On the occasion of Phillips’ fifth Geneva Watch Auction, some 237 lots of rare and desirable timepieces have been gathered and will be put under the hammer on the 13th and 14th of May at the Hôtel La Réserve in Geneva (the complete catalogue can be downloaded here).
Find Revolution’s pick of five lots worth keeping an eye on below:
One of the most desirable lots (with the sale’s highest publically-quoted estimate of CHF 1,000,000 – 2,000,000), the reference 2499 is an early example of Patek Phillipe’s most lauded mix of complications: the perpetual calendar, moonphase, chronograph.
Its predecessor, Patek’s ref. 1518 was the first wristwatch to include all the aforementioned complications in the same case. Launched in 1941, the ref. 1518 was replaced by the ref. 2499 in 1951. During a 34-year production run, 349 ref. 2499s were made, with this particular example dating from 1960.
Featuring a 37.5mm, yellow-gold case and woven bracelet, this already rare watch has the added prestige of Tiffany signatures on both the dial and bracelet.
With the market for vintage Autavias gaining serious momentum and the additional interest created by TAG Heuer’s recent reissue, lot 39 is one of six Autavias offered in the upcoming auction.
The ref. 1563 is one of the rarest Autavia references around. Produced with three dial variations, this, the so-called ‘exotic dial’, is the most desirable. Dating from the early 1970s and offered with its original Gay Frères bracelet, Phillips state, “to the best of our knowledge this is the first time an ‘exotic dial’ Autavia is offered for sale by an international auction house”. Its estimate is CHF 10,000 – 20,000
Formerly the property of Emperor Bao Dai of Vietnam, lot 93 is – as the lot notes read – “spectacular and historically important”. Dai (who was, indecently, Vietnam’s last Emperor) purchased the watch in 1954 whilst in Geneva to participate in negotiations with the Việt Minh after the First Indochina War.
The watch, now know by the moniker ‘Bao Dai’, is powered with an automatic movement and has a 36mm yellow-gold case, black dial, diamond indexes and triple calendar and moonphase complications. Only two other yellow-gold, black-dial ref. 6062s are known to exist — the other two, however, have a slightly different diamond-index layout.
Phillips previously sold this watch in 2002, for CHF 370,000. The auction house describes the 6062 ‘Boa Dai’ as “one of the most valuable timepieces ever produced”. Its estimate will only be provided on request.
Lot 218 will see the gavel fall on a timepiece whose merit lies in its design. Produced in yellow gold, the Cartier Oblong and Concave’s sweeping lines, bulbous shapes and expanse of polished and brushed surfaces all help make it a great representation of both avant-garde watch design and of applied art in the field of horology.
Described by Phillips as “possibly unique” and driven using a manually-wound Ebel movement, the watch offered for sale was originally retailed by Cartier New York in 1972. Its estimate is CHF 25,000 – 35,000.
Lot 225 is a strong example of the Longines 13ZN-powered fly-back chronograph. The 13ZN is one of the most revered and admired chronograph movements to have ever been produced and, relatively speaking, can currently be picked up for a song.
The watch in question has a 37.5mm stepped, stainless-steel case and an attractive multi-scaled dial layout. This lot is accompanied with an extract from Longines archives, confirming its initial sale in 1943. Its estimate is CHF 30,000 – 60,000.
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