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Revolution
For most of us in the U.S., April 15 was tax day, but for some lucky bidders, it was a chance to acquire a fine timepiece at Antiquorum’s spring sale in New York City. The auction took place at the company’s new U.S. headquarters, located at 805 Third Ave. The sale totaled $2,547,875, with 107% […]
Revolution
From The Only Watch Preview, Antiquorum New York. This year marked the 5th edition of the ONLY WATCH benefit auction, a long-standing partnership between the Association Monegasque Contre les Myopathies, Antiquorum Auctioneers and the Monaco Yacht Show. ONLY WATCH benefits research into finding a successful treatment and cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the most severe form […]
WristBuzz
Four gem-set Daytonas, one per season, each truly unique - and every penny goes to the Federer Foundation and Re:wild
Hodinkee
A Cartier Cheich, a rare wristwatch awarded as a prize to consecutive Paris-Dakar Rally winners, sold for a record $3.4 million in Hong Kong, becoming the most expensive Cartier wristwatch sold at auction. The record price underscores the surging interest among collectors and speculators for rare models and designs by the Paris-based watch and jewelry maison. One of only five known examples of the Cheich, the watch was produced by Cartier as a one-off, unique piece in 2010, cased in white gold and powered by a quartz movement. Sold by Sotheby's on the first day of its 'Important Watches' auction in Hong Kong on Friday, the watch spurred a nine-minute bidding war with online, telephone and in-person bidders pushing the price to HK$26,520,000 including fees or about $3,413,124, Sotheby's said in a statement. The result eclipses the $2 million paid for a London Cartier Crash from 1991 at Christie's Geneva auction in May. That watch bested another Crash sold by Sotheby's just weeks before for about $1.99 million. Cartier Cheich in white gold sold for about $3.4 million at Sotheby's Hong Kong auction.Image: Sotheby's Founded in 1978 by motorcycle racer Thierry Sabine, the Paris-Dakar Rally was a legendary motor sports race of endurance, navigation and mechanical engineering, spanning some 10,000 kilometers (6,214 miles) from the French capital across the Sahara desert to Dakar, Senegal. An early sponsor of the race, Cartier and the brand's then-president, Alain-Dominique P...
Hodinkee
Ready or not, auction season is back. I don't know about you, but I wasn't expecting it so soon. While the auction cycle is generally synced up for Geneva and New York sales a bit later in the fall, Sotheby's is doing the earliest big sale of the fall with "Important Watches" in Hong Kong on September 18. Personally, I'm still working through the best way to handle auction coverage, as the number of watches is often daunting. That challenge gets worse with Hong Kong sales, which we've generally struggled to stay on top of for a number of reasons. One of which, and this is a complaint for all auction houses, is that there are too many lots in Hong Kong sales. This is driven by both the market location (many of these watches were sourced locally—something I know because I know a decent number of these watches) and the forces behind the auction house and its metrics. Sometimes you have to make sellers happy and take what they want to get at other things (like taking random Hermès bags in a watch sale, as we see this time). It can be overwhelming for a buyer, and for you and me as readers. I want to find the interesting, great deals in the mid- and low-range and share them with you, but I also can't ignore the impressive pieces that might shape the broader market. One important note: for Hong Kong sales, I never get to see the watches in person. It's a lot easier for me to stand in front of a case of watches and pick things up by feel, closely evaluate condition and origi...
Hodinkee
Here we go again. It's been a blue ribbon auction year so far, particularly for rare examples of timepieces from independents, including F.P. Journe. During a record-setting spring auction season marked by a stunning shift in valuations and collector interest in top-notch independent watchmakers, an early Chronomètre à Résonance (no. 007) fetched a record $13.9 million, making it the most expensive F.P. Journe watch ever sold at auction and the fifth most expensive watch of all time. Mark wrote up a great piece on the record-breaking result that dives deep into the history of the Résonance and why it's such an important achievement in haute horology, and why it is François-Paul Journe's signature watch. With the prototype produced in 1998, and with 'Souscription' commercial pieces produced and delivered beginning in 2000, Journe's Chronomètre à Résonance marks the first time that the concept of "résonance," combining two movements with separate balances into a single case and bringing them into perfect synchronization, was brought to a wristwatch. For many collectors, the model represents the ultimate expression of Journe's vision and talent as a watchmaker. Just 20 'Souscription' pieces—offered to those who bought Journe's first watch, a tourbillon—were produced, and collectors have come to covet the series, with the earliest watches fetching a premium. When it comes to the Résonance, the earlier the better, it seems. That's why it's newsworthy and worth ...
