangle at 12 o’clock referencing RAF plotting clocks. Assembled in the UK, the Horizon houses a Miyota 9015 automatic movement. A 3D rendering of the Cliffs is sculpted on the caseback. Price: £ 795. 

Watches at auction

The sale celebrating the 10th anniversary of both the Phillips Watch Department and the company in Asia features over 300 lots. Here are some of the highlights.

 

The Jaeger‑LeCoultre Atmos Marqueterie “Gustav Klimt,” created in 2008 to celebrate the Atmos clock’s 80th anniversary, is a limited edition of ten pieces. It is encased in a marquetry cabinet recreating Klimt’s Portrait of Adele Bloch‑Bauer I with over 1,200 fragments of rare woods and gold leaf. Estimate: 100,000-200,000 USD.

 

The Patek Philippe ref. 3971, launched alongside the 3970 in 1986, is nearly identical but distinguished by its sapphire snap-on caseback. This 1990-purchased piece represents one of the rarest expressions of the reference. Estimate : 500,000-1,000,000 USD.

 

Introduced in 1958, the Patek Philippe ref. 2597 was the brand’s first dual time zone watch based on Louis Cottier’s patented “Heures Sautantes” system. The present second-series ref. 2597/1 in pink gold has remained in the same family collection for 45 years. Estimate: 250,000-500,000 USD.

 

This Patek Philippe one-minute tourbillon pocket watch with up/down indicator won First Prize at the 1921 Geneva Astronomical Observatory contest. The movement features a one-minute tourbillon carriage with Guillaume balance and Breguet balance spring. Estimate: 100,000-200,000 USD.

 

  

New releases – Behrens KWH Watch

The Chinese brand and the independent watchmaker Vianney Halter translated the aesthetics of vintage industrial instruments into a modern watch design. The hour display takes cues from the classic video game Snake, using Behrens’patented ruby-bearing micro-chain mechanical System. The movement is constructed from 870 components and includes a temperature-compensation adjustment system, ensuring the stability of the micro-chain mechanism in all environments. Price : 44,800 USD.

New releases – Stollenwurm Tarot Metiers d’Art

Limited edition of 5 pieces for each Major Arcana. Hannah Perry Saucier reimagined the Tarot as worlds of archetype and intuition. The enamellers of Donzé Cadrans gave those visions permanence in fire. Télôs Watch and TMH SA designed and built a micro-rotor caliber exclusively for Stollenwurm. ABProduct in La Chaux-de-Fonds forged the cases and bracelets and performed final assembly. Price: 100,000 CHF.

Watches at auction

On 8 & 9 November, Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo will celebrate ten years of watch auctions with the Decade One (2015-2025) thematic sale in Geneva. Here are a few highlights.

 

The first steel Patek Philippe Ref. 1518 ever made and one of only four known. When last offered by Phillips in 2016, it realized CHF 11,002,000, becoming the most expensive wristwatch ever sold at auction at the time and the first to surpass the eight-figure threshold. Estimate in excess of CHF 8,000,000.

 

This 18k yellow-gold “Paul Newman” Daytona Ref. 6239 with Omani provenience, nicknamed the “Golden Pagoda”, is among the best-preserved champagne-dial Paul Newman examples known. Estimate : CHF 500,000-1,000,000.

 

Delivered in 1913 to John Pierpont Morgan, Jr (the bank founder’s son), this is the very first Cartier ‘Model A’ Mystery Clock, devised in 1912 by clockmaker Maurice Coüet. Estimate: CHF 300,000-600,000.

 

A Patek Philippe Ref. 1436 Split-Seconds Chronograph in yellow gold with Tiffany & Co.-signed dial. Estimate : CHF 150,000 – 300,000.

 

A Patek Philippe Ref. 2499 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph in yellow gold with Gübelin-signed dial Estimate: 400,000-800,000.

 

A  platinum and diamond-set Patek Philippe Ref. 3424/1 designed by Gilbert Albert. Estimate: CHF 100,000-200,000. 

 

This white gold piece is one of around 50 jump-hour wristwatches believed to have been produced by Breguet in the 20th century. Estimate : CHF 20,000-40,000.

 

Made for Esso Standard circa 1957, this Breguet Type XX chronograph in stainless steel is engraved with the oil company’s name on the caseback. Estimate: CHF 30,000-60,000.