Watch brandsWatch wikiWatch videosVariousWatch calendarSaved articles
PopularRolexOmegaPatek PhilippeAudemars PiguetTudorGrand SeikoCartierSeikoIWCTAG HeuerBreitlingJaeger-LeCoultreA. Lange & SohneZenith

Results for Sotheby's Important Watches

19,574 articles · 167 videos found · page 1 of 659

Highlights from the Sotheby’s Important Watches and Fine Watches June sales results Time+Tide
Jun 23, 2023

Highlights from the Sotheby’s Important Watches and Fine Watches June sales results

Sotheby’s hosted their live Important Watches sale on June 9 and their Fine Watches sale ended on June 15 Two Paul Newman-owned Daytona watches headlined the Important Watches Sale and sold for a combined US$2.2m Between the two auctions, total watch sales of US$21.03m were achieved Earlier this month, two Sotheby’s auctions were held with … ContinuedThe post Highlights from the Sotheby’s Important Watches and Fine Watches June sales results appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

A Preview of the Upcoming Sotheby’s Important Watches Auction, Including Paul Newman Racing Gear, and Some Gorgeous Breguets Worn & Wound
Breguet s Jun 7, 2023

A Preview of the Upcoming Sotheby’s Important Watches Auction, Including Paul Newman Racing Gear, and Some Gorgeous Breguets

The Sotheby’s Important Watches sale is set to take place on June 9 in New York. A total of 135 lots are set to go under the hammer, with an interesting mix of vintage and modern watches among them. As with any major auction, there are too many great lots to do all of them proper justice, but our editorial team studied the catalog and a handful of watches (and other items) jumped out at us. From unique Paul Newman racing ephemera, to cool clocks and a whole bunch of Breguet, there’s something here for any watch enthusiast (or movie fan) to get excited about. Here are some of the highlights, chosen by Zach Kazan, Blake Buettner, and Zach Weiss. Zach Kazan Lots 28 and 29: Paul Newman Racing Ephemera  While the centerpiece of the upcoming Important Watches sale at Sotheby’s is a Daytona owned by Paul Newman, the lots that make this auction truly unique and special are Newman related, but not actually watches at all. After all, we’ve done the Paul Newman Daytona thing. But what we haven’t done, at least not in a watch collecting milieu, a racing suit. Along with a truly superlative selection of watches, Sotheby’s has some great Paul Newman racing ephemera that goes a long way toward reminding us that the watch that has become synonymous with his name wasn’t a prop, or part of a costume. He wore it because it was a watch for race car drivers, and Paul Newman was a race car driver.  Lot 49 is a cream colored racing jumpsuit worn by Newman on at least two occasion...

Two Rolex Daytonas owned by Paul Newman and a full-set Comex Sea-Dweller headline Sotheby’s Important Watches auction on June 9 Time+Tide
Rolex Daytonas owned May 25, 2023

Two Rolex Daytonas owned by Paul Newman and a full-set Comex Sea-Dweller headline Sotheby’s Important Watches auction on June 9

Some people think you need to wait for Watches & Wonders to see new watches, but this June in New York, there are dozens of pieces seeing the light of day for the first time in decades. Over at Sotheby’s New York, two auctions are bringing out some heavy-hitting heroes. In the Important Watches Sale … ContinuedThe post Two Rolex Daytonas owned by Paul Newman and a full-set Comex Sea-Dweller headline Sotheby’s Important Watches auction on June 9 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Three post-sale lessons from Sotheby’s Important Watches Parts I & II Time+Tide
May 19, 2023

Three post-sale lessons from Sotheby’s Important Watches Parts I & II

Following on from Sotheby’s Important Watches: Part I and Part II on the following day, it’s always interesting to go through and assess not only the value of the watches themselves but any emerging trends and patterns. Whether you’re trying to figure out what the next best investment piece may be, or just keeping up … ContinuedThe post Three post-sale lessons from Sotheby’s Important Watches Parts I & II appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

