Phillips Auction
11th -12th May 2024
So here we are with my second instalment of watches I love and find interesting from the upcoming Geneva May 2024 Auctions. This time I’ve chosen just a few of the super pieces from the Phillips Geneva sale , which takes place on May 11th and 12th. This sale also features watches from the collection of Guido Mondani.
Those readers that have known me some time will remember that Phillips was my 2nd and final stop in my auction career. After 17 years at Bonhams I said my goodbyes and I joined Phillips in 2015 which was the first year of the newly formed Phillips Watch Department. The auctions started in partnership with Bacs & Russo and remain to this day and I left in 2018. It seems like yesterday, but in those 3 years, I got to consign, handle, and sell some of the most incredible and record breaking watches ever seen at auction, think steel 1518, Bao Dai 6062, steel 5016 and many many more.
After 9 years Phillips have left the selling location of La Reserve Hotel, and they now have a new location in Geneva at the wonderful Hotel President Wilson. The news of its new ‘in town’ location comes with great joy to me and many other collectors. Purely based on the costs of taxis to get to and from the old location.
Let’s start with Lot 33 a wonderful Breguet Ref: 3237 wristwatch in white gold. Yes I’m always chatting Breguet, but its elegant and complicated and dates from 1995 so grabs my attention. Like so many watches now, people like to give them Nicknames (not something I’m a fan of personally) and this is the so called ‘Tuxedo’. It has the typical coin edge case design with Guilloché dial we love about Breguet but has an Onyx chapter ring which gives a wonderful contrast. Breguet used the manual wind chronograph Cal. 2310 from Lemania – a movement that was used by such greats as Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin. The watch comes with its fitted Breguet box and Certificate d’Origin, so a great full set example.
Moving onto Lot 39 below and an old friend, quite literally, as I used to own this watch. This is a Ref:6234 and dates from 1959 and me these Pre-Daytona’s are just so ‘Rolex’, a wonderful size on the wrist, beautifully balanced dials and from a fantastic period of their production. It was a hard one to part with and Phillips first time round did a great job in selling it. It was purchased from that auction by a legend in the watch world, Mr Jean Claude Biver. Now Im not sure whose selling it this time of course, he could have sold already, but I do note it is missing its original bracelet, which was date coded 1959, so that’s a shame, but nevertheless its priced super competitively and I’m sure it will find another great home.
Cartier is a name synonymous with style and elegance with watch making and of course exquisite Jewellery. The watch below, Lot 46 is from a period of great change in the world, after the Second World War there was a desire for a more refined way of life, and Cartier had what I call ‘Fifties Finesse’.
I have sold hundreds of Cartier watches and many clocks over my career but the interest in the brand has really peaked over the last few years. I can recall taking in a wonderful collection around 20 or so years ago from two brothers, who were collectors of the brand for almost 30 years. They had sourced some amazing pieces; mostly early production and examples that collectors would go crazy for today. Back then it was like ‘pulling teeth’ getting bidders on them and the auctioneer, my old friend and colleague James Stratton, had quite a hard time up on the rostrum. It also didn’t help that the two brothers were sat front row at the auction, scowling as the lots just struggled to find bidders. As they say, timing is everything.
This Cintrée model is in 18ct yellow gold and dates from around 1950. The case design is so subtle, yet fits harmoniously to the wearer’s wrist and inside the curved case is a manual wind European Watch & Clock Co movement. Cartier manufactured some of the finest deployant clasps and this example has one fitted and it bears the stamp of the French control mark and EJ for Edmond Jaeger. A stunning watch and even though the market hype has plateaued on Cartier, I still think this will exceed expectations.
Its not all about wristwatches and Lot 114 has huge appeal to me as a collector. It is a historically interesting Patek Philippe chronometer quality pocket watch from 1912, housed in a walnut box and it forms one of the lots that is been sold by Guido Mondani. Mr Mondani is famous in the watch world and he has been a passionate collector for decades. He wrote many books on Rolex and Patek Philippe and I last met him in 2006 in Geneva when he sold his then magnificent collection at Antiquorum Auction House. His daughter Giorgia started at a young age in watch collecting and carries on the family tradition and the publishing business too. Ive always admired this.
The present example is one of less than 20 known desk clocks with observatory movements in the original walnut box. They were mainly produced for retailers as display pieces in shop windows and for shows etc, each with a chronometer quality movement. Patek Philippe confirm production of the watch in 1912 and the watch was then in the Geneva Observatory Contest of 1919, where a Bulletin was obtained for 1st class test results in performance, it was then finally sold on September 16, 1932. Some sales did take time back then!
I hope you like my choices and do feel free to contact me should you need any advice on watches I have for sale or upcoming in Geneva.
For the full Phillips Auction please click here. https://www.phillips.com/auctions/auction/CH080224
All images courtesy of Phillips Auction House.
The Sothebys Geneva May auction will be my next highlight article.