Five world record watch prices set at auction
At the Christies sale of important watches 16 May 2011 Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues in Geneva a total of five world record watch prices were set for the highest prices achieved at auction. Four of the watches were Phillipe Patek and one of the watches was a Rolex. Of the five world record watch prices achieved, the highest price achieved was in excess of $3 million for the 18k white gold Phillipe Patek cushion shaped single button chronograph.
A possibly unique extremely fine, important and possibly unique 18K white gold cushion-shaped single button chronograph wristwatch with vertically positioned register and Breguet numerals. Cushion-shaped single-button chronographs by Patek Philippe are exceedingly rare. Not only due to most limited production during the late 1920’s, but even more as several of the so-called “Chronographes Coussin-Tortue” have not found a buyer but remained unsold until, in a second attempt to market these exclusivities, Patek Philippe re-cased them. The watch was signed Patek Philippe & Co., Geneva, Switzerland, with the movement numbered 198-207, and the case numbered 608-751, date of manufacture for the watch is 1928.
Patek Philippe Watch Technical Details
Cal. 13”’ circular nickel-finished lever movement, 28 jewels, bimetallic compensation balance, silvered matte dial, applied white gold Breguet numerals, white gold spade hands, outer five minute divisions, two vertical subsidiary dials for 30 minutes register and constant seconds, cushion-shaped case, enlarged polished bezel, extended downturned lugs, snap on back, chronograph mechanism operated through the crown, later 18K white gold Patek Philippe buckle, case, dial and movement signed
34 mm. wide & 43 mm. overall length
Patek Philippe 18k white gold single button chronograph
Sale Price $3,636,140 / €2,575,060
The watch was purchased by an anonymous bidder.
A WORLD RECORD PRICE FOR ANY SIMPLE CHRONOGRAPH WATCH
Patek Philippe. An exceptional 18K pink gold perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch with moon phases and pink dial. Signed Patek Philippe, Geneve, ref. 1518, movement no 867’525, case no. 653’822, manufactured in 1948. Reference 1518 was launched in 1941 and according to literature, only 281 examples were made until 1954, the majority cased in yellow gold. It was furthermore the first perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch produced in series by any watch company. The model was later replaced by reference 2499, also a perpetual calendar chronograph, but with a wider diameter and fluted lugs. The most striking feature of this watch is however its attractive dial,
distinguished by one of the most charismatic colours ever seen on this model. Virtually untouched, the rose tone has taken a uniform tinge of ginger, strikingly matching the pink gold colour of the case. To no surprise, the hard enamel signature and scales are as raised as to be expected, even the day and month windows impress by the pristineness of the black enamel writing on white background.
Patek Philippe Watch Technical Details
Cal. 13” nickel-finished lever movement, 23 jewels, bimetallic compensation balance, pink dial, applied pink gold Arabic numerals, outer railway five minute divisions and tachymetre scale, three subsidiary dials for constant seconds, 30 minutes register, date and moon phases, circular case, extended downturned lugs, snap on back with engraved inscription P. de T., two rectangular chronograph buttons in the band, case, dial and movement signed. 35 mm. diam.
Sale Price: $1,284,732 / €909,828
The watch was purchased by a private European collector
A WORLD RECORD PRICE FOR THIS WATCH MODEL
Patek Philippe. An extremely rare and very attractive stainless steel and 18K gold chronograph wristwatch with champagne dial and stainless steel and gold bracelet. Reference 1579 is one of Patek Philippe’s landmark chronograph models thanks to its distinctive size and shape, characterized by a masculine diameter of 36 mm and the beautifully facetted “spider-leg” lugs. Collectors around the world appreciate the variety of dial versions and case metals used for this model, examples in yellow gold and pink gold are regular and most welcomed protagonists at international auctions. Few aficionados however are aware that Patek Philippe also made other case versions of this reference, notably in stainless steel and, in three examples only, in platinum. The latter two are of such rarity that their arrival on the market is a press-worthy event. The rarest variant however is the stainless steel and gold version, named reference 1579-1, which was not known to exist outside an extremely small circle of scholars until the publishing of John Goldberger’s “bible” dedicated to stainless steel Patek Philippe watches, Patek Philippe Steel Watches , in 2010. On pages 264 to 267, Goldberger describes and illustrates the only two known examples of reference 1579/1, each with different dial design and varying characteristics. None of these two watches have ever been offered for sale in public before nor mentioned in literature.