The heroes and bargains of Sotheby’s Important Watches: Part I auction Time+Tide
May 15, 2023

The heroes and bargains of Sotheby’s Important Watches: Part I auction

Following on from Sotheby’s Important Watches: Part I auction, it’s always interesting to go through and assess the accuracy of the lot estimates. Most of the time they cast a pretty wide net, so it’s hard to miss, but bidders seeing that top number will always give them something to reach for. Let’s dive in … ContinuedThe post The heroes and bargains of Sotheby’s Important Watches: Part I auction appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

10 favourites from the upcoming Sotheby’s Important Watches: Part I Auction Time+Tide
Rolex ContinuedThe post 10 May 3, 2023

10 favourites from the upcoming Sotheby’s Important Watches: Part I Auction

To call anything ‘important’ is a matter of subjectivity, especially when you’re talking about luxury watches. That said, anyone who takes a look through the lots of Sotheby’s latest batch from the upcoming Important Watches auction will be dumbstruck. From rarities like the 1970s Heuer Monaco ‘Dark Lord’ to classics such as the platinum Rolex … ContinuedThe post 10 favourites from the upcoming Sotheby’s Important Watches: Part I Auction appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Best 5 watches for under $5K at the Sotheby’s Important Watches auction Time+Tide
Rolex Daytona Sep 26, 2019

Best 5 watches for under $5K at the Sotheby’s Important Watches auction

At the upcoming Sotheby’s Important Watches auction, you can browse the catalogue and find all manner of incredibly rare and important watches and clocks from all the best watchmakers in the world. There is everything you would expect, and more, including a possibly unique red dial Rolex Daytona, a factory gem-set yellow gold Rolex GMT-Master, … ContinuedThe post Best 5 watches for under $5K at the Sotheby’s Important Watches auction appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Highlights: Independent Watchmaking at Sotheby’s Hong Kong SJX Watches
Richard Mille RM 53-02 Oct 2, 2023

Highlights: Independent Watchmaking at Sotheby’s Hong Kong

Following our look at notable complications and artisanal masterpieces on offer at Sotheby’s Important Watches I in Hong Kong, we now consider the independent watchmaking highlights in the sale that takes place on October 7. The offerings in the sale range from establishment names like Philippe Dufour – on offer is a Simplicity 37 mm in platinum made after the original run – to newcomers like Pascal Coyon with a Besançon Observatory-certified chronometer. And the highlights also include the headline lot of the auction, the extravagant Richard Mille RM 53-02 in blue sapphire crystal. Important Watches I happens on October 7, 2023. Registration for bidding and the full catalogue can be accessed here.  The Richard Mille RM 53-02 Lot 2116: Pascal Coyon Chronometre  One of the most affordable offerings in the sale is the Pascal Coyon Chronometre, a watch inspired by the French watchmaker’s career as a watch and clock repairer in Bayonne. Though based on a Unitas 6498, Mr Coyon’s hand-wound movement bears a strong resemblance to classical 19th-century pocket watches from the likes of Longines. While the movement is still a Unitas 6498 at its core, it has been dressed up with frosted bridges and a snail cam regulator, amongst other things. Being one of his earlier watches, this has a plain, 42 mm polished steel case with a stepped bezel and a white lacquered dial with red numerals for “12” and “60”, complemented by Breguet-style hour and minute hands. This ...

