The watch world was buzzing this week with news of the sale of several rare Patek Philippe wristwatches, skeleton watches and the exceptional Jaeger-LeCoultre Gyrotourbillon 1. The “Important Modern and Vintage Timepieces” auction was organized by Antiquorum at the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong, with sales totaling HKD$28,900,188 (approximately US $3,725,552). Haute Time is giving you an up-close look at these incredible timepieces;
The watch world was buzzing this week with news of the sale of several rare Patek Philippe wristwatches, skeleton watches and the exceptional Jaeger-LeCoultre Gyrotourbillon 1.
The top lot was the Patek Philippe Ref. 5074, a minute repeater perpetual calendar timepiece in platinum. This rare watch, made in 2010, begins with a black dial featuring white gold Arabic numerals and white gold “Feuille” hands, with subsidiary dials for the months and an aperture for the moon phases. A leap year indication is located at 3 o’clock, days of the month at 6 o’clock, and the days of the week and 24-hour indication (A.M. – P.M.) at 9 o’clock. Inside the 42mm-diameter case is a rhodium-plated caliber R27 Q movement stamped with the Patek Philippe Seal. The movement boasts “fausses-côtes” decoration, 39 jewels, straight line lever escapement, a Gyromax balance which adjusts to temperature variations, a shock-absorber, self-compensating flat balance spring and a 22K gold micro-rotor. After intense competition, this Patek Philippe timepiece was won by an anonymous Asian collector for the price of HKD$4,460,000 (approximately US $574,943), making this the single most expensive piece sold during the auction.
Another outstanding watch sold was the Patek Philippe Ref. 3939, a tourbillon minute repeater with enamel dial. Inside the 34mm-diameter case of 18K pink gold, is a white enamel dial with applied gold numerals and Breguet hands, both also in pink gold. A black leather strap with an 18K pink gold Patek Philippe buckle completes the look. The rhodium-plated caliber RTO 27 PS movement is stamped with the Geneva Quality Mark, and boasts fausses cotes decoration, 28 jewels, lateral lever escapement with one-minute tourbillon regulator and 3 equidistant steel arms under a polished steel bridge. This timepiece sold for HKD$3,260,000 (approximately US $420,298).
Finally, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Ref. 149.6.07.S., a Gyrotourbillon 1 timepiece, was a highly-sought after item. Only seventy-five pieces of this limited-edition model in platinum were ever created. From its transparent center the rhodium-plated Jaeger-LeCoultre caliber 177 movement is visible, working at 216000 vibrations per hour, with 117 jewels, inclined lightweight two-cage multi-axis spherical tourbillo and two barrels with sapphire covers, making this an exceptional piece. The multi-tone grey-and-silver dial boasts a chapter ring for mean time, equation of time with radial white Arabic numerals, date sector with two retrograde hands, aperture view to the tourbillon, perpetual calendar with retrograde month indication and a power-reserve indication. Inside the 43mm-diameter case the dial is complemented by blued steel epée hands, an equation of time hand with gold sun tip and a blued steel seconds hand fixed to the top pivot of the tourbillon carriage. A black leather strap with Jaeger-LeCoultre platinum deployant clasp completes the look. This piece sold for HKD$1,940,000 (approximately US $250,116).
Aside from these Patek Philippe and Jaeger-LeCoultre timepieces, the skeleton watch collection attracted a lot of attention, with pieces like a Patek Philippe 18K yellow gold and diamond skeletonised pocket watch sparking a bidding war and a Vacheron Constantin platinum and diamond skeletonised wristwatch fetching an impressive price. Since the auction took place in Hong Kong, timepieces with Asian features were popular as well. For example, Chopard’s Urushi goldfish 18K white gold timepiece by Japanese artists Kichiro Masumura and Yamada Heiando, sold for HKD$325,000 (approximately US $41,900), over 4 times its pre-sale estimate.
The next Antiquorum auction, set to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, on March 17, is already generating interest, with an impressive collection of modern and vintage Patek Philippe timepieces said to be up for auction. After the auction, Evan Zimmermann, the President & CEO of Antiquorum, said, “We are proud to continue to offer great examples of the most sought-after timepieces at auction.”
Photos courtesy Antiquorum.
