Antiquorum Sale Sets World Records For Enamel Pocket Watch Set And Patek Philippe Ref. 1518

At Antiquorum's "Important Collector's Wristwatches, Pocket Watches, Clocks and Horological Tools" sale in Geneva, a rare Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Chronograph and a pair of historic enamel and pearl-set pocket watches achieved world record prices.  In total, the sale netted 15,326,100 Swiss Francs, with extremely vigorous participation taking place through all auction avenues.

“The recent downturn in other collectible markets indeed concerned us in the past several weeks. But the results in Geneva today combined with the impressive results in last month’s auction in New York leads us to believe that collectors and investors in our unique arena continue to feel confident in the long-term strength of this tangible market,?said Evan Zimmermann, CEO & President of Antiquorum USA.

The Patek Philippe Ref. 1518 in pink gold (Lot 723) was met with extremely enthusiastic bidding, before finally selling for SFr. 1,376,000--a new record for this model.  A variety of other Patek Philippe watches, both vintage and modern, fetched impressive results as well.

The biggest news of the sale was Lot 730, “The Royal Presentation Mirror-Image Pair?  Dated to 1815, the ornate pocket watches with enamel paintings set a world record sale price of SFr 2,608,000.  Another historical piece of note was an exceptional minute repeating pocket watch with tourbillon and split-seconds chronograph, commissioned from Charles Frodsham by financier JP Morgan in the early 20th century; it sold for SFr. 210,000.

Exceptional modern haute horlogerie found a warm reception among buyers. A Greubel Forsey Double Tourbillon in 18-karat white gold sold for SFr. 238,000, while a Harry Winston Opus 5 in platinum dropped the hammer at 226,200 Swiss Francs.  

Rolex also performed well, with several historic Cosmograph "Paul Newman" chronographs surpassing the SFr. 130,000 mark.  

“I am thankful that collectors worldwide were confident in our ability to successfully sell quality timepieces here in Geneva--the center of the horological world.  We are proud to close the season on such a high note and look forward to our next auction,?stated William Rohr, Chief Operating Officer, Antiquorum Geneva.