HONG KONG.- Sotheby’s Hong Kong Important Watches Autumn Sale 2014 will take place on 8 October at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. This season Sotheby’s will present a meticulously selected group of watches of excellent quality, diverse functions, extreme rarity and pristine condition from renowned brands including Patek Philippe and A. Lange & Söhne, as well as independent watchmakers such as Richard Mille and Greubel Forsey, many of them appearing at auction for the first time. The sale will offer around 450 lots with a total estimate of approximately HK$110 million / US$14 million.

Sharon Chan, Head of Watches, Sotheby’s Asia, said, “This season we proudly present a wide variety of watches that exemplify the ingenuity of various world-renowned watch brands. Coming up in our October sale in Hong Kong are innovative timepieces such as Greubel Forsey’s Royal Blue Tourbillon, as well as classic collectible wristwatches and exquisitely handcrafted enamel complicated watches by Patek Philippe. As the prestigious watch manufacturer celebrates its 175th anniversary this year, we are also honoured to bring to the market once again, 15 years after its previous record breaking sale, the Patek Philippe Henry Graves Supercomplication - the ‘holy grail’ of vintage watches - in our upcoming Geneva sale in November. With this extraordinary selection of timepieces, we look forward to sharing with watch connoisseurs around the world a wonderful journey through the history of horology and the evolution of time.”

HIGHLIGHTS
EXTREMELY RARE AND COMPLICATED PATEK PHILIPPE REPEATING WATCHES
With over 170 years of history, Patek Philippe’s name has become synonymous with the highest-quality minute repeaters. Nowadays wristwatches with minute repeating functions are still made by the most skilled technicians and the movements are regarded as some of the most complex in horology. They can easily take up to 200 to 300 hours to assemble, after which the chime must be adjusted to the superlative standard for which Patek Philippe is famous. They will then be put to the final test by the brand’s President Mr Thierry Stern himself to ensure the ultimate perfection.

Patek Philippe, An Exceptionally Rare, Monumental And Unique Yellow Gold Hunting Cased Two-Train Trip Minute Repeating Grande And Petite Sonnerie Perpetual Calendar Split Seconds Chronograph Keyless Lever Clock Watch With Phases Of The Moon, Painted Enamel On Both Covers, Made To Special Order By G. Menni Ref. 935 Grande Complication Made In 1984 Est. HK$4.5 – 5.5 million / US$590,000 – 710,000
In the 1980s Patek Philippe embarked on the mission to produce a very limited series of “Grand Complication” pocket watches adhering to the traditional techniques, every one of them a unique piece with superb finish. Most of the Grand Complication watches were designed open-faced and it is believed that the present watch is the only hunting-cased example ever appeared at the public market. In addition to featuring the perpetual calendar and moon-phase display, and chiming every hour (petite sonnerie), every quarter (grande sonnerie) as well as the hour, quarter and minute on demand (minute repeater), this watch was decorated by world-renowned enamellist, G. Menni. An extremely time-consuming and exacting art that is all but lost, enamelling featured on rare Patek Philippe timepieces are often made to special order with the subject matter chosen by the client, which range from famous landscapes and portraits, celebrities or even family members, in this particular case the daughter and the son of the owner. Considering that enamelling in time-telling-only open-faced watches have been seen to attract keen competition at auction in recent years, the flawless masterpiece of miniature enamelling on both sides of the hunting case makes this Grand Complication watch exceedingly rare and sought-after.

Patek Philippe, A Super Impressive, Rare And Important Platinum And Diamond- Set Automatic Minute Repeating Perpetual Calendar Wristwatch With Cathedral Gongs, Moon-Phases And Leap Year Indication Ref. 5073P Circa 2011 Est. HK$4.8 – 5.5 million / US$620,000 – 710,000
Launched by Patek Philippe in 2011, the Ref. 5073 is based on the highly popular Ref. 5074 with the bezel, shoulders and buckle embellished with 145 baguette diamonds, available only in platinum with a diamond-set black dial. Normally platinum-cased repeaters lack the clarity of their gold counterparts due to the density of the metal and the presence of diamonds affects the tonality of the repeater chime. Nevertheless Patek Philippe has managed to create a remarkably clear and audible sound for the minute repeater in the Ref. 5073, a testament to the brand’s ability to manufacture the finest minute repeating wristwatches today. The challenge in creating a platinum and diamond-set case that meets the strict requirements of Patek Philippe minute repeaters perhaps explains why production for the Ref. 5073 has remained so limited. This is the second time a Patek Philippe Ref. 5073 has been offered at auction since its production in 2011. This particular example is only appearing at auction for the first time.

