Phillips’ Geneva Watch Auction: XVIII auction will be held at the Hôtel La Réserve, 3-4 November with more than 180 of the world’s finest watches, including Rolex and Patek Philippe pieces and creations from independent, contemporary watchmakers. We previewed quite a few highlights of the sale earlier this year at the Phillips Geneva office.
UPDATE – 6 November: Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo achieves CHF 39,055,706 / $ 43,074,538 / € 40,528,106 in The Geneva Watch Auction: XVIII.
Lot 12: Rolex Ref. 6062, stainless steel, sold: CHF 2,117,000
Lot 23: George Daniels, Anniversary in platinum, sold: CHF 1,143,000
Lot 120: Patek Philippe, Nautilus ref. 3700P, sold: CHF 2,540,500
Lot 186: Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Chronograph first-series ref. 2499, sold: CHF 2,104,900
Lot 33: Patek Philippe Ref. 5013P-010, sold: CHF 444,500
Lot 108: Philippe Dufour Simplicity, sold: CHF 660,400
Lot 106: F.P. Journe Sonnerie Souverain, sold: CHF 1,079,500
Lot 144: Kari Voutilainen Masterpiece Chronograph, sold: CHF 254,000
Lot 12 – Rolex Ref. 6062 in stainless steel
Estimate: CHF 1,000,000-2,000,000
The Rolex Reference 6062 is among the most sought-after collectors’ timepieces. In 2017 the ‘Bao Dai’ – historical piece, inseparable from the name of Bao Dai, the last emperor of Vietnam – and a stainless steel 6062 with waterproof Oyster case, screw down Oyster case-back and a steel Jubilee bracelet were in the sale of Phillips Watches and achieved great results. We covered the two very special lots here.
A few years later, in 2021 Phillips sold a Rolex Stelline Ref. 6062 for CHF 1,100 000.
The Reference 6062 is one of the most complicated Rolex watches (back then but even today’s Rolex pieces mostly have simple calendar or chronograph functions). It has the triple date functions (month, day and moon phase) organised in a layout with month and day display in two neighbouring rectangular apertures and the date indicated by a hand on the peripheral scale of the dial. The reference was launched at the Basel fair in 1950.
Now the Lot 12 is an exceptionally well-preserved stainless steel triple calendar wristwatch with moonphases and two-tone dial, with an ivory ‘grené’ outer ring, providing great contrast and depth.
It has Arabic numerals at 3 and 9 o’clock and a moon phase at 6 o’clock. The watch is in excellent condition, likely one of the best-preserved examples of a steel ref. 6062. Phillips Watches refers to it as ‘The New Standard’.
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Rolex Ref. 6062 in stainless steel
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Rolex Ref. 6062 in stainless steel
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Lot 23 – George Daniels, Anniversary in platinum
Estimate: CHF 700,000-1,400,000
The English watchmaker, George Daniels (1926-2011) is generally considered to be on of the greatest horologists of the 20th century. His pieces has been gaining momentum, a few of his watches appeared lately at auctions achieving high price.
Daniels is very well known for his co-axial escapement mechanism. The Anniversary timepiece celebrated the 35th anniversary of this invention in 2010. He worked with Roger Smith, who today is recognised as his successor (Phillips has a piece from him in this auction), to collaborate on producing the series together. It is a manually wound wristwatch with a power reserve indicator, calendar mechanism and seconds dial in a style reminiscent of the appearance of the famous tourbillon chronograph pocket watch created by Daniels in 1994.
The George Daniels Anniversary in platinum is a very important highlight of the auction as only four were ever crafted. This fresh to the market masterpiece bears the distinguished number 01 offering collectors a rare opportunity to acquire a piece of horological history.
More about George Daniels here.
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George Daniels, Anniversary in platinum
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George Daniels, Anniversary in platinum
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Lot 120 – Patek Philippe, Nautilus ref. 3700P
Estimate: CHF 1,000,000-2,000,000
Patek Philippe Nautilus ref. 3700P is one of the rarest sport watches ever produced by the historic Swiss watchmaker. The Nautilus’ emblematic design drawn by the legendary Gérald Genta, was inspired by the porthole of a ship.
Offered at auction for the first time, this is only the third example of the original Nautilus ref. 3700 in platinum to ever come to market, and the only one known without diamond indexes or bezel.
It is a double-signed piece, as it has the well-known Swiss retailer Gübelin signature also on the dial. The back of the watch is engraved with initials – it was originally presented to the original owner as a gift from his father, and thus sold to the present consignor.
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Patek Philippe, Nautilus ref. 3700P
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Patek Philippe, Nautilus ref. 3700P
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Lot 186 – Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Chronograph first-series ref. 2499 in 18K yellow gold
Estimate: CHF 800,000-1,600,000
This important timepiece from 1951, the first series of the reference 2499. From this reference with complex chronograph and perpetual calendar only 349 were made between 1951 and 1986.
The first series of the model was made with two case styles, named after the maker: Vichet and Wenger. This present lot has the Vichet case, defined by its flat caseback and lugs more “claw-shaped” and downturned. (Here you can see a later model with the Wenger-case.)
This timepiece was part of the two of the world’s most distinguished and leading Patek Philippe collections. It went back to the Patek Philippe factory for a servicing in the late 1990s where it received the service sticker on the caseback.
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Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Chronograph first-series ref. 2499
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Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Chronograph first-series ref. 2499
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Other highlights
Further highlights include a Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Minute Repeater ref. 5013, a platinum tonneau-shaped minute repeating perpetual calendar wristwatch from 2008 with black dial and Breguet numerals, retrograde date and moon phases (estimate: CHF 250,000-500,000).
Independent contemporary watchmakers are also present at the Geneva Watch Auction: XVIII: an F.P. Journe Sonnerie Souverain with rare black dial (estimate CHF500,000- 1,000,000), or a prototype example (No. 000) of Philippe Dufour’s Simplicity wristwatch in a 34mm, 18k pink gold case, the watch that Dufour exhibited at the Basel watch fair in 2000 for the launch of the Simplicity (estimate CHF 400,000-800,000).
Another prototype worth mentioning comes from the workshop of Kari Voutilainen, his 39.5mm Masterpiece Chronograph in white gold (estimate CHF 120,000-240,000). It has the number 00, which Voutilaien used as a showpiece at Basel Fair 2006 to present the model to collectors and press.
Photo credits: Loupiosity.com
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