Phillips Game Changers is a compact auction taking place on December 10, 2019 in New York featuring 74 lots, among them the usual array of rare, fine, and attractive Rolex and Patek Philippe models.
But there are a few watches in this auction that are notable for various reasons outside of the fact that they fine, rare, and attractive. Or because they were made by Rolex or Patek Philippe.
And it is nine of these watches that I’d like to highlight right here. Oh, and spoiler: there are indeed two Rolex models among them, but you’ll see why.
Lot 62: A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 in stainless steel
A. Lange & Söhne never officially launched a stainless steel watch before the Odysseus arrived in late October 2019.
But that does not mean that that there are no stainless steel examples of the flagship Lange 1 in existence. There are some – a very few made for certain early Lange retailers, as you can see here – though they are so few and far between that they have an almost mythical standing among watch collectors. We estimate that there are about 25 or so in existence.
An untouched A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 in stainless steel
Stainless steel Lange 1s don’t come up often at auction, and when they do they cause something of a ruckus. Well, Phillips has one in the Game Changers auction, and even among steel Lange 1s this is something of a unicorn.
This particular model has never been worn and has never even had a strap attached to its lugs, making it pristine new old stock. It was delivered to Cellini jewelers in New York City in 1999 and has been in the vault there ever since. Why we do not know.
The watch head comes accompanied by the original invoice indicating purchase on November 29, 1999 for – get this – 17,271.93 German marks (or about €8,830 today).
For more information on this lot, please visit www.phillips.com/a-lange-sohne/62.
Further reading:
Behind The Lens: Rare Lange 1 Limited Editions
The Mythical Stainless Steel A. Lange & Söhne Tourbillon Pour Le Mérite
Quick Facts A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 in stainless steel
Case: stainless steel, 38.5 x 10 mm
Dial: silver
Movement: manually wound Caliber L901.0
Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds; large date, power reserve
Year of manufacture: 1999
Recent auction prices (silver dial): $113,000 to $155,000
Auction estimate: $150,000-$300,000
Lot 72: Vacheron Constantin Overseas Dual Time worn by Cory Richards on Mount Everest
Back in June 2019, Vacheron Constantin revealed one of its new ambassadors as part of the “One of Not Many” campaign: photographer and adventurer Cory Richards. Richards had attempted a new route to the summit of Mount Everest just weeks prior to the event wearing a brand-new Vacheron Constantin Overseas prototype with dual time function (see more about the event and the popular watch here).
Vacheron Constantin Overseas Dual Time prototype worn by Cory Richards on Mount Everest
This prototype is now in the Game Changers auction with all proceeds from its sale going to the National Geographic Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to pushing the boundaries of exploration and a sustainable future. Richards, who became famous for his boundary-pushing photographs and stories in National Geographic, is certainly the reason for the watch’s proceeds going to this dedicated cause.
Richards is a most impressive person, and this watch is a seriously interesting version of Vacheron Constantin’s sporty Overseas with a variety of one-of-a-kind elements. Definitely worth bidding on.
For more information, please visit www.phillips.com/vacheron-constantin/72.
Further reading:
Quick Facts Overseas Dual Time prototype for Cory Richards
Case: 41 x 12.8 mm, titanium with tantalum inserts and soft iron inner core
Movement: automatic Caliber 5110 with 60-hour power reserve, 4 Hz/28,800 vph frequency, Geneva Seal
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; date (synchronized to local time), second time zone, day/night indication synchronized to home time
Limitation: one unique piece
Year of manufacture: 2018
Auction estimate: $20,000-$40,000
Lot 13: LeCoultre 13 owned by astronaut John Glenn
Already the fact that this watch proudly professes “LeCoultre” on its dial instead of “Jaeger-LeCoultre” tells us that it was originally sold in the United States of America and that the case, dial, and hands were also produced there. In those days, JLC’s Swiss headquarters delivered only movements to its American arm.
LeCoultre 13 owned by astronaut John Glenn
This special timepiece was originally presented to John Glenn by 13 U.S. state senators at the Chicago Anti-Superstition Society, which categorically rejects the number as unlucky, to commemorate the astronaut becoming the first to orbit earth.
The 13 theme – each numeral on the dial is replaced by the superstitious number – was chosen because Friendship 7, the spacecraft capsule used for the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission, was the thirteenth capsule produced by McDonnell. The ceremony during which Glenn was honored took place on Friday, April 13, 1962.
The consignor of this beautiful and symbolic wristwatch, as well as of lot 14, a Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute Reference 809, purchased both pieces directly from the estate sale of Senator John H. Glenn Jr. and will be donating a portion of the proceeds from the sale to The John Glenn College of Public Affairs at Ohio State University.
