Rare watches continue to be favorites of auctions.
Phillips and Christie’s watch auctions in Geneva recently saw watch sales more than $40 million. Phillips auction on May 13-14 hosted Rolex and Patek Philippe watches worth over +3 million whilst Christie’s featured a Tiffany Blue Patek Philippe Nautilus.
Phillips
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona with a yellow gold dial, Patek Philippe “Second Series” and the Grande and Petite Sonnerie pocket watch designed by Philippe Dufour for Audemars Piguet were the highlights of the Phillips auction.
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona (CHF 3.690.000)
Selling for over 3 million Swiss francs, the 1988 Rolex Cosmograph Daytona was one of the few men’s sports watches designed with jewels in the 80s. Today, one of the rarest Daytona references, only 8 examples exist.
Patek Philippe “Second Series” (CHF 3.206.000)
Produced in 1953, the Patek Philippe “Second Series” was one of only two watches to sell for over 3 million Swiss francs at auction. “Second Series” Ref.2499 today have only 8 examples.
Christie’s
On May 13th, the Rare Sales auction in Geneva saw sales exceeding $45 million. The Tiffany Blue Patek Philippe Nautilus, dropped in 2021, was the star of the auction. The auction’s six watches fetched over $1 million.
Tiffany Blue Patek Philippe Nautilus
One of the most sensational watches of the past years, the Patek Philippe Ref. 5711-1A-018, or the Patek Philippe Nautilus, for US$2,498,876. However, this sale was not the record price for a Patek Philippe Nautilus, as Christie’s last year sold another Patek Philippe Ref. 5711-1A-018 for US$3,180,665.
Patek Philippe Ref. 2499 (CHF 1.739.000)
Manufactured in 1953, the Patek Philippe Ref. 2499 was another rare timepiece of the auction. The most interesting aspect of the sale was that the watch was auctioned by the family of its first owner. The fact that the watch was from the first series produced and that the calendar disks were designed in German (Ref. 2499 models were mostly designed in English, French and Italian) makes the Ref. 2499 is special.