Highlights: Notable Complications at Sotheby’s Hong Kong Autumn Auction SJX Watches
Patek Philippe ref 5004R Sep 27, 2023

Highlights: Notable Complications at Sotheby’s Hong Kong Autumn Auction

Commencing in early October, the autumn auction season begins with Sotheby’s Important Watches I, a catalogue of 205 lots that will be sold on October 7 in Hong Kong. The auction includes artisanal timepieces, examples of independent watchmaking creativity, and exceptional complications. Here, we present eight notable complications including some unsurprising, six-figure picks like a Patek Philippe ref. 5004R with a special-order dial and a Rolex ref. 6062 “Stelline” from the original Japanese owner. But the list includes some that may fly under the radar but deserve recognition, such as the travel-ready Richard Mille RM62-01 (albeit conceived for flying private) and an impressive Patek Philippe ref. 942 grand complication pocket watch that includes a grande and petite sonnerie, putting it in the top rank of all pocket watches. Important Watches I takes place on October 7, 2023. Registration for bidding and the full catalogue can be accessed here.  Lot 2166: A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar ref. 345.056E  The Lange 1 Perpetual Calendar has effortlessly fuses the renowned Lange 1 design with a complex movement, conspicuously excluding the tourbillon found in its larger counterpart. At launch, the watch was available in two guises: pink gold with a grey dial or the more popular, limited edition white gold with a “salmon” (pink gold) dial, as we see here.  In contrast to conventional calendars that employ sub-dials, the Lange 1 perpetual calendar sea...

Ressence Debuts the Type 1 Spymaster with NFT Artwork SJX Watches
Ressence Debuts Apr 21, 2021

Ressence Debuts the Type 1 Spymaster with NFT Artwork

With a knack for technically innovative yet fun timepieces, Belgian watchmaker Ressence now unveils the Type 1 Spymaster, a limited-edition series of watches – each accompanied by a non-fungible token (NFT) artwork – conceived in collaboration with New York espionage museum Spyscape. NFTs are digital tokens stored on a blockchain – the digital ledgers that also store cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ether – that are essentially assets in digital format. Each of the 21 watches in the Type 1 Spymaster series is accompanied by its own NFT, a unique video artwork referencing the watch that also serves as a certificate of authenticity. The first publicly-available example of the Type 1 Spymaster, numbered “008”, will be offered at Sotheby’s Important Watches auction in Hong Kong on April 23 with an estimate of HK$170,000-300,000, or US$21,000-38,000 (we covered a few highlights from the sale earlier this week). It will be sold to benefit a good cause, with all proceeds going to the Make-a-Wish (UK) Foundation, which works to fulfil the wishes of young children with terminal illnesses. Initial thoughts NFTs have catapulted into prominence in recent months – a digital image sold for US$69 million at Christie’s in March 2021 – becoming the biggest and hottest fad in an era of fads. Watchmakers have jumped on the bandwagon as well, but if there’s a brand that’s NFT ready, it is Ressence. Having both filled a watch case with oil and installed magnets with...

Auction Watch: Sotheby’s to Sell Legendary, Royal Breguet Pocket Watches SJX Watches
Breguet Pocket Watches Sotheby’s watch Sep 15, 2020

Auction Watch: Sotheby’s to Sell Legendary, Royal Breguet Pocket Watches

Sotheby’s watch auction at the end of October will be headlined by a trio of historically important and highly complicated Breguet pocket watches that were all once owned by royalty, and then part of the David Salomons Breguet collection. The top lot will unquestionably be Breguet no. 2788, nicknamed “The Prince Regent’s Resonance”, an experimental 1818 watch with twin balance wheels operating on the principle of resonance. [Update October 27, 2020: The sale of watches from The Museum for Islamic Art will be postponed until sometime in November 2020, due to the museum having decided to rethink the deaccessioning of part of its collection.] The twin balance wheels of Breguet no. 2788 Given their hallowed provenance, the trio of Breguet watches being offered for sale is surprising, but perhaps in keeping with the times. Despite the golden age of pocket watch collecting having seemingly come to an end – or perhaps because of it – several important pocket watches have sold well in the last two years. Amongst the recent highlights is one of the oldest watches known, the 369-year old Cremsdorff preserved in mint condition, and the 20th century masterpiece by George Daniels. The majority of those came from the massive collection put together by the late Erivan Haub, a supermarket tycoon who was perhaps the most important collector of pocket watches in his day. Sotheby’s upcoming London auction, however, has a handful of exceptionally important pocket watches from...