I love how Phillips placed this lot as number 13. Well done, guys!
For more information, please visit www.phillips.com/jaegerlecoultre/13.
Quick Facts LeCoultre 13
Case: 33 mm, 10-karat yellow gold filled
Movement: manual winding Caliber K831/CW
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds
Year of manufacture: 1962
Auction estimate: $20,000-$40,000
Lot 74: Philippe Dufour Simplicity in platinum
There is some debate as to how many Simplicity models Philippe Dufour has made since first announcing the 200-piece edition just prior to the year 2000. Anyone’s best estimate is just over 200. GaryG is aware of 206 known examples as stated in Behind The Lens: The Philippe Dufour Simplicity.
That’s not a whole lot of watches considering Dufour’s (justifiable) status as the greatest living watchmaker.
Philippe Dufour Simplicity in platinum
These turn up occasionally at auction and have consistently risen in result. The latest was just on the block in November 2019 at Phillips Geneva Watch Auction X, where a white gold version sold for CHF 325,000, setting a new auction record for the Simplicity.
The version in this auction is platinum with a beautiful guilloche dial in excellent – just about pristine – condition. In a 37 mm case, this one very closely resembles the one that Dufour personally wears, that and the size making it one of the most desirable executions in existence.
For more information, please visit www.phillips.com/philippe-dufour/74.
Further reading:
Behind The Lens: The Philippe Dufour Simplicity
Why Philippe Dufour Matters. And It’s Not A Secret
Quick Facts Philippe Dufour Simplicity
Case: 37 mm, platinum
Dial: silver guilloche with applied indices
Movement: manually wound proprietary Philippe Dufour caliber
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds
Limitation: 206 known examples
Production year: 2008
Retail price: original production prices between 48,000 and 64,000 Swiss francs
Auction estimate: $150,000-$300,000
Lot 75: Urwerk UR-105 CT Iron worn by Robert Downey Jr. in Avengers: Endgame
Avengers: Endgame is the highest grossing film in history. Even I went to see it twice in the theaters . . . that doesn’t just prove my geekiness, it also says a lot about the film’s appeal: you can trust I am usually too cheap to see a movie two times in the cinema, especially when I know I will be buying it on DVD.
Urwerk UR-105 CT Iron worn by Robert Downey Jr. in ‘Avengers: Endgame’
So for this Urwerk UR-105 CT to show up on Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, aka Robert Downey Jr.’s wrist in the film is a very, very big deal.
And good on Downey, who has decided to donate the proceeds from auctioning this watch to charity: in particular Random Act Funding, the charitable organization Downey and his wife Susan founded that “distributes kindness in the form of financial support at local, national, and global levels.”
“I’ve always been a fan of Urwerk timepieces and was proud to have one on my wrist for Endgame,” the actor said. “To have it wind up at a prestigious auction to be sold for charity is the icing on the cake.”
For more information, please visit www.phillips.com/urwerk/75.
Further reading:
Quick Facts Urwerk UR-105 CT Iron
Case: polished steel bezel/titanium base, 53 x 39.5 x 17.3 mm, flip-up dial cover
Movement: automatic Caliber UR 5.03 with twin turbine regulation, 48-hour power reserve
Indications: wandering hours; minutes, digital seconds; power reserve indicator
Year of manufacture: 2018
Retail price: 65,000 Swiss francs (tax excluded)
Auction estimate: $30,000-$60,000
Lot 30: Marlon Brando’s Rolex GMT-Master Reference 1675
Lot 30 has garnered a lot of attention over the last few months: the Rolex GMT-Master Reference 1675 that Marlon Brando wore in Apocalypse Now.
For the full story of this watch and how and why it has shown up now after it had been thought to be missing, please see Nick Gould’s ‘Apocalypse Now’ Was Not The First Time Marlon Brando Wore A Rolex GMT-Master Without Bezel: Phillips ‘Game Changers’ Auction’s Star Lot.
Marlon Brando on the set of ‘Apocalypse Now’ wearing his Rolex GMT-Master Reference 1675 without bezel (photo courtesy Mary Ellen Mark)
The most interesting thing about this watch, aside from the fact that it starred in such an iconic cinematic oeuvre, is that Brando had removed its bezel, making it instantly recognizable.
Phillips has not released an auction estimate publicly, but if you are interested in bidding on this watch you may certainly ask for one. I do doubt it will fly quite as high as the $17 million that Paul Newman’s own Paul Newman Rolex Daytona brought in at Phillips’ Winning Icons auction in 2017, though.
For more information, please visit www.phillips.com/rolex/30.
