Tom Brady's F.P. Journe Leads Sotheby's $22 Million Important Watches Auction in NY

Today’s result builds on what has already been a remarkable year for watches at Sotheby’s. The strength and buoyancy of the market are clear, with registrants up more than one-third year-over-year. The momentum is undeniable — we are in a particularly exciting moment for the watch market as we head into the second half of the year." Geoff Hess, Sotheby's Global Head of Watches.

Sotheby’s Important Watches auction concluded today, realizing an impressive $22 million, with a strong 92% sell-through rate and more than half of all sold lots exceeding their high estimates. A total of 1,800 watch collectors from 60 countries registered to bid on rare timepieces — an increase of more than one-third compared to the Important Watches sale held at the same time last year. With today's results, Sotheby's global Watch sales are already up 66% year-on-year  with momentum set to continue as the Fine Watches auction closes on 17 June.

Key Facts & Figures:

• Sale total: $22 million (est. $11.1 - 21.5 million)

• Lot performance: 92% of all lots found buyers, with 55% of lots selling above high estimate

• Registrants: A total of 1800 registrants hailed from 60 countries in today's sale

• Bidding activity: Average bids per lot: 15

• Records: More than 20 world auction records set*

Below is a look at the highlights that drove today’s results: 

Leading the auction was F.P.Journe’s Vagabondage II, which achieved $960,000 (est. $400,000 - 800,000). From the collection of none other than Tom Brady, the watch swiftly surpassed its low estimate, pursued by determined bidders across the phones and online. Introduced between 2010 and 2011 and limited to just 69 pieces in platinum, the model represents a key evolution of the maison’s wandering time display, featuring digital jumping hours and minutes rendered through rotating apertures. Housed in a flat Tortue case, it departs from Journe’s traditional round designs, offering a bold and unconventional vision of contemporary timekeeping. 

Moments before Brady’s watch crossed the block, a Vagabondage I achieved $832,000, driven by competitive bidding from multiple online participants. Momentum for F.P.Journe continued throughout the sale, with a Chronomètre Bleu 'Byblos', circa 2015 selling for 537,600 (est. $200,000 - 400,000) and a Chronomètre à Résonance — one of Journe's most ingenious and celebrated creations, reportedly worn only a handful of times by its original owner and preserved in exceptional condition, complete with its presentation boxes, achieving $576,000 (est. $400,000 - 800,000). F.P Journe continued to command the auction, ultimately representing six out of the top ten lots.

Independents continued to see robust demand throughout the day, exemplified by the strong result for a limited-edition Simon Brette Chronomètre Artisans (Rose), which soared to $512,000 — setting a new auction record for the maker (est. $100,000 - 200,000). Among the most exciting independent watchmakers to emerge in recent years, Brette first introduced the Chronomètre Artisans as a 12-piece souscription series in 2023. This latest evolution — in a 39mm pink gold case with a hand-engraved pink gold dial by Yasmina Anti, DLC-coated in black — is limited to just 50 pieces, not all of which have yet been completed. The present watch marked the first appearance of the pink gold model at auction. 

A Patek Philippe Reference 962 shattered its pre-sale estimate by more than threefold, achieving $704,000 and reaffirming strong demand for historically significant horology (est. $100,000 - 200,000). One of only three known examples — and possibly unique for its Breguet numerals — the watch pairs a minute repeater, perpetual calendar, and equation of time with a full suite of calendar indications, representing one of Patek Philippe’s most complex and elusive astronomical wristwatches.

Demand for vintage Cartier continues to reach new heights, as the third tranche of the historic ‘The Shapes of Cartier’ collection was 100% sold, with all 28 lots together achieving $1.4 million.  Sotheby’s will continue to present this extraordinary single-owner collection to the market throughout the year, with further details to be announced in the coming weeks.

• A spirited bidding battle over the phones and online drove a Cartier London Maxi Ronde, circa 1971–72, to $243,200, more than 8x estimate, and setting a new auction for the model (est. $20,000 - 30,000).

• An extremely rare large-format yellow gold wristwatch, the Maxi Ronde was conceived alongside Cartier London’s most iconic creations — the Crash, Maxi Oval, Decagonal, and Pebble — yet stands deliberately apart.

• Where those designs explore asymmetry and distortion, the Maxi Ronde pursues absolute symmetry and purity of form.

• Its slim bezel, expansive dial, and elongated Roman numerals stretching toward the edge create a sense of quiet expansion, while Vendôme-style T-bar lugs, affixed to the caseback rather than the sides, preserve its unbroken circular silhouette, giving the impression that the watch floats effortlessly on the wrist — radical in its restraint, and undeniably bold.

• A rare yellow gold Cartier London Octagonal, circa 1976, complete with its original yellow and pink gold deployant buckle, achieved $217,600, swiftly surpassing its $70,000 - 100,000 estimate.