Patek Philippe, An Extremely Important And Rare Pink Gold Minute Repeating Perpetual Calendar Tourbillon Wristwatch With Retrograde Date And Moon- Phases Ref. 5216R Circa 2014 Est. HK$4.7 – 5.5 million / US$610,000 – 710,000
While retaining the original minute repeater, tourbillon, perpetual calendar, retrograde date and moon phases functions of the highly coveted Ref. 5016, the Patek Philippe Ref. 5216 Grand Complication brings the success of its famous 18-year-old predecessor to a new level by incorporating the legendary calibre R TO 27 PS QR LU movement and adopting a perceptibly larger case, which affords a more voluminous resonant cavity to enhance the sonority of the minute repeating chimes. Until the Sky Moon Tourbillon was introduced in 2001, the Ref. 5016 launched in 1993 was Patek Philippe’s most complicated wristwatch. Now, the new Ref. 5216R ranks as the fourth most complicated wristwatch in current production.

Other Limited Edition Complicated Watches
Patek Philippe, Three Very Fine And Rare Yellow Gold Automatic Perpetual Calendar Wristwatch With Retrograde Date, Moon-Phases And Special Dials Ref. 5050J Circa 2009 Est. HK$800,000 – 1.2 million / US$100,000 – 160,000 (Each)
Launched in 1993, the Ref. 5050 was the first automatic perpetual calendar wristwatch featuring retrograde date and centre seconds from Patek Philippe. Available in yellow, pink, white gold or platinum and with either baton or considerably rarer Roman indices, the model was discontinued in 2002 and replaced with the Ref. 5059 and then Ref. 5159 with officer-case. Consigned by a prominent private collector, this compelling set of three exceptional Ref. 5050 offered are in impeccable condition, each created to a special configuration with a dial with Breguet numerals and a certificate dated 2009, seven years after the official discontinuation of this reference. These exclusive examples are believed to have been produced for a selected few of Patek Philippe’s most loyal collectors.

Jaeger-LeCoultre, An Extremely Rare Limited Edition White Gold Perpetual Calendar Multi-Axis Spherical Tourbillon Wristwatch With Retrograde Date, Month And Leap Year Indication, 8-Day Power Reserve And Equation Of Time, Made Exclusively For The Hong Kong Boutique, Gyrotourbillon 1 No. 2/3 Circa 2012 Est. HK$1.5 – 2.3 million / US$190,000 – 300,000
The impressive Gyrotourbillon 1 by Jaeger-LeCoultre has carved its mark in the art of watchmaking as the first spherical tourbillon the world has ever seen. Located at the heart of this horological marvel is the Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 177, which features a multi-axis spherical tourbillon whose carriage crafted from aeronautical high- performance aluminum weighs only 0.035 grammes, a running equation of time and a perpetual calendar equipped with four retrograde hands. With 679 miniscule parts, the highly complex Gyrotourbillon classifies as a Grande Complication of the highest order. This model was released in a very small series of only three watches fitted with black dials specifically for the Hong Kong market.

The Gyrotourbillon 1 is also remarkable in its innovative display of complicated functions. The equation of time is indicated by the difference between the solar minute hand and the normal minute hand, which overlap four times a year on 25 December, 15 April, 14 June and 2 September. The perpetual calendar is indicated by a patented double retrograde date display in which the two hands converge on the 16th day of the month before retreating to their respective resting points. The retrograde leap year indicator is visible on the reverse side of the watch, while the retrograde month hand elegantly mirrors the eight-day power reserve indicator on the front dial.

Independent Masterpiece Greubel Forsey, An Extremely Impressive And Rare Limited Edition Platinum 24- Second Inclined Tourbillon Wristwatch With 72-Hour Power Reserve Indication And Royal Blue Dial Tourbillon 24 Secondes Contemporain No. 18/33 Circa 2012 Est. HK$1.8 – 2.5 million / US$230,000 – 320,000
The Greubel Forsey Tourbillon 24 Secondes Contemporain “Royal Blue” was developed to showcase the 24-second tourbillon with a stunning three-dimensional visual experience, with the tourbillon bridge made of transparent synthetic sapphire offering a captivating and hypnotic impression of the regulator floating mid-air. The movement is constructed in titanium and the tourbillon cage, comprising 88 parts, weighs a mere 0.39 grammes. The imposing 43.50 mm-diameter case carves a striking impression and the impeccable oxidised royal blue finish of the plates and bridges shimmers in an infinite range of hues, bringing the visual experience to another level. The case band is decorated with two platinum plates finely engraved with the philosophy of Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey. Offered in a unique edition of 33 pieces, the present example is numbered 18.