Sotheby's was founded in 1744 by Samuel Baker in London as a book auction house, predating Christie's by 22 years. The watch department, like Christie's, scaled significantly from the 1980s onwards as vintage watch collecting matured into a distinct market. Sotheby's runs Important Watches sales twice yearly in Geneva (May and November) and also operates substantial Hong Kong and New York seasons. The house has historically been particularly strong on Patek Philippe minute repeaters, perpetual calendars, and George Daniels-related material.
Notable Sotheby's sales include the 2019 sale of One: A Daniels Anniversary watches that came to market through the Daniels Foundation, the 2020-2024 string of George Daniels Co-Axial pocket watches and Anniversary wristwatches, and recurring strong results on Patek Philippe minute repeaters at the CHF 1-5M level. Like Christie's, Sotheby's competes with Phillips Bacs & Russo (founded by former Christie's department head Aurel Bacs); the three houses essentially split the modern landmark watch auction market between them.