• A Cartier Paris “Bamboo,” retailed in New York circa 1968, soared to $140,800 — vastly surpassing its estimate more than 11x (est. $8,000–12,000).

• Exceptionally rare, the design is defined by its bold bamboo-style brancards and stands as a striking example of Cartier’s Chinoiserie-inspired creativity, later influencing the Coussin Bamboo introduced in the 1973 Louis Cartier Collection.

• A Cartier New York–retailed Carré, circa 1961, realized $76,800 — more than doubling its estimate (est. $20,000–30,000).

• The rare and ultra-slim platinum square wristwatch houses Audemars Piguet’s calibre 2003, the world’s thinnest manually wound movement at the time of its release, and reflects the enduring collaboration between Cartier and Audemars Piguet, defined by a shared pursuit of refined, ultra-thin design.

Additional Standouts

The defining example of the Heuer Monaco worn by Steve McQueen during the filming of Le Mans (1971) realized $640,000 (estimate $500,000–1 million). Accompanied by exceptional documentation — including correspondence between the production team and Heuer, more than 400 related documents, and over 200 archival photographs from the set — the watch was one of three acquired by property master Don Nunley at the end of production in 1970.  Nunley sold two examples in the early 2000s, one of which is now held in the TAG Heuer Museum in Switzerland. The present Monaco is the last one Nunley would sell and the example he always described as having had the most time on McQueen’s wrist during filming, evident from the condition of the piece today.

A Patek Philippe Ref. 5216P retailed by Tiffany & Co realized $640,000 (estimate $400,000 - 800,000). While the reference is typically fitted with polished white gold hands and indexes, the present example is uniquely distinguished by contrasting bright white hands and indexes, lending exceptional legibility and a striking “tuxedo” aesthetic.

Bidders online and over the phone drove a Cartier Reference WGCH0018 ‘NSO’ Crash (circa 2020) to $409,600 — well above its $120,000–240,000 estimate — marking the first appearance at auction of a yellow gold “New Special Order” Crash with red cabochon-set crown.

After nearly three minutes of sustained bidding, a rare 1929 yellow gold, enamel, platinum, and diamond-set Cartier cigarette case with integrated lighter and watch achieved $256,000, far exceeding its $20,000–30,000 estimate. Combining three functions in a single object — a rarity in itself — the piece is further distinguished by its exceptional original condition. The watch bezel is set with fourteen baguette and 46 rose-cut diamonds, and only one other comparable example is known to exist.

A Rolex GMT‑Master reference 1675 with ‘Nipple Dial’  owned and worn by Peter Fonda achieved $179,200 (est. $50,000 - 100,000). Though Fonda owned this Rolex for decades as his personal watch, it famously appears in the opening sequence of Easy Rider (1969). More than a mere prop, the watch forms part of one of the most enduring visual narratives of twentieth-century cinema, appearing on Fonda’s wrist as the film’s countercultural journey begins – an image that has since become inseparable from the mythology of the American road movie. 

Auction records

• Roger Dubuis Reference S37 5707 5 Sympathie Bi-Retrograde - $166,400, record for the model

• Roger Dubuis Reference H40 500 Hommage Monopoussoir - $121,600, record for the model

• F. P. Journe Reference ARS Octa Sport - $320,000, record for the model

• Patek Philippe Reference 962/1J-001 - $704,000, record for the reference

• F.P. Journe Chronomètre Bleu Byblos - 537,600, record for the reference

• F.P. Journe Vagabondage II - 960,000, record for the reference

• Patek Philippe Reference 5216P - 640,000, record for the reference

• Simon Brette Reference 77.147.302 Chronomètre Artisans Rose - $512,000, record for the maker

• Patek Philippe Reference 1594 Calatrava 'Pink on Pink' - $44,800, record for the reference

• Rolex Reference 5510 ‘Big Crown’ Submariner - $448,000, record for the reference

• Grönefeld 1941 Remontoire - $211,200, record for the model

• Greubel Forsey Reference P01262 Balancier Convexe S² - $256,000, record for the model

• Vianney Halter La Resonance - $307,200, record for the model

• Cartier London Maxi Ronde - $243,200, record for the model

• Rolex Reference 18138 Day-Date - $96,000, record for the reference

• Patek Philippe Reference 2451 Calatrava - $40,960, record for the reference

• Patek Philippe Reference 2543 Calatrava - $83,200, record for the reference

• Audemars Piguet Reference 26258BC.OO.D002CR.01057 Jules Audemars 'The White House' Equation of Time - $89,600, record for the reference

• Rolex Reference 3009 Chronometer 'Scientific' - $44,800, record for the reference

• Patek Philippe Reference 544A 'Hooded' - $96,000, record for the reference

• Rolex Reference 3353 Oyster Perpetual 'Scalloped' - $51,200, record for the reference

• Rolex Reference 4130 'Empire' - $53,760, record for the reference

For more results, please visit sothebys.com