Christie’s is releasing its 2024 Spring Watch Global Calendar with a 8 live and 7 online sales to be held in Hong Kong, Dubai, Geneva and New York between March and June.
Featuring the world’s leading names in watchmaking such as Patek Philippe, Rolex, Vacheron Constantin or Audemars Piguet, excellent niche watch brands and even single-owner private collections, Christie’s watch auctions attract a wide audience of collectors. Now Christie’s Watches just announced 7 online sales and 8 live auctions from March to mid-June.
‘ … Whether the watches event is live or online, a key focus is to ensure seamless access to our auctions as we cater for a global clientele operating in physical and digital spaces. Patek Philippe’s ‘Sky Moon’ which sold online in Hong Kong at US$5.8 million is a strong indicator of the shift that is underway and gaining momentum, also due to 38% of Christie’s global watch clients being millennials. Christie’s caters for established as well as novice collectors by offering fine vintage timepieces and unique independent watchmaker pieces with varying price levels. This is a testament to the strong existing relationships between Christie’s and the watch community active in the world’s key markets.’ – as Emmanuel Danan, Christie’s Global Managing Director, Luxury commented.
Christie’s Watch auctions in Spring, 2024
The ‘Watches Online: The Hong Kong Edit’ will kick off the season from 14 to 27 March, followed by the Dubai Watches Online sale. Christie’s Geneva will held two live and one online auctions, while end of May the auction house will organise live sales in Hong Kong and New York. The Spring watch auction seasons will be closed with ‘The New York Edit Online’.
The timepiece auctions in the first half of 2024 at Christie’s:
Hong Kong Watches Online: The Hong Kong Edit Online, 14 March-27 March
Dubai Watches Online: The Dubai Edit Online, 16 April-30 April
Geneva Rare Watches Live, 13 May
Geneva Single-Owner Collection Live, 14 May
Geneva Watches Online: The Geneva Edit Online, 7 May-21 May
Hong Kong Important Watches Live, 26 May
New York important Watches Live, 11 June
New York Watches Online: The New York Edit Online, 30 May-14 June
Looking back at 2023
Christie’s Geneva achieved US$124 million (+31% vs. 2022), its highest annual sale total, driven by the record result for a single-owner watch collection ‘Passion for Time’ achieving CHF 39,662,316 / US$ 42,286,222 in November, together with the 100%-sold auction ‘The Art of F.P. Journe’ in May 2023, which garnered CHF 13,665,300 /US$1 5,201,417.
Latter was the largest thematic auction of F.P. Journe Watches to date with 40 exceptional timepieces. The top selling lot of the sale was a platinum Tourbillon Souverain “Souscription 2/20” wristwatch, made circa 1999, sold for CHF 2,707,000. Other significant pieces like the Chronomètre à Résonance Platinum, lot 2038 has the price realised CHF 1,376,000, the Centigraphe Souverain F with red dial, lot 2032 was sold for CHF 529,200 – picture above.
At the Christie’s ‘Passion for Time’ auction (Mohammed Zaman’s collection, Geneva, 6 November) the most famous highlight was the Marlon Brando GMT-Master, sold for CHF 4,582,500. During the sales bidders were informed about a third-party guarantee on every lot and revised upwards estimates. (Third-party guarantees assure a minimum price to the seller for the pieces in the auction, regardless the outcome of the sale.) After this and some controversy at the sale, Mohammed Zaman, Omani businessman and watch collector, filed a civil complaint in Geneva against the auction house. End of December 2023, the lawsuit has been withdrawn and the case has been settled.
Hong Kong established a new record sale total of HK$ 696 million (US$ 89 million/EUR 80 million), representing a 15% increase year-on-year.
Photo credits: Loupiosity.com
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