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Results for Antiquorum (Auctions)

389 articles · 1 video found · page 4 of 13

Report: Geneva Spring Auctions 2025 SJX Watches
Richard Mille RM UP-01 Ferrari May 14, 2025

Report: Geneva Spring Auctions 2025

Despite everything, including tariffs and a strong Swiss franc, the Geneva auction season turned out to be a strong one, with some of the strongest results being in the most surprising segments. The bigger winner this season was Phillips, which sold a bit under 200 lots for CHF43.4 million including fees, while also claiming the most valuable lots for the season, reflecting Phillips’ strong leadership and team. Despite being the market leader by some margin, the Phillips catalogue was arguably the riskiest as it included several high-value pocket watches and clocks – timepieces that not part of mainstream collecting today. Yet the gamble paid off with the most valuable timepiece this season being its Breguet Sympathique no. 1 that sold for CHF5.51 million. Christie’s achieved CHF21.2 million with a similar number of lots that were arguably more conventional in taste and format than at Phillips. One of its most valuable lots was a Cartier Crash “NSO” with a special order dial that sold for CHF736,000 – one of the biggest surprises of the season but proof that being eye-catching enough for social media is a big factor in desirability and value today. Interestingly, the Crash sold for exactly the same as the Richard Mille RM UP-01 Ferrari. The Crash went for about 15 times the original retail, while the RM UP-01 was about half of retail. The Crash NSO “nickele” grey. Image – Christie’s Over at Antiquorum, the tally was CHF10 million – from almost 800 lot...

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SJX Podcast: Geneva Auctions and Breguet SJX Watches
Christopher Ward s daring new C12 May 6, 2025

SJX Podcast: Geneva Auctions and Breguet

In the fifth episode of the SJX Podcast, Brandon Moore and SJX discuss Breguet’s reinterpretation of the Souscription for its 250th anniversary, as well as a historical Breguet watches coming up for auction, including a pocket watch owned by Napoleon’s sister and the very first modern-day Breguet Sympathique. We also talk about Christopher Ward’s daring new C12 with a dial-side balance wheel and very contemporary styling, before moving on to antique watches and clocks coming up for auction at Phillips in Geneva, including a 1920s portico mystery clock by Cartier in the “orientalist” style. Lastly, we finish some complicated pocket watches, which are perhaps under appreciated but magnificent examples of horology. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.  

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Auctions: A.-L. Breguet to F.P. Journe at Christie’s Geneva SJX Watches
F.P. Journe Apr 27, 2025

Auctions: A.-L. Breguet to F.P. Journe at Christie’s Geneva

Rare Watches in Geneva kicks off the spring auction season for Christie’s. Some of the highlights amongst the sale’s 183 lots illustrates the history and evolution of horology, most notably with timepieces by Abraham-Louis Breguet and Francois-Paul Journe. The notable F.P. Journe offerings include a Resonance pre-souscription and a Ruthenium full house, complete with numbered box. The standouts from Breguet include a pocket watch first owned by Pauline Bonaparte, Napoleon’s younger sister, an early striking carriage clock, and an intriguing Type XX precursor literally gone askew. F.P Journe Principally inspired by the work of A.-L. Breguet and Antide Janvier, Francois-Paul Journe’s landmark Chronomètre à Résonance was the first attempt at synchronised, coupled oscillators in a wristwatch. The first numbered 20 examples were reserved for a Breguet-style souscription series – paid in advance by the client – but were not the first made. Image – Christie’s A handful of pre-production watches were made for Basel 1999, followed by the pre-souscription series to which this watch belongs. About 20 watches starting from “21” onwards are pre-souscription, and this is “041/00R”. Notably, one example prior, “040/00R”, sold for a little under CHF1.4 million including fees at Christie’s in 2023, setting a record. Image – Christie’s  The Ruthenium collection, built in 99 examples each across five models from 2001 to 2005, includes the Octa Calendrie...

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Editorial: Geneva Auctions Fall 2024 SJX Watches
Rolex GMT-Master II “SARU” Nov 12, 2024

Editorial: Geneva Auctions Fall 2024

Perhaps the most surprising moment of the fall auction season in Geneva was when the hammer came down on an MoonSwatch at Christie’s for CHF69,300 including fees – exactly the same as a Rolex GMT-Master II “SARU” that sold later in the day. But as is almost always the case with record prices at auction, there was a story behind the price and a method to the madness. The MoonSwatch was the unique “millionth” example conceived specifically for this auction, where all proceeds went to ELA, a French medical charity. The ELA sale was spearheaded by Francois-Henri Pinault, the chief of Kering, the luxury conglomerate that owns Christie’s, and certainly one of the most influential people in the luxury goods business. Sitting in the room and opening the sale was Mr Pinault’s fellow trustee at ELA, Zinedine Zidane, the French footballer better known as Zizou who’s regarded as one of the all-time best players and coaches. Christie’s auctioneer Rahul Kadakia with Zizou. Image – Christie’s Bidding via phone, the winning bidder of the MoonSwatch – which sold for over 150 times the retail price – announced to the room via a Christie’s rep that his winning bid was for “ELA and Zizou”. It was clearly a statement that he or she would have paid up for whatever watch was on sale, regardless if it was plastic or precious metal. It was a good deed done that was no bearing on the MoonSwatch or watches in general. To the moon MoonSwatch aside, the season was pos...

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Editorial: Geneva Auctions Spring 2024 Part I - Only Watch SJX Watches
May 13, 2024

Editorial: Geneva Auctions Spring 2024 Part I - Only Watch

A longer-than-usual Geneva auction weekend just concluded, having started with Only Watch 2024 and concluded with Christie’s watch sale – both of which were postponed for different reasons. Only Watch set the tone for the rest of the sales. The appetite for buying was muted. Most watches performed as expected: desirable brands and watches did well, though not as well as they would have in 2022 or early 2023. A handful of watches were outliers and performed spectacularly. That said, there were more watches that sold poorly compared to either of the last two instalments. In sum, it was a reflection of the overall market for collectible watches. A night-time cyberattack On a sunny Friday morning in Geneva, just before Only Watch was scheduled to take place in the afternoon, it emerged that Christie’s had suffered a company-wide cyberattack that brought down its website, app, and everything else digital. According to a Christie’s representative, the cyberattack began in the early hours of Friday last week, which was fortunately daytime in Asia, so its Hong Kong office was able to respond. Even though the hack took place just before the watch and jewellery auctions in Geneva, the cyberattack was probably timed to take place before the following week of art sales in New York, where Christie’s will sell over US$800 million of art. Tess Pettavino making the opening speech. Image – Only Watch A colourful event Because of the cyberattack, Christie’s postponed its watch...

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