Patek Philippe Watch Technical Details
Signed Patek Philippe & Co., Genève, ref. 1579/1, movement no. 863’154, case no. 635’158, manufactured in 1943. Cal. 13”’ nickel-finished lever movement, 23 jewels, bimetallic compensation balance, metal dust cap, champagne dial, black hard enamel baton and applied gold Arabic 6 and 12 numerals, gold hands, outer railway five minute divisions and tachymetre scale, two subsidiary dials for constant seconds and 30 minutes register, circular stainless steel case, stainless steel snap on back, gold angular lugs, two gold rectangular chronograph buttons in the band, stainless steel and gold Gay Frères link bracelet, case, dial and movement signed. 36 mm. diam.
Sale Price: $1,244,268 / €881,172
The watch was purchased by a Swiss Private Museum
WORLD RECORD PRICE FOR THIS MODEL
Rolex. An extraordinarily rare, oversized stainless steel split seconds chronograph wristwatch. Signed Rolex, Chronographe, Antimagnetique, ref. 4113, case no. 051318, manufactured in 1942. Recent research reveals and confirms that indeed only twelve examples of this outstanding chronograph were ever made by Rolex. All cased in steel and finished in 1942, they carry individual case numbers ranging from 051313 to 051324. Thanks to noteworthy publications and detailed descriptions it became easier to spot differences in dial design but also to identify individual watches given their published case numbers. Numerous conversations with collectors and scholars lead to the compilation of the enclosed table, establishing that eight of the twelve references 4113 are known to have survived, their public appearances at auction, where possible their current location and, if applicable, their mention in literature.
Rolex Chronograph Watch Technical Details
Cal. Valjoux 55 VBR 17 2/3”’ nickel-finished lever movement, 17 jewels, silvered matte dial, applied pink gold Arabic and baton numerals, outer minute divisions, blue telemetre and black tachymetre scales, two subsidiary dials for constant seconds and 30 minutes register, oversized circular case, fluted lugs, snap on back, split seconds chronograph mechanism operated through two rectangular chronograph buttons in the band and one round chronograph button in the crown, case, dial and movement signed. 44 mm. diam.
Patek Philippe. An extremely fine and rare 18K pink gold perpetual calendar wristwatch with sweep centre seconds, moon phases, screw back, luminous hands and luminous baton numerals. Reference 2438/1, the only vintage perpetual calendar wristwatch by Patek Philippe made in series with a screw back, enjoys enormous popularity amongst connoisseurs. Examples in rose gold, especially if preserved so strikingly as the present watch, are amongst the rarest events in the international auction calendar. Research has revealed that only seven other examples of a reference 2438/1 in pink gold have appeared in public to date, including only two with such “luminous” dial.
Watch Technical Specifications
Signed Patek Philippe, Genève, ref. 2438/1, movement no. 888’110, case no. 687’975, manufactured in 1955
Cal. 27 SC Q nickel-finished lever movement stamped twice with the Geneva seal, 18 jewels, micrometer regulator, silvered matte dial, applied gold luminous baton numerals, pink gold luminous dauphine hands, outer Arabic five minute divisions, sweep centre seconds, two windows for day and month, subsidiary dial for moon phases and date, large circular water-resistant-type case, downturned fluted lugs, screw back, 18K pink gold Patek Philippe buckle, case, dial and movement signed. 37 mm. diam.
Sale price: $839,921
The watch was purchased by an anonymous bidder
A WORLD RECORD PRICE FOR THIS MODEL