Further reading:
Quick Facts Marlon Brando’s Rolex GMT-Master Reference 1675 without bezel
Case: 38 mm, stainless steel, no bezel
Movement: automatic Caliber 1575, 25 jewels, 19,800 vph/2.75 Hz frequency, power reserve 48 hours; officially certified C.O.S.C. chronometer
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; date, second time zone
Year of manufacture: 1972
Auction estimate: not revealed
Lot 50: Heuer Monaco Piece d’Art
This lot comprises a truly unique piece: an original new-old-stock Heuer Monaco from 1969 with a unique version of Caliber 11 that has been finished and engraved to the teeth by the firm’s modern technicians. TAG Heuer’s watchmakers have mirror-polished functional surfaces and screw heads and have even added three new jewels.
The unique Heuer Monaco Piece d’Art
As 2019 represents the fiftieth anniversary of the Heuer Monaco – again good job, Phillips, on placing this lot at number 50! – this watch represents a fantastic achievement to crown the year of special Monaco variations.
Engraving and fine finish on Caliber 11 of the Heuer Monaco Piece d’Art
Proceeds from this sale will be donated to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
For more information, please visit www.phillips.com/heuer/50.
Further reading:
Quick Facts TAG Heuer Monaco Calibre 11 Limited Edition 1969–1979
Case: 39 x 39 mm, stainless steel
Movement: automatic Caliber 11, three added jewels
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; date, chronograph
Year of manufacture: 1969
Auction estimate: $30,000-$60,000
Lot 8: Urwerk AMC
I mean, any Urwerk coming up at auction is cause for celebration, right? And so the fact that there are two timepieces by this modern independent maker in this small auction must mean something. And it does: it means that Urwerk’s work can already be described as modern classics.
Urwerk AMC atomic clock
The AMC is the rarest of the rare by a brand that makes only about 100 or so pieces a year. The AMC is also the most audacious project that Urwerk has ever undertaken. Needing more than a decade of research and development, just three pieces of this wristwatch-cum-atomic-clock set was finally issued in 2019 that sold for CHF 2,750,000 apiece. Which very likely means that this set has never been put into use and must be brand-spanking new.
And as if it needed further accolades, the AMC just won the Audacity Prize at the 2019 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève.
For more information please visit www.phillips.com/urwerk/8.
Further reading:
The Difference Between Urwerk’s EMC And A Toyota Prius (Not As Obvious As You May Think)
Back In Black: First Live Photos Of The ‘Smart’ Urwerk EMC Black
Presenting EMC2 Time Hunter By Urwerk: Ugly Duckling Takes First Step To Swanhood
Quick Facts Urwerk AMC
Case: 46 x 52 x 17.9 mm, black PVD-coated titanium
Movement: manual winding Urwerk caliber, ARCAP linear balance wheel, 4 Hz/28,800 vph frequency, serially operating twin spring barrels, 80-hour power reserve, automatically wound by cradle in Sympathique style
Functions: hours, minutes; years, balance rate adjustment
Remark: comes with atomic master clock base unit
Limitation: 3 pieces
Year of manufacture: 2019
Retail price: 2,750,000 Swiss francs
Auction estimate: $1 million – $2 million
Lot 18: Jack Nicklaus’ Rolex Day-Date Reference 1803
This is an interesting lot simply because this Rolex belongs to one of the best and most famous golfers in the world, Jack Nicklaus. And he is a Rolex ambassador (“testimonee” in Rolex jargon).
Jack Nicklaus wearing his 18-karat yellow gold Rolex Day-Date Reference 1803 at the 1978 British Open (photo courtesy Nicklaus Companies)
Nicklaus has worn this watch almost every day since he received it as a gift from the Swiss brand in 1967, and it was present when he won 12 of his 18 major championship titles.
I would wonder what Rolex thinks of him selling his prized timepiece except that the proceeds of this sale go to a charitable cause: the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation founded by the golfer and his wife Barbara in 2004 in an effort to provide families with good pediatric health care.
For more information please visit www.phillips.com/rolex/18.
Quick Facts Rolex Day-Date Reference 1803
Case: 36 mm, yellow gold
Movement: automatic Caliber 1555, 25 jewels, 18,000 vph/2.5 Hz frequency, power reserve 48 hours; officially certified C.O.S.C. chronometer
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; date, weekday
Year of manufacture: 1967
Auction estimate: not revealed
For more information on the Phillips Game Changers’ auction, please visit www.phillips.com/auctions/NY080119.
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Are you sure that the Dufour was Platinum? The catalogue listed it as white gold.
I will check into it. I saw one platinum and one white gold (from the Geneva and NY auctions) at the same time. I may have mixed them up.