A whirlwind weekend in Geneva of auction sales, Only Watch and the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève has confirmed the rise and rise of independent watchmakers.
Philippe Dufour is setting salerooms alight; WatchBox has invested in De Bethune; Chrono24 has secured LVMH-backed funding; Watchfinder is presenting all the James Bond watches in its Paris showroom; Richard Mille has launched a certified network for its pre-owned watches… for watch fans, the moving and shaking is on the pre-owned market.
Each year brings its share of new watches, each decade turns up original designs, and still classic watches lose none of their appeal. Centuries old for some, these pared-down beauties bring the constancy we crave in our stress-filled lives.
A difficult year for brands, 2020 was full of positives for auction houses, in particular online, with a raft of record prices. A look at some of the top lots to have crossed the block.
This November 8th, Phillips in association with Bacs & Russo will auction the first Simplicity in an anniversary edition of 20 by Philippe Dufour to mark the watch's 20th anniversary. In Hong Kong, a Simplicity recently fetched in excess of US$ 650,000 at auction.
Under the aegis of the Time Aeon Foundation, whose mission is to preserve the hand-craftsmanship of watchmaking, the Naissance d’une Montre 2 project is nearing completion. A collaboration between Oscillon, Urwerk and Greubel Forsey, this one-of-a-kind watch is now in the final finishing and adjusting stages, with plans for an auction sale in Hong Kong on April 21, 2021.
For the third time, Phillips put independents front and centre of its sale, headlined by George Daniels. Connoisseurs packed the saleroom for the British auction house's May date, with the hammer coming down on several record-breaking lots.
Five collectors from around the globe tell us what makes the deal for them (or not). From the Middle East, two ladies add their voices. Léa Claude Sfeir is head of Sfeir vintage and of the F.P. Journe boutique in Beirut. Melika Yazdjerdi is Senior Marketing & Communication Director of Seddiqi Holding in Dubai. Both are industry insiders, and one is also a collector in her own right.
Five collectors from around the globe tell us what makes the deal for them (or not). Robert M. Brenner, a physician from the Boston area, leads the way, followed in Parts II to V by voices from Toronto, Paris, Beirut / Dubai, and Singapore.