NEW YORK, NY.- Rare Patek Philippe wristwatches and chronographs claimed eight of the top 10 lots in Heritage Auctions $3.2 million Timepieces Auction in New York. The Oct. 24 sale was the highest-grossing sale of its kind this year and well-exceeded auction estimates.

"An impressive range of quality vintage watches and complicated contemporary timepieces were offered in this sale," said Jim Wolf, Director of Watches & Fine Timepieces. "The collecting community responded with great enthusiasm, over 2,600 bidders competed and solid results were achieved across the board"

Offering a selection by Rolex, Cartier, Audemars Piguet and Omega, bidding demand focused on Patek Philippe. Many of the superb lots came directly from the private collection of an influential tech entrepreneur.

• The auction's top lot was a Patek Philippe Very Rare and Important Ref. 3974J Yellow Gold Automatic Perpetual Calendar Minute Repeating Wristwatch, which realized $322,500. The watch as produced together with the Star Calibre in 1989 to celebrate Patek Philippe's 150th anniversary. Each watch required four years of development and assembly with 467 individual parts.

• One of the firm's most complex wristwatches ever made, an important and extremely rare Rose Gold Self-Winding Minute Repeater ended at $312,500. A masterpiece made of 515 parts; the piece retained its original, rare black dial and rose gold case — considered by collectors to have the best tone of all the case variations made.

• Presented in its original wooden box and unused solid platinum case back, an exceptional and rare Platinum Perpetual Calendar Split Seconds Chronograph sold for $190,000.

• An extraordinary, unused double sealed fine and rare Perpetual Calendar Split Seconds Chronograph achieved $187,500. The exceptional timepiece had never been offered before at auction and is truly rare and important considering the unused condition.

• A Patek Philippe Ref. 5970P-001 Fine and Rare Platinum Perpetual Calendar Chronograph with Moon Phases ended at $150,000. The 5970P reportedly has the lowest production with less than 25 examples known.

• A stunning Patek Philippe Ref. 5970R-001 Very Fine Rose Gold Chronograph, featuring a perpetual calendar, moon phases, tachometer and 24-hour indication, sold for $125,000.

Additional highlights from the auction include, but are not limited to:

• A Rolex Ref. 6263 Steel Oyster Cosmograph with Original Box & Papers, circa 1972 realized $81,250

• A Rolex Ref. 1675 Steel GMT-Master, circa 1967, realized $26,250

• A Patek Philippe Ref. 5960P-015 Very Fine Platinum Automatic Annual Calendar Chronograph Wristwatch sold for $56,250

• A Patek Philippe & Co. Ref. 1579 Rare Rose Gold Vintage Chronograph Wristwatch, circa 1946 sold for $55,000

Heritage Auctions' next Fine Timepieces Auction is scheduled for May 1 in New York.