Renowned Divers' Rolex Watches achieve exceptional Results Patek Philippe Ref. 3974 Sets New World Record at Antiquorum Auction
Antiquorum held an extraordinarily successful end of the year sale “Celebrating 35 Years of Making History in Time” on December 9th at its’ US headquarters in New York City with sales totaling an astounding $9,237,600. An impressive 85% were sold by lot and 135% sold by value based on the low estimates.
The auction room was filled to capacity with collectors and dealers alike aggressively bidding on the 402 exceptional vintage and modern timepieces, particularly the extremely rare and highly sought after Patek Philippe ref. 3974 as well as the Rolex Double Red Sea Dwellers formerly owned by renowned world record holding ‘Comex’ divers, Patrice Chemin and Robert Gauret. The highly competitive bidding for these and other exceptional watches came from countries across the globe, including China, France, Italy, Germany, Martinique, The Middle East and The United States.
The star: 3-dial Patek Philippe Ref. 3974 in Platinum
The star lot of the sale was the outstanding 3-dial Patek Philippe Ref. 3974 in Platinum. Bidders eagerly competed for the magnificent timepiece ultimately selling for the world record price of $1,200,000 after intense worldwide competition in the auction room including telephones, and Internet bidders.
Many other fine examples of Patek Philippe timepieces sold exceptionally well. Notably, the Patek Philippe ref. 5101P “Ten Days Tourbillon” retailed by Tiffany & Co obtaining a remarkable $295,200 and the Patek Philippe ref. 3450 with crystal display case back achieving a noteworthy $270,000. Equally important was the Patek Philippe ref. 3970 in platinum that brought an impressive $168,000.
“We are thrilled by today’s results which wind up 2009 with a record breaking year end total of over $31 million in U.S. sales, figures which would have seemed unfeasible just a few years ago. Our steady growth has proven that the market for collector’s watches in the United States is unquestionably a mature and integral part of the worldwide market,” said Evan Zimmermann, President & CEO of Antiquorum.
Vintage Rolex sport watches were also in great demand at Antiquorum’s final sale of the year. Particularly the Rolex ref. 1665 ‘Physalie VI’ Double Red Sea-Dwellers tested by the renowned divers, Patrice Chemin and Robert Gauret during their world record dive Physalie VI (in a hyperbaric chamber at 2001 feet) achieved exceptional prices. Mr. Chemin’s Double Red Sea-Dweller obtained an extraordinary $162,000 (six times its’ estimate) and Mr. Gauret’s Double Red Sea-Dweller sold for a remarkable $144,000 (five times its’ estimate).
Other Rolex watches also attained spectacular results; the Rolex ref. 6234, with exceptional black dial bringing $182,400 while the Rolex ref. 1680 ‘Comex’ attained a noteworthy $130,800. In addition, the Rolex ref. 6102 ‘Bombay’ with an extremely rare blue enamel dial, in great demand by collectors worldwide, achieved $56,400. Moreover, the Rolex DeepSea ref. 116660 ‘Pro- Hunter’ sold for an extraordinary $33,600.
“The impressive outcome for Patrice Chemin’s and Robert Gauret’s Double-Red Sea Dwellers confirm that collectors in today’s market are looking for prestigious timepieces associated with important historical events. Not only are these watches of unquestionable provenance, but they will also forever be linked to their renowned world record dive, adding immeasurably to their value and desirability,” said Julien Schaerer, Watch Director & Auctioneer, Antiquorum
Finally, Vacheron Constantin obtained excellent results as well. The Stainless Steel Vacheron Tonneau Tourbillon sold for a surprising $135,600 and the Vacheron Constantin Malte Prepetual Calendar and Minute Repeater in pink gold achieved an excellent result of $216,000.
The extraordinary results achieved throughout our 35th anniversary year confirm that despite this year’s global economic recession, Antiquorum continued to achieve unparalleled results—including 9 new world records for timepieces sold at auction. Proving once again that we remain the most important and outstanding auction house in the world specializing only in the field of horology. I can assure you that we have no intention of resting on our laurels, we will strive for even greater success in 2010 by continuing our relentless pursuit of Antiquorum’s core values: innovation, transparency and excellence,” said Robert Maron, Chairman Antiquorum.