Sotheby’s Important Watches Auction in New York on 15 June
Sotheby’s is pleased to unveil the highlights of its upcoming auction of Important Watches in New York on 15 June. The sale will present a selection of rare and distinguished timepieces, led by The X Collection, a comprehensive and prolific curation of 170 sports watches amassed by a single owner over several decades. Encompassing vintage and modern timepieces by Patek Philippe, Rolex, and Richard Mille, the collection is most notably distinguished by a group of 50 Audemars Piguet Royal Oaks – representing the largest private collection of Audemars Piguet’s to ever come to market. Alongside this exceptional collection, the sale presents a group of extraordinary Patek Philippe wristwatches, including four examples of the highly sought-after reference 5270, retailed and stamped by Tiffany & Co – of which none have previously been offered at auction. Also appearing at auction for the first time is an exceptionally rare and early F.P. Journe Tourbillon Remontoi D’egalite, which has remained in the same private collection since it was acquired by its original owner in 1999.
The X Collection
The genius of any design can be counted by its longevity, and the Royal Oak, almost unchanged for 50 years is a testament to the legacy of that original Gerald Genta design, and the passion and thoughtfulness that Audemars Piguet have treated their most desired creation. Over 50 years, many hundreds of variations of the Royal Oak have been created, incorporating a multitude of materials, sizes and complications – of which The X Collection is all encompassing.
Such standout highlights include a white-gold cased Royal Oak Grand Complication, with a vivid blue ‘Yves Klein’ style dial (est. $200/500,000), a limited-edition Royal Oak Quantieme Perpetuel Automatique, reference 25686 from 1995 (est. 150/250,000), a stainless-steel Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar featuring a rich and vibrant "Blue Cosmos" Grande Tapisserie dial (est. $150/250,000), and most notably, a very limited and rare ‘Marcus edition’ grand complication with skeletonized dial, which is believed to be the very first example to be offered at auction (pictured left, est. $180/360,000).
The X Collection is further highlighted by a group of six signature timepieces by Richard Mille, including a limited-edition titanium skeletonized chronograph wristwatch, ref RM011, of which only 30 pieces were for renowned Parisian haute horlogerie retailer – Dubail of Place Vendôme (pictured right, est. 200/400,000); and white-gold cased skeletonized dual time tourbillon wristwatch, Caliber RM003, that is being offered to the market for the first time and is accompanied by all its original accessories 3 (est. $150/250,000). A further 100+ pieces from the X Collection will be offered in the Fine Watches sale, open for bidding from 8 - 22 June.
Patek Philippe
Also offered four examples of the highly sought-after Patek Philippe reference 5270, retailed and stamped by Tiffany & Co – hailing from an important private collection.
Not only is this the first time that a 5270 has been offered with Tiffany & Co stamped dial, but they are offered in four metal combinations - platinum with salmon dial (pictured left, est. $200/300,000), pink gold with black dial with a pink gold bracelet (est. $200/300,000), pink gold with silvered dial (est. $120/180,000) and white gold with silvered dial (est. $120/180,000). Even more impressively, two of these pieces, the pink and white gold examples are still in their original factory seals; and all four watches are complete with its full set of accessories.
The sale also features two rare and fine Patek Philippe reference 1463 models; one cased in stainless steel and dressed with Breguet numerals – one of the most desirable and collectable variants of the model (est. $250/550,000), and another cased in yellow gold and retailed by Tiffany & Co, of which it is the only sixth known example and comes fresh to market from the original family (est. $120/220,000).
Launched in 2002, Patek Philippe’s Celestial (reference 5102) is one of the most important horological complications ever developed; its introduction allowed the remarkable rendition of the Northern Hemisphere’s celestial chart to be fitted dynamically upon the wrist for the first time. This Astronomical wristwatch in white gold is a spectacular early and rare example, fitted with a highly unusual caliber numbered ET 839 N°3. Indeed, the story behind the present lot begins with a sensational heist at the Musée de l’horlogerie et émaillerie de Genève. In 2001, a temporary exhibition for the Grand Prix de l’horlogerie was held with a focus on complicated wristwatches across various brands. The first of two robberies at the 4 museum took place in 2001, this Patek Philippe Reference 5102 is believed to have been among the stolen pieces. Now, freely able to be offered, we are pleased and honored to present an unbelievable opportunity to acquire a prototype piece that was never commercialized by Patek Philippe (est. $200/300,000).
