With auction prices soaring, it was a good time for an auction house to be offering rare timepieces by the world’s best independent watchmakers. And a 1999 Millennium wristwatch by George Daniels and Roger Smith offered in Bonhams’ sale on June 16, 2021 set an auction record for a British-made wristwatch!
With auction prices soaring, it’s a good time for an auction house to be offering rare timepieces by the world’s best independent watchmakers. George Daniels and Roger Smith made a series of 50 Millennium wristwatches back in 1999, and Bonhams is now offering one in its sale on June 16, 2021 with a high estimate of £300,000. Don’t be surprised if it goes for much more than that, though.
Geneva’s second round of pandemic-era May auctions brought some fascinating offerings out of the woodwork. And people are buying watches at auction like there is no tomorrow. While Rolex and Patek Philippe models brought in most of the high-roller results, the three main houses with auctions running over the second weekend in May 2021 – Phillips, Christie’s, and Antiquorum – also generated fantastic results for watches by many other brands, including the independents.
Lot 434 in the Antiquorum auction on May 9, 2021 is an ultra-rare A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 in stainless steel. A. Lange & Söhne never officially launched a stainless steel watch before the recent Odysseus, but there are a few steel Lange 1s in existence and they are quite sought after by collectors. Elizabeth Doerr explains why here.
GaryG recently took a deep dive into the world of digital art, auctioning a few of his photos of a rare Patek Philippe Reference 2526 Gobbi Milano as an NFT (non-fungible token). Here he shares the complete mechanics and thoughts behind his futuristic experience. And he’s encouraged enough to do it again!
GaryG recently took a deep dive into the world of digital art, auctioning a few of his photos of a rare Patek Philippe Reference 2526 Gobbi Milano as an NFT (non-fungible token). Here he shares the complete mechanics and thoughts behind his futuristic experience. And he’s encouraged enough to do it again!
Lot 165 at Phillips’ Geneva Watch Auction: XIII on May 8-9, 2021 is one of the most important prototypes in the history of IWC. A true rarity and a true piece of watch history. It is Richard Habring’s personal Portugieser Split-Seconds Chronograph prototype. Elizabeth Doerr shares its history and meaning here. And why its creator is parting with it.
Bugatti Founder Ettore Bugatti was a fanatic for details with the mind of a sculptor. His visions on four wheels still grace the most elite concours d’elegance around the world. And his personal Mido watch on a bespoke gold bracelet is set to be auctioned by Stanislas Machoïr on Saturday April 17, 2021. Martin Green shares a few more details about this priceless artifact here.
GaryG meanders through some observations on the state of the industry, 2020 occurrences, and his own year in watches, including the watches he bought in 2020 and the watches he’d like to buy. And there are also his favorite photos from this year’s shooting interspersed to keep it lively. Enjoy!
Phillips’ year-end auction, Racing Pulse, took place on Saturday, December 12, 2020 in New York. Here Elizabeth Doerr highlights five epic timepieces from Richard Mille and Panerai owned and worn by Hollywood action star Sylvester Stallone, sometimes in famous films, and shares the (astronomical) prices some of these watches reached at the auction.