Hodinkee
This story has been republished from our friends at Hodinkee Australia. Amongst the lots in Sotheby's New York's latest Space Exploration auction, I found some interesting things. In fact, I found 24 of them. Watches - all owned by none other than retired Brigadier General of the U.S. Air Force, and second man on the moon, Buzz Aldrin. The astronaut, born Edwin Eugene Aldrin Jr., has listed a large portion of his watch collection, primarily Omegas, but there's a smattering of watches from other brands amongst the spacefaring lots. It's no surprise that Buzz's Apollo 11-flown Omega Speedmaster Professional isn't present; that watch is still lost, stolen on the way to the Smithsonian after its sojourn to the moon in 1969 (and it still technically belongs to the U.S. government). Buzz Aldrin in the Apollo 11 Lunar Module, wearing that aforementioned lost Omega Speedmaster ref. ST105.012. Image courtesy of NASA There’s a range of Omegas that are meaningful to Aldrin that he’s acquired through decades of collecting, including dive watches he relied on as an experienced scuba diver and a big box of souvenir watches. There’s no denying the man is a collector and a true watch enthusiast. Bidding is open online right now before live bidding sessions begin on July 15th in New York - here are some of the highlights. Jaeger-LeCoultre Shark Deep Sea Chronograph Image courtesy of Sotheby's This is the most interesting watch in the sale that isn’t an Omega: Aldrin’s JLC Shar...
Hodinkee
Zinédine Zidane is football (soccer) royalty in France. Having played for his home country in the World Cup three times, he led Les Bleus to victory in 1998 and made the final in 2006, winning the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player. Photo credit: Alex Teuscher Before becoming a manager coach at Real Madrid, Zidane, known as 'Zizou', also had a prestigious career in professional soccer as an attacking midfielder at a host of European clubs, including Juventus. Widely regarded as one of the best players in history, he rose to prominence early in his career in the French Ligue 1 at FC Girondins de Bordeaux. And it was in Bordeaux that Zidane bought his first proper watch, a Cartier Pasha. Now that watch will be sold at a charity auction for ELA International as part of the Watches For ELA auction by Christie's on November 9 in Geneva. Zidane has been a supporter of ELA International - the European Leukodystrophies Association - for a quarter century. The non-profit organization is dedicated to defeating leukodystrophies—rare, genetic diseases that destroy the central nervous system. They fund medical research, support affected families, raise public awareness, and advocate for universal newborn screening. With the 2026 World Cup in full swing and on North American soil, we asked Zidane about his passion for watches, his support for ELA International, and why this Cartier has special meaning for the French soccer legend. Zidane's Cartier Pasha.Photo credit: Al...
Hodinkee
When lot 71 hammers at Sotheby's New York Auction this weekend, it will punctuate a story that was started nearly sixty years ago in France—the lot number surely a nod to the year Le Mans debuted, 1971. The story of Steve McQueen and the film has been well told over the past half century, immortalizing a man and bolstering two industries in the process. It's essentially canon at this point, yet the story was never complete—until now. A cache of documents from the film's property master, held onto for decades after production closed, has finally set the record straight. And the last watch is coming up for sale this weekend. The Heuer Reference 1133B Monaco Screenworn by Steve McQueen in Le Mans, Circa 1969, up for auction at Sotheby's this weekend. Photo courtesy of Sotheby's. The 1960s were a formative decade for Heuer. The Autavia launched in 1962, the Carrera in 1963, and the Monaco in 1969—the latter completing a trio of Heuer chronographs all released that year with the Calibre 11, a movement developed jointly by Heuer and Breitling, built around a Buren micro-rotor with a Dubois-Depraz chronograph module layered on top, creating the first commercially available automatic Swiss-made chronograph. The Autavia and Carrera received redesigned cases for the occasion. The Monaco was something else entirely: a completely new watch, built around a patented square case sourced from EPSA, creating the world's first water-resistant square chronograph. With its angular form,...
Hodinkee
Auction season can be exhausting. I can barely believe that we do this twice a year. We often only have the time and energy to cover the main show in Geneva, with a few thousand lots offered between four auction houses just last month. But after Geneva and Hong Kong (which comes before Geneva for some houses and after for others), the circus comes to New York, and this year we're going to take a gander at the watches on offer in the city. Most auction houses don't drop their catalogs until after Geneva is over. That prevents people from holding their bids because they're doing the "distracted boyfriend meme" and looking at future watches. That keeps them from going all-in in Geneva, which isn't what the auction houses want. They want your bids now and later. Well, later is here, and I hope you have some cash left over. Weirdly, I'm getting a sense of déjà vu; there are a few familiar-looking watches. So let's go ahead and take a look. Phillips It was a banner weekend for Phillips in Hong Kong with a pretty fantastic $51.5 million sale, backed by the $10.2 million sale of the first series rose gold Patek 2499, which became the most expensive wristwatch ever sold in Asia. That is one of three mega Pateks Phillips was offering this season, which is rounded out by an incredibly clean and honest 1518. I know the record result means that that should be the watch to pick, all things being equal, but I still like a watch that looks basically untouched. Photo courtesy Phillips. P...