According to our research, Patek Philippe’s research and development team used to mark their creations with a special code; these Studies or études (ET), were given individual codes that were engraved to their movements. The present lot is possibly the third example of a test series before the formal launch of the Reference 5102 in 2002. These ET engraved watches were likely never meant for commercial sale, making the appearance of this piece, fresh to the market, truly peculiar and remarkable.
F.P. Journe
A rare and early F.P. Journe Tourbillon Remontoi D’egalite will make its auction debut this June, after remaining in the private collection of its original owner for more than 20 years (est. $500,000 – 1 million). The present watch is from the highly sought after first, or 'Reference T', series of the Tourbillon Souverain with remontoire d’égalité visible in an aperture on the dial. Introduced at Baselworld in 1999, the ‘Reference T’ is not only F.P. Journe’s first production watch, but also the very first wristwatch ever to use a constant force remontoire - a mechanism to improve timekeeping – showcasing F.P. Journe’s technical and design genius in the creation of a highly complicated modern wristwatch yet one whose roots are firmly in the great horological traditions. The Tourbillon Souverain series originally used the caliber 1498 rhodium-plated brass movement. From 2004 onwards, it was replaced by a caliber 1403 gold movement. Consequently, early examples with rhodium-plated brass movements and made in the ultra-desirable 38mm diameter platinum case, such as the present example, are now recognized as an important milestone in the brand’s history, and highly prized by serious F.P. Journe collectors.
The sale also includes an incredibly rare and possibly unique example of the Octa Chronographe, known to be one of the firm’s earliest designs (est. $250/450,000). The present and original owner of Octa Chronographe no. 41-02C ordered his watch through La Pendulerie in Paris in 2001, but when took physical ownership of the timepiece in 2002, he was surprised to see that the sub dials did not have the raised cross hatched design which he observed in the promotional material. Beguiled about the dial design, the owner sent the watch to F.P. Journe for a service at a year later. Journe, advised that this type of dial treatment was never used for the Octa Chronographe but was specially reserved for the Résonance, the Tourbillon, and the Réserve de Marche models. Journe agreed to change the dial and refitted it with the present dial, dressed with Clous de Paris, crosshatching with elevated relief. It’s unknown as to whether the Clous de Paris decoration was later adopted for use in future Octa chronographs, making the present version one of the earliest and possibly the only Clous de Paris Octa Chronographes.
Rolex Daytona’s
There are very few watches that can assume an iconic status, but the Rolex “Rainbow” Daytona has instantly been recognized as a legend by collectors and enthusiasts alike. The model was first introduced in 2012 in yellow gold and later in white gold. In 2018, Rolex revealed the Everose version, the pink gold edition. This last version is considered by many as the most beautiful, as the warm pink gold perfectly complements and reaffirms the sapphire-set rainbow bezel. Only a handful of these pieces are produced each year by Rolex, due to the difficulty in sourcing perfectly calibrated sapphires of the right colour to construct the spectacular rainbow beautifully adorning the bezel (est. $250/500,000).
With many varieties and versions of vintage Rolex Daytonas, the reference 6240 is arguably one of the most fascinating and important references to have taken the stage amongst other examples. The present model is fitted with a highly popular 6240 “Small Daytona” which is noted without the word “Oyster” but instead “Daytona” in a small font at 12 o’clock. More importantly, however, is that the model has been stamped and retailed by Tiffany & Co. (est. $150/300,000).
Important Watches
Sotheby's bi-annual auction of Important Watches will take place on 15 June in New York, and will present a selection of rare and distinguished timepieces, led by The X Collection -- a comprehensive and prolific curation of 170 sports watches amassed by a single owner over several decades. Encompassing vintage and modern timepieces by Patek Philippe, Rolex, and Richard Mille, the collection is most notably distinguished by a group of 50 Audemars Piguet Royal Oaks – representing the largest private collection of Audemars Piguet’s to ever come to market. Alongside this exceptional collection, the sale presents a group of extraordinary Patek Philippe wristwatches, including four examples of the highly sought-after reference 5270, retailed and stamped by Tiffany & Co – of which none have previously been offered at auction. Also appearing at auction for the first time is an exceptionally rare and early F.P. Journe Tourbillon Remontoi D’egalite, which has remained in the same private collection since it was acquired by its original owner in 1999.
Specialist-led walkthroughs of the exhibition available by appointment from 8 - 14 June.
Auction Calendar
15 June, 10am ET
8 – 22 June, 11am ET
8 – 22 June, 1pm ET
Comments
Leave a comment