Antiquorum’s March 20-21 sale of important collectors’ wristwatches, pocket watches, clocks and horological tools, conducted at the Grand Hotel Kempinski, concluded with a total of $6,615,411. Of the 466 lots offered at auction, 83 percent were sold, representing 110 percent by value.
The auction enjoyed lively telephone and Internet bidding that came from across the globe, including the United Kingdom, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Italy, China and Switzerland, in addition to strong bidding from the floor.
A world record was achieved for a unique Patek Philippe enamel dome clock, “Le Tour du Monde de Magellan,” Ref 797 E, which sold to an Asian collector for $163,925 after very intense phone bidding.
Other Patek Philippe references that obtained outstanding prices included the Ref 1518 first series in pink gold that realized $395,681, followed by the Ref. 5004P in platinum, which achieved $231,756, and the Ref 5004R in pink gold going to $209,145.
Another highly collectible Patek Philippe, the Ref 5050 P in platinum, went to an American buyer for $117,573 after competitive bidding over the phone. Finally, the Ref 3970 EG, considered a true classic by collectors, attained notable prices with the version in white gold selling for $97,224, the pink gold version bringing $92,702, and the yellow gold model realizing $85,919.
A selection of modern tourbillon watches attained notable results, such as the Jacob & Co. “Crystal Tourbillon, Limited Edition” no. 17/18 that achieved $395,681 and the Jacob & Co. “Napoleon Quadra” no. 06/18 †a titanium watch with four tourbillons †that reached $293,934.
Very rare pocket watches raised interest, especially within the Asian region. The Zenith Carillon Grande Sonnerie and minute repeating clockwatch reached $45,220 and the Louis Audemars King Umberto I of Italy Presentation brought $38,437.
The Rolex diving watches also did very well, with the Rolex Ref 5514, Comex no. 826, Maxi Dial, reaching $85,919; the Ref 1680, Best Comex Diver 1977, awarded to Jean-Marc Dutriaux, sold for $53,134.
All prices were converted at press time from the Swiss francs to US dollars and include the buyer’s premium.
For additional information, www.antiquorum.com or +41 22 909 28 50.
