In May 2022 I was kindly invited by a good friend to join them at the Geneva auctions. It was such a wonderful experience and I jumped at the chance to go again for the November auctions. Time was spent between getting hands-on with watches at the previews, catching up with old friends and making new contacts, and of course, the excitement of a live auction. Sadly, I wasn’t able to attend this year’s auctions, but I thought I’d write a blog post about my favourite pieces from the world’s top auction houses.
Let’s start with the second F.P. Journe wristwatch ever made, sold by Phillips for a record-breaking CHF 7,320,000, far exceeding its estimate of CHF 2,000,000. François-Paul himself was in the room and I understand that before Aurel Bacs had even finished his introduction, someone had already shouted out “Five million!”
For those who might not be familiar with Aurel Bacs, he is one of the most well-known watch auctioneers and the head of Phillip’s watch department. Watching him in action is mesmerising as he reels off his extensive knowledge of various models, builds the excitement around the bids, reads the room, stretches for that next bid, and all the while switching between several languages.
This November, Phillips treated us to two auctions – their regular auction (which is anything but “regular”) and a second “Reloaded: The Rebirth of Mechanical Watchmaking, 1980-1999”. It’s great to see this growing interest in neo-vintage watches and personally, as someone born in the 1980’s, I’m pleased that according to the watch industry, I’m not fully vintage just yet.
There’s a wonderful article on The Emergence of Independent Watchmaking in the Neo-Vintage Era and you can take a look at the auction here. My personal favourite is the IWC x Porsche Design compass watch in green PVD-coated aluminum. I was also surprised to see a Charles Frodsham in the auction, which sold for a respectable CHF 165,100.
Sothebys have their auction today (Sunday 10th November) and as expected, there’s a wonderful selection of both newer and vintage watches, high complications, precious metals and gemstones, and important steel sports watches. I’ll be interested to see how the A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Chronograph 'Boutique Edition’ does as I’ve got a 1815 Chronograph coming in for sale next week, along with a Saxonia Boutique Edition.
Christie’s have their auction tomorrow (Monday 11th November) and personal favourite is a “Rare and heavy” 18ct white gold Rolex quartz. They also have a good selection of stone-dial Rolexes which I do quite like, and seven vintage Daytonas. Lastly, I’d be interested to see how the Roger Smith Series 2 does, with an estimate of CHF 220,000 – 450,000.
If you don’t have a spare CHF 450,000 to spend on a Roger Smith, I’d encourage you to take a look at the upcoming Bonhams auction, taking place in London on Wednesday 13th November with viewing from today (Sunday) until Wednesday morning. Estimates start from £800 for a vintage 1960s Omega and go up to £30,000 for a stunning Patek Philippe pocket watch. I’m hoping to go to the viewing on Tuesday and also get a closer look at the Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox “Parking” which I adore. I’m also keen to see how well the Universal Genève chronograph does – with the upcoming re-relaunch of the brand, is now the time to buy vintage UG?
I know the team at Bonhams well and would highly recommend getting in touch if there’s anything that you like the look of. Alternatively, as part of the Concierge Service, I’d be more than happy to view watches and find out more on your behalf.
Lastly, I wanted to highlight Sterling Vault as another UK-based auctioneer that I enjoy working with. They have an auction coming up on the 26th November and I believe that the catalogue will be live on the 15th November, so keep an eye on that one too.
I hope that you enjoyed my very brief overview of the November auctions. There will be a follow-up blog post and an interview with two very experienced auction experts, giving an insight into buying and selling at an auction. But in the meantime, please feel free to get in touch with any questions you might have and I’d be more than happy to offer advice, or direct you to someone who most likely knows a lot more than I do.
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