Long-Hidden Patek Philippe Watches Headline Sotheby’s NY Sale SJX Watches
Patek Philippe Watches Headline Sotheby’s NY Oct 21, 2025

Long-Hidden Patek Philippe Watches Headline Sotheby’s NY Sale

This December at its New York auction. Sotheby’s will bring one a hitherto secret collection of complicated Patek Philippe watches to market, The Olmsted Complications Collection. Accrued by late financier Robert M. Olmsted over six decades, the collection includes watches commissioned by the most prominent American collectors of the early 20th century, including Henry Graves Jr., Thomas E. Emery, James M. Morehead III, and Elliot C. Lee, some of which were completely unknown to the public until now. An “Extra” quality observatory watch made for Henry Graves Jr. It couldn’t be better timed either, with the flagship lot being a previously undocumented Patek Philippe perpetual calendar desk clock, just months after the brand launched its modern equivalent. Better still – at least for American bidders – these watches are already stateside, avoiding the hefty import taxes levied against Switzerland. In addition to rare and exotic pocket watches, the auction also makes room for a few watches with more mainstream appeal, including a Rolex ref. 6100 with a cloisonné enamel dragon dial. The Thomas E. Emery Desk Clock The headline lot is a Patek Philippe desk clock made for one Thomas Emery – the same client who commissioned Patek Philippe’s first wrist-borne perpetual calendar in 1925. Until now there were only two publicly known Patek Philippe perpetual calendar desk clocks, those made for James Ward Packard and Henry Graves Jr. Like its siblings, Emery’s desk ...

In-Depth: The Mysterious Double-Movement Patek Philippe Pocket Watches SJX Watches
Patek Philippe Pocket Watches Sotheby’s upcoming Dec 6, 2025

In-Depth: The Mysterious Double-Movement Patek Philippe Pocket Watches

Sotheby’s upcoming auction in New York brings to light a pair of remarkable Patek Philippe pocket watches with double movements once owned by John Motley Morehead III (1870-1965), an American patron of the brand with exotic taste. Unknown even to Patek Philippe until now, the two watches each include a primary minute repeating base movement with a secondary movement under charismatic doré dials. Beyond their intrinsic rarity, the golden duo are significant from a historical perspective in offering a portal into early 20th-century American watch collecting, when interest began to shift from decorative to technical. The who A chemist who helped form Union Carbide, Morehead seems to have had a penchant for unusual, highly complicated watches. He also owned a triple complication with upside down “American” perpetual calendar, carillon minute repeater, and a double chronograph (as in, two separate chronographs) as well as a rattrapante but with only two seconds hands. The excellent research by Sotheby’s uncovered record of another of Morehead’s watches that was a carillon repeater with two sets of hands, like these watches, but powered by only one movement. Both double-movement watches going on the block at Sotheby’s have a primary movement with minute repeating on the back and a secondary simple movement on the front. The smaller of the two makes do with just a minute repeating base movement, while the larger watch also has a split-seconds chronograph with a minut...

Sotheby’s sale of two George Daniels x Roger Smith watches had a record-breaking result Time+Tide
Patek Philippe watches But it Nov 8, 2023

Sotheby’s sale of two George Daniels x Roger Smith watches had a record-breaking result

When a big auction house presents their latest catalogue of lots, it is expected that it will be filled with various Rolex and Patek Philippe watches. But, it is not an everyday occurence for two incredibly rare and historically significant watches from the likes of George Daniels and Roger W. Smith to pop up – … ContinuedThe post Sotheby’s sale of two George Daniels x Roger Smith watches had a record-breaking result appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Audemars Piguet Joins Watches & Wonders 2026 SJX Watches
Audemars Piguet Joins Watches & Wonders Sep 23, 2025

