Sotheby's New York Important Watches auction brings $9.1 million

The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Thursday, March 28, 2024


Sotheby's New York Important Watches auction brings $9.1 million
Audemars Piguet’s Massive Limited Edition Platinum Tourbillon Chronograph Wristwatch with Double Power Reserve Indication and Bracelet. Estimate: $100/150,000. Sold for: $423,000. Courtesy Sotheby's.



NEW YORK, NY.- Thursday’s auction of Important Watches at Sotheby’s New York achieved $9.1 million, the highest total since 2016. Highlighting the diversity of timepieces available at auction – from singing bird boxes and marine chronometers to vintage wristwatches and modern sport watches – the sale featured 15 lots over $100,000.

Daryn Schnipper, Chairman of Sotheby’s International Watch Division, and Sam Hines, Worldwide Head of Sotheby’s Watches, commented: “Yesterday’s auction in New York followed in the footsteps of successful sales in Hong Kong, London and Geneva, bringing the total for Sotheby’s Watches spring season to $37.1 million. We look forward to continuing this momentum – driven by strong interest from clients around the world for vintage and modern wristwatches as well as unique timepieces from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries – into our online-only auctions of timepieces this summer as well our fall auctions, kicking off in Hong Kong in October.”

Katharine Thomas, Head of Sotheby’s Watches & Clocks Department in New York, and Nate Borgelt, Head of Sale for Sotheby’s Watches in New York, added: “From modern marvels by Audemars Piguet and vintage wristwatches by Rolex, to bird boxes by Frères Rochat and marine chronometers by Breguet, yesterday’s sale of Important Watches represented the full spectrum of horology. We were delighted to see enthusiasm for these multiple disciplines throughout our sale of over 5 hours –including a record for a Mark 3 Double Red Sea Dweller – which totaled $9.1 million, the highest result in two years.”

AUCTION HIGHLIGHTS
The sale was led by an Impressive and Rare Consecutively Numbered Pair of Four-Color Gold and Pearl Singing Bird Snuff Boxes by Frères Rochat, which reached a final price of $519,000 (estimate $300/500,000). Separated for decades before being reunited by the owner, these automatons are believed to be the only known reunited pair of consecutively numbered bird boxes by the horological house to be offered at auction; one of the two boxes was formerly in the collection of Henry Ford II.

A pair of extraordinary wristwatches by independent watchmakers highlighted the modern offerings. Audemars Piguet’s Massive Limited Edition Platinum Tourbillon Chronograph Wristwatch with Double Power Reserve Indication and Bracelet made its auction debut and attracted significant competition in Sotheby's New York headquarters. Expected to fetch $100/150,000, this Royal Oak Offshore from circa 2004 – a cornerstone of the company’s Tradition d’Excellence Collection – sold for a final price of $423,000. Later in the sale, Richard Mille’s magnum opus, an Impressive Platinum Tonneau Form Tourbillon Split Seconds Chronograph Wristwatch, achieved $423,000. Inspired by Formula 1 racing and composed of over 500 parts, the RM008 with power reserve and torque indication is one of the most complicated objects ever made.

The appetite for Rolex Daytonas remains robust, with all 10 chronographs sold for a total of $915,000. The group was led by a Rare Stainless Steel Chronograph Wristwatch with Registers and Bracelet, Ref 6241 from circa 1967. In excellent condition, the crisp dial and defined numerals and indexes attracted over four bidders who pushed the final price to $200,000 (estimate $100/200,000). A Rare Stainless Steel Chronograph Wristwatch with Registers and Bracelet Ref 6241 from circa 1970 also made a significant price of $193,750 after bidding opened above the high estimate of $130,000.

Offerings by Patek Philippe were highlighted by a Fine and Very Rare White Gold Cushion-Form Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Wristwatch, which sold for $250,000 (estimate $200/300,000). This particular Ref 5020G-013 – carrying the nickname of the Patek TV set watch – is believed to be one of only 8 examples of Ref. 5020 in white gold known to the market.

Finally, Thursday’s auction featured a Rare and Early Eight Day Octagonal Boxed Marine Chronometer with Twin Barrels No. 106 by Breguet et Fils. One of the earliest marine chronometers by the firm, the present lot also carries the distinction of being Breguet’s earliest-known recorded sale of a marine chronometer, which took place in 1816. Carrying a pre-sale estimate of $30/50,000, two collectors battled for the timepiece, bringing the final price to $81,250.

WATCHES ONLINE
Sotheby’s will continue their auctions of clocks & watches this summer with Watches Online, open for bidding 18 through 25 June. The sale will feature a diverse range of property, including modern and vintage wristwatches from a variety of brands.










Today's News

May 27, 2018

Russian police arrest man who vandalised Ivan the Terrible painting

Moonwalking astronaut-artist Alan Bean dies at 86

Association of Art Museum Directors sanctions Berkshire Museum and La Salle University Art Museum

Vintage 1774 French wine sells for record 103,700 euros

Decades-long hunt for bronze sculpture looted by Nazis leads to posh German hotel

Picasso's ties to the kitchen explored at Barcelona show

First violins imitated human voices: study

Winnipeg Art Gallery celebrates groundbreaking for Inuit Art Centre

Indonesian artist Ichwan Noor's first Benelux solo show opens at Reflex Gallery Amsterdam

Han Nefkens donates eight pieces by Dutch fashion house Viktor&Rolf to the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen

Exhibition challenges architects and designers to envision what it means to be a citizen today

Archives of American Art announces digitization of material donated by Matt Mullican

Sotheby's New York Important Watches auction brings $9.1 million

Group of rare Edward Sawyer's Native American portrait Galvanos offered by Heritage Auctions

Remai Modern premieres new installation by New York artist Paul Chan

Amy Judd's third major solo show with Hicks Gallery on view in London

Taipei Cultural Center in New York opens [和heʼ] Contemporary Art Exhibition

Taravat Talepasand's first exhibition with Jack Fischer Gallery opens in San Francisco

Portuguese artist turns trash into animal sculptures

Turner Auctions + Appraisals announces Fine Japanese Prints & Decorative Arts auction

David Levine's 'Some of the People, All of the Time' challenges the meaning of a crowd

Morgan Lehman opens an exhibition of recent paintings by Amy Lincoln

Christie's New York announces 'An Evening of Exceptional Watches'

Exhibition presents a new series of clay pot sculptures by Francis Upritchard

CHART Art Fair announces exhibitors for 2018 edition




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful