“Across these last two days of sales, we have seen the full spectrum of today’s watch-collecting market, with 400 timepieces covering 400 years of watchmaking history avidly contested by collectors from around the world. All participants, be they museums, veteran connoisseurs or collectors new to the field, were drawn to rarity and quality in all its forms, from early automata to seminal German watches and fresh-to-the-market vintage pieces. As we approach the end of the year – with live sales in Dubai and New York and online auctions still to come -  it’s good to see that, thanks to the combination of healthy demand, and our keen focus on careful sourcing, sales this year have taken a good stride forward.”

Sam Hines, Worldwide Head of Sotheby’s Watches

Geneva, 12 November 2019 – Sotheby’s watch auctions in Geneva this week have just concluded, realising  CHF 13,018,125 / $13,093,186. Including this week’s results, Sotheby’s year-to-date total for Watches is now $106.7 million - 36% up on last year.

SALE SERIES IN FIGURES

83% of lots sold, almost half of them over high estimate68% of bidders participate online – almost three times more than in last year’s saleParticipants came from 65 countries around the worldStrong participation from Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East

HIGHLIGHTS

IMPORTANT WATCHES

A Rolex “Paul Newman” Daytona, reference 6239 in yellow gold, from 1968 sold for CHF 512,000 / $515,492 (Lot 446, est. CHF 200,000 - 300,000)A Patek Philippe Reference 5016 minute in pink gold, circa 2005, with retrograde date, moon phases and leap-year indication achieved a final price of CHF 500,000 ($503,410) (Lot 490, est. CHF 400,000 - 600,000).A Rolex 'Paul Newman Panda' Daytona, reference 6263, circa 1969 fetched CHF 412,500 ($415,313) (Lot 482, est. CHF 300,000 – 500,000).A Patek Philippe reference 5275 from 2015 in platinum sold for CHF 350,000 ($352,387) (Lot 488, est. CHF 300,000 – 500,000).

MASTERWORKS OF TIME

A gold, enamel and diamond-set hour striking musical double singing bird cage with timepiece made by Frères Rochat for the Chinese market, which realised CHF 1,010,000 (US$1,013,878) (Lot 38, est. CHF 800,000 – 1,200,000).A pink gold hunting cased clock watch with perpetual calendar, minute repeater, moon phases and split seconds chronograph, circa 1901 by A. Lange & Söhne which sold forCHF 437,500 ($439,180) (Lot 22, est. CHF 400,000 – 600,000).

Click here for a full summary of results. Masterworks of Time continues in 2020:             

Abraham Louis Breguet: Horologist Extraordinaire, New York, June 2020

Exports for the Eastern Market, Hong Kong, October 2020

Top Ten - Important Watches, Sotheby's Geneva - 12 November 2019

Top Ten - Masterworks of Time - Adolf Lange, The Golden Era of Glashütte