Audemars Piguet Joins Watches & Wonders 2026

Having last exhibited in Geneva six years ago, Audemars Piguet (AP) will return next year as an exhibitor at Watches & Wonders 2026 (WWG). The brand had departed the predecessor of WWG, Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), in 2019 along with Richard Mille, opting instead to launch the latest products at its own events. AP’s return to the exhibition reflects the importance of WWG as the most important trade fair on the horological calendar. It also underlines the importance of exhibiting alongside respected peers. The central hall at WWG 2025 Alongside AP, another ten brands will be showing at the event, ranging from clockmaker L’Epée 1839 to Chinese watchmaker Behrens, as well as Credor (the sister brand of current exhibitor Grand Seiko), and Favre Leuba, a recently rebooted historical name. This brings the total exhibitor tally to 66, a number that includes giants like Rolex, Patek Philippe, Chanel, and Cartier. WWG will take place April 14-20, 2026, at Palexpo.  

Hot Take: Two New Certina DS-1 Big Date Watches With Matte Cases Fratello
Certina DS-1 Big Date Watches May 1, 2025

Hot Take: Two New Certina DS-1 Big Date Watches With Matte Cases

Today, we’ll briefly examine two new Certina DS-1 Big Date Collection variants. While we’ve typically covered some of Certina’s sportier watches here on Fratello, it’s important to remember that models like the DS-1 form the foundation for a brand. Watch nerds aside, pieces like this sell in large numbers. The DS-1 Big Date was introduced […] Visit Hot Take: Two New Certina DS-1 Big Date Watches With Matte Cases to read the full article.

Zach goes hands-on with five awesome lots from Sotheby’s upcoming Important Watches auction Time+Tide
Dec 3, 2023

Zach goes hands-on with five awesome lots from Sotheby’s upcoming Important Watches auction

You can fly over to Geneva or Dubai for a watch fair, but the best selection of watches can always be found at an auction house. On December 7, 2023, Sotheby’s will be holding their latest Important Watches auction with 159 exceptional lots to go under the hammer. Ahead of the battle of the paddles, … ContinuedThe post Zach goes hands-on with five awesome lots from Sotheby’s upcoming Important Watches auction appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Auction Watch: Sotheby’s Sets Record for Most Expensive Patek Philippe Ref. 2499 SJX Watches
Patek Philippe Ref 2499 Sotheby’s just Apr 27, 2022

Auction Watch: Sotheby’s Sets Record for Most Expensive Patek Philippe Ref. 2499

Sotheby’s just concluded the first sale of the spring auction season, which now moves to Geneva with a series of auctions in the Swiss city starting the first weekend of May. The season opened strongly with several records set at Sotheby’s, most notably with The Nevadian Collector, a sale of Patek Philippe timepieces all owned by an American collector. Made up of 38 watches and one lot of vintage Gay Freres bracelets, the auction was led by an unsurprising favourite that sold for a record price – the possibly unique ref. 2499 in pink gold with a dial signed “Gobbi Milano”. Sotheby’s consultant Sam Hines bringing the hammer down on the ref. 2499 “Gobbi” Four telephone bidders competed for the watch, with bidding swift and aggressive. One of the bidders went big early on, taking the bid from HK$19 million to HK$30 million with one bid – an increment of about US$1.4 million. Eventually one of the phone bidders triumphed and set the record for the most expensive ref. 2499 ever sold at auction. The pink ref. 2499 “Gobbi” hammered for HK$50 million, resulting in a total of HK$60.265 million including the buyer’s premium. That’s equivalent to about US$7.68 million, making it the most expensive ref. 2499 ever sold at auction by some margin. The last record holder was the ref. 2499 “Asprey” that sold in 2018 for about US$ 4 million at Sotheby’s in Geneva – which was also sold by the Nevadian. While the ref. 2499 “Gobbi” was the headline lot,...