Six wristwatches of FP Journe sold for $200,500Superb Results for Antiquorum’s Year End Sale
Antiquorum ‘s December auction of “Important Modern and Vintage Timepieces” in New York totaled a noteworthy $3,506,675. A remarkable 83% of the 356 timepieces were sold by lot and 119% sold by value, based on the low estimate. In addition to the many telephone, room, and commission bidders, there were 419 registered internet bidders competing for the sought after timepieces offered in the sale. Bids came in from across the world including from Australia, Italy, China, Hong Kong, United Kingdom and the United States.
The highlight of the sale was the exceptional and unique FP Journe set of platinum watches [lot 122]. The “Invenit et Fecit” collection of six wristwatches with champagne dial sold for a notable $200,500 in the December auction.
Greubel Forsey also attained an important result with its white gold “Double Tourbillon 30° Vision” [lot 121] selling for $160,000. Also not to be overlooked, was the A. Lange & Sohne Flyback Datograph [lot 354] which achieved an impressive $ 74,500. Furthermore, Patek Philippe did exceptionally well in the sale with the Patek Philippe ref. 3971 [lot 300] selling for a fantastic $ 98,500 after heated competition between phone, room and internet bidders. Also achieving noteworthy prices were both examples of the Patek Philippe ref. 5146; the pink gold example [lot 223] achieved $27,500 while the white gold [lot 299] brought $26,875. Furthermore, the Patek Philippe lapel watch [lot 28] attracted worldwide attention, selling for $ 21,250 to a Chinese bidder for nearly three times its high estimate -- demonstrating that the Chinese market is willing to pay a significant premium for exceptional quality timepieces in excellent condition.
Additionally, vintage Rolex watches continue to achieve strong results at auction. Over the past six months, we have witnessed the vintage Rolex market gaining strength with competitive prices being paid for vintage Daytona’s and the always popular Paul Newman variations. In today’s sale, the Rolex ref. 6263 [lot 102 ] sold for an outstanding $35,000. Moreover, the Paul Newman’s fetched excellent results; the Rolex 14K gold ref. 6238 “Paul Newman” [lot 57] and the Rolex ref. 6239 steel “Paul Newman”[lot 187] each attained a remarkable $64,900. Also highlighting the strong demand for vintage Rolex was the Rolex ref. 6204 [lot 340] which obtained an incredible $57,500 – three times its estimate.
“We are delighted by the recent increase in strength in the vintage Rolex market with exceptional examples once again achieving significant prices as seen by the Rolex ref. 6204 in today’s sale,” said Charles Tearle, Auctioneer, Director & Watch Expert, Antiquorum USA.
In addition, remarkable prices were achieved for Audemars Piguet in the December sale. The Royal Oak Jumbo “A Series” [lot 269] sold for an incredible $ 23,750 – more than four times its high estimate. Also, Richard Mille obtained a noteworthy result for the RM010 in 18K white gold [lot 66] which sold for $43,750. Moreover, watches with exceptional provenance continue to generate interest. The Rolex GMT[lot 346] that belonged to Captain Don Walsh, who co-piloted the Bathyscaph Trieste to the deepest part of the world’s oceans at 35,800 feet, elicited attention from collectors selling for $30,000. Also, Joe DiMaggio’s Imexal clock [lot 272] which was presented to him as the Casey Stengel Award in 1974 attained an impressive $13,125, over four times its low estimate. Additionally, Girard Perregaux also brought significant results; the Vintage 1945 Tourbillon with Three Gold Bridges [lot 211] sold for $57,500 while the Girard Perregaux World Time Perpetual Calendar [lot 214] with special order dial sold for $ 22,500. Finally, in keeping with current trends, certain modern limited edition examples are drawing attention from the collector community and realizing strong prices at auction. An excellent example of this is the Jaeger Le-Coultre Aston Martin limited series wristwatch in titanium [lot 117] which sold for $17,500 – over twice its high estimate.
“2010 has indeed been a momentous year, one of strategic importance for the future of our company. With great anticipation, we now look forward to the year ahead and continuing to offer you the finest horological collections, unmatched expertise and many special events designed to enhance your passion for timepieces,” said Evan Zimmermann, President & CEO, Antiquorum.
Antiquorum looks forward to the next auction on February 26th in Hong Kong, featuring an impressive collection of modern and vintage collectible timepieces.