Hodinkee
Last year, we covered the launch of Marteau & Co., a new, small, independent-focused auction house that took a new perspective on what auction houses can (and, in their view, should) do for the watchmaking artists who have become such high-demand subjects. In Europe and the UK, artists are owed a portion of the sale fee when their work reaches the secondary market. It seems only fair, when a $100,000 watch these days can reach a million on the secondary market and the original maker doesn't get a penny. At Marteau, of the 20% fee added to the hammer price, the watchmaker receives 3% to acknowledge their work. Lot 6, a unique Voutilainen Regulator Decimal Repeater. Estimate of CHF 300,000 to 600,000. The current Marteau & Co. auction catalog recently went live, and bidding is open (online only) from June 10 to June 17. There are a lot of great watches to bid on, headlined by the return of an OnlyWatch collaboration, a unique Vianney Halter, and a unique Voutilainen Regulator Decimal Repeater. There are also a number of watchmakers who have only come to auction a handful of times, and I got to see a number of them in person. But I wanted to start with two watches that might potentially go for more affordable prices, watches from Baltic/SpaceOne and Furlan Marri. Lot 2, a Baltic x SpaceOne Seconde Majeure unique pieces. Estimate of CHF 3,000 to 6,000. Lot 1, a Furlan Marri Mechaquartz "Prototype" with a unique dial. Estimate of CHF 500 to 1,000. The Baltic x SpaceOne collabor...
Hodinkee
The watch world hasn't seen an auction season like this in quite some time. Well, ever, frankly. Phillips set multiple records (43 by their count, though many are quite obscure), including a new record for the highest single sale of $96,328,083, besting their result from just last fall. If you add in their online auction, they passed $100 million for the first time ever. Sotheby's smashed the record for the most expensive A. Lange & Söhne ever (for a pocket watch, we might add)—a record that only stood for a few weeks, set during the house's Hong Kong sale. But it wasn't so much the overall numbers that were shocking as the fact of which watches were selling for what prices. So, what the heck is going on? Well, we were watching; some of us from afar, others (Andy Hoffman) in the auction rooms. Instead of focusing solely on broad strokes, let's look at five specific results and why they matter for the market. A Bog-Standard Stainless Steel Akrivia AK-06 is Now a $3.8 Million Watch, 30 Times Its Original Retail Rexhep Rexhepi is the hottest watchmaker of the new, young generation, and it's not particularly close. That's not a dig on his contemporaries, but rather a reflection of the realities of the market, where people are clamoring (to an unbelievable degree) to buy a watch from a man who has made very few watches in the first place, and the few that have come to market reach astronomical prices. There aren't many data points to go off of. Only twelve Akrivia or Rexhep ...
Hodinkee
There's no shortage of watches this auction season—more than 1,200 lots across the major houses—but volume isn't really the story. At Christie's and Sotheby's, the focus feels different this time around, moving past the hype-driven pieces of the early 2020s and back to some genuinely compelling and surprising watches. Last week, we published part one of our preview—today, we're finishing it up with part two. Christie’s I would argue that Christie's always has one of the more subtle and yet impressive catalogs. There are some truly fantastic pieces here and, as always, we'll start at the top. Lot 134, a unique and absolutely stunningly gorgeous (add all the superlatives you want) two-tone 14k pink gold and steel Audemars Piguet "Observatory-style" watch. Photo courtesy Christie's. If you're looking for a watch that my friend and current "Bring a Loupe" writer Weston Cutter called an "immediate knee-weakener," you need to sit down for this one. Lot 134 is a unique and absolutely stunningly gorgeous (add all the superlatives you want) two-tone 14k pink gold and steel Audemars Piguet "Observatory-style" watch. The watch is powered by a 13-ligne 13VZAS movement that was highly modified for precision as a time-only watch, with a large subsidiary seconds at 9 o'clock and a blank subdial at 3 o'clock. Bold numerals, bold design, it's the kind of thing you dream about if you collect early watches, and the estimate is a hilarious CHF 50,000 to 100,000. It should go for way m...
