GENEVA.- Piguet Auction House ended its December sales last night with a global result of CHF 5.5 million. The highlight from the week-long auction was the sale of a major discovery in the history of science in Eastern Asia. The oldest Japanese celestial sphere known in the world driven by a clock mechanism reached an astronomical sale price of CHF 912,000 to the applause of all the observers in the room (lot 708), achieving a world record in the process. The Watches and Jewellery sales were very popular among collectors at the Genevan auction house selling for a grand total of CHF 1.9 million. The collection of Fine Wines sold on Monday evening was also met with great success totalling CHF 343,900 proving to be the best Wines sale result to date. Bernard Piguet, Director and Chief Auctioneer at Piguet Auction House, exclaims after the sale of lot 708: “This result is the culmination of 10 months of in-depth research by our specialists collaborating with the biggest world-renown experts in this field. We are honoured by the trust the owners placed in us and delighted our efforts were recognised by the buyers”.

World record price
Ten months ago, the specialists at Piguet Auction House discovered a celestial globe in the Givaudan collection. This object intrigued Piguet’s specialists and incited a certain curiosity and fascination. Further research lead to a collaboration with the very limited number of world experts in this field which allowed them to date the sphere to the first half of the 17th century originating from Japan. Early indications of its origin included the axis and latitude of the terrestrial box inside, the rising and setting of the sun which corresponded with Edo (original name for the city of Tokyo) and the world map. The full report by Professor Christopher Cullen[1], the undisputed world expert in this field, spans over 100 pages and is backed up by a metallurgical report. It confirms that the sphere is a major discovery in the History of Science in Eastern Asia, being the oldest known and only surviving Japanese clock-driven celestial sphere in the world.

International clients gathered in the room and waited poised on the telephones to bid on this unique museum piece, a fine example of horological techniques imported from the western world and high quality Japanese craftsmanship in the first half of the 17th century. After an 11-minute long battle on the telephones which left the room captivated in total silence, a Hong Kong-based buyer bought the sphere for a world record price of CHF 912,000 (lot 708 estimated at CHF 100,000-150,000).

Record sale for the Fine Wines
The auction presenting the specialist category of Fine Wines saw the best results yet for Piguet reaching CHF 343,900 with 96% of lots being sold. The first five classifications of claret Bordeaux wines sold extremely well, in particular the cherished 1982 vintage of which 5 bottles of Lafite-Rothschild went for CHF 10,900 (lot 142). The ensemble of Pétrus also met with great success selling altogether for CHF 50,000.

Watches and Fine Jewellery
The enthusiasm from collectors surrounding the Fine Jewellery and Watches was witnessed on a large scale as clients were plentiful in the saleroom until 23:00 when the sale finally ended with a result of CHF 1.9 million. This sale was the final Watches and Fine Jewellery auction of 2017 which brings this year’s total sale result for Piguet Auction House’s Watches and Jewellery department to an impressive CHF 6.5 million.