Highlights from the Fall Geneva Auctions

0 0 Friday, 17 November 2017 Edit this post

During the past week-end, Antiquorum, Christie’s, Phillips and Sotheby's offered important watches in six auctions held in Geneva. All together, these sales raised the jaw-dropping amount of more than Swiss Francs 60 million.

On 11 November, the 7th edition of “Only Watch”, a biennial charity auction to benefit research on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, raised Swiss Francs 10,776,500. All 50 unique watches, donated by leading manufacturers, were sold to buyers from 45 countries. The leading lot was a Patek Philippe Reference 5208T-010, created specifically for the sale, and the only version of this timepiece ever produced in titanium, which achieved Swiss Francs 6,200,000.

Phillips held two auctions during the week-end.

The thematic auction “The Crosthwaite & Gavin Collection, exceptional Heuer chronographs from the Jack Heuer era” surpassed its pre-sale high estimate of Swiss Francs 1.1 million with most lots flying well above their high estimate and 100% of them sold. The 42 lots were purchased by 33 unique clients. The auction realised Swiss Francs 1,450,625.

The auction concluded with the sale of a special TAG Heuer Autavia charity piece created for Jack Heuer's birthday. The watch, N° 1/1932, with Jack Heuer at the rostrum, achieved Swiss Francs 37,500. All the proceeds from the sale of this particular lot went to the charity Save the Children.

On 11 and 12 November, the “Geneva Watch Auction: SIX” realised Swiss Francs 22,527,375 setting two world records: the highest price achieved for a gold Patek Philippe Reference 2499 and the highest price ever achieved for an Omega sold at an auction.

Patek Philippe remained ever present in the top ten, with three lots selling over Swiss Francs 1,000,000 but one of the top highlight was a unique Omega Tourbillon wristwatch in stainless steel produced in 1947 which smashed the world record for any Omega ever presented at auction realising Swiss Francs 1,428,500, the first Omega timepiece to surpass Swiss Francs 1 million.

At the “Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces” organised by Antiquorum, the top lot was the #598, a Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 530, a hand-wound 18k yellow gold chronograph wristwatch produced in 1938 and retailed by Astrua in Turin in 1939. With its 36.5 mm of diameter the watch was considered oversize at the time. Despite an estimate of Swiss Francs 150,000 - 250,000, the watch was sold for Swiss Francs 305,000. The auction realised a total amount of Swiss Francs 8,002,283,

A very interesting lot sold at Sotheby’s “Important Watches” (12 November) was a rare yellow gold 63 mm one-minute tourbillon pocket watch with carriage mounted remontoire, jump seconds and power reserve indication produced in 1982 by Urban Jürgensen & Sønner. Designed by master watchmaker Derek Pratt, the watch was sold for the amount of Swiss Francs 102,500. Sotheby’s auction realised a sale total of Swiss Francs 5,216,626.

On 13 November, Christie’s “Rare Watches” auction realised a total of Swiss Francs 12,758,375 with 91% sold by lot and 95% sold by value. Leading the sale was the Patek Philippe ‘Senza Luna,’ an 18k white gold automatic perpetual calendar wristwatch without moon phases produced in 1981, which achieved an amount of Swiss Francs 972,500.