Hodinkee
We'll have further auction coverage in the coming weeks, but it's worth giving Phillips a bit more attention, as it continues to lead in year-over-year sales. The auction house sold a record total of over $290 million in watches last year and has had five years in a row with over $200 million in sales. The market has shifted (I'd argue at least twice) in the past few years, but despite the growing F.P. Journe, independent, and pocket watch (yes, pocket watch) markets, the top lots for Phillips continue to be Patek Philippe. At each of their spring auctions, Phillips is selling an important Patek to headline the sale, and each is the kind of watch that could be the pinnacle of the world's top collections. Normal caveat here: I haven't seen these watches in person yet, and anyone considering bidding should make sure to check any watch in person if at all possible. A Patek Philippe ref. 2523 Two-Crown World Time With Cloissoné Enamel South America Dial First, we have the star of Geneva, to be sold on May 9: the Patek Philippe ref. 2523 two-crown world time with cloisonné enamel map of South America, from 1953. Aside from rare variants of 2499s or 1518s (and a few repeaters), these two-crown watches, with their incredible, angular lugs and giant open canvas at the center of the dial, have become the holiest of Holy Grails for many collectors. They are rare enough to be hunted and coveted, but there are also enough out there to be studied, understood, and codified. Too rare o...
Hodinkee
A rare steel example of the world's first serially produced perpetual calendar chronograph sets a new benchmark in Geneva.
Hodinkee
Starting in Hong Kong on April 24th and running into December, the house will offer pieces from Cartier Paris, London, and New York - plus a lot of insanely impressive other watches from Rolex, Patek, Dufour, and more.
Hodinkee
What started as a small community project is now a growing fundraiser for Switzerland's leading children's NGO.
Hodinkee
The watch, a part of the late Robert Olmsted's history-changing collection, goes up for sale on December 8.
Revolution
Hodinkee
With many of these grails coming up for auction for the first time, this winter will be a defining moment in Lange's secondary market performance.
SJX Watches
The just-concluded Geneva auction season was mostly a plateau with several striking peaks and a few lows. The peaks were marked by desirable timepieces that outperformed by far, yet shared little in common with one another in terms of style or period. The peaks ranged from multiple F.P. Journe watches to a diamond-set Patek Philippe ref. 3424/1 “Gilbert Albert” to the Breguet four-minute tourbillon pocket watch from 1809 to the Instagram-ready Patek Philippe ref. 3970 in “salmon” with Breguet numerals. Despite such diverse taste, the small pool of bidders seemed to have one thing in common: they were all focused on a “trophy” watch. The Christie’s saleroom in the Four Seasons. Image – Christie’s With few exceptions, contemporary watches from mainstream brands were cold, while vintage watches were mostly lukewarm – but as always there were exceptions. An Patek Philippe ref. 570 with a black dial signed “E. Gubelin” sold for an impressive CHF419,100 including fees, or US$523,000, at Christie’s, while Phillips sold a Rolex Daytona ref. 6263 “RCO” (or “Oyster Sotto”) for an equally impressive CHF1.39 million, or US$1.73 million – close to the historical peak for the model. A vintage watch that surprised on the downside was the 1927 Rolex Oyster worn by Mercedes Gleitze when she became the first woman to swim the English Channel in 1927 – a landmark in Rolex lore. Though it sold for CHF1.39 million, or US$1.74 million, there was just one bi...
Hodinkee
The auction will be the department's first at the iconic Breuer building in New York and is expected to draw heavy bidding.
Hodinkee
The auction blends reflection with foresight on the next ten years. It will also likely set the record for the largest total sale price in the history of watches.
Hodinkee
We're back in Monaco for the start of the fall auction season, and there are so many special watches to see.
Hodinkee
Worn by the British swimmer in 1927, this historic watch is a symbol of endurance and one of the most important pieces in the history of Rolex.
Hodinkee
Quoted in excess of $10 million, this is a rare chance to see a Star Caliber 2000, let alone the unprecedented chance to buy all four metals.
Hodinkee
Phillips to auction the same steel 1518 it sold for a record in 2016, complete with an estimate of CHF 8 to 16 million.
Hodinkee
Highlighted by custom-order Cartier and possibly unique vintage pieces, JOOPITER's curated watch sale has a clear point of view.
SJX Watches
SJX and Brandon Moore kick off episode seven of the SJX Podcast with the relaunch of Urban Jürgensen (which includes a tribute to Derek Pratt’s Oval pocket watch), discussing why this time might be different. Also on the docket is a recap of the spring auction season, which included strong prices for hot names in independent watchmaking, though other “indies” waned, surprising showings from hitherto esoteric clocks and pocket watches, and some value buys with out-of-vogue timepieces. Lastly, we recap Breguet’s 250th anniversary launches so far, which have met with a mixed reception, but demonstrate signs of life for a historic brand. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
Hodinkee
Don't call them trends; here are a half dozen things I learned by paying close attention to the public watch market as of late.
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