Monaco Legends Auction
20-21 April 2024, 2:30pm CEST
This Monaco based auction house is ran by industry veteran Davide Parmegiani and Claude Cohen. I’ve been involved with auctions for over 27 years and Davide has been the corner stone of vintage watches, having owned, bought and sold some of the finest vintage watches known. I have had the pleasure in selling many to him, but the most significant he is known to have owned was the fabled Steel Patek Philippe Ref:1518 from 1943.
In November 2016, I was working for Phillips Auction House, and I was the successful phone bidder for a client on that incredibly rare watch, one of only 4 known. I secured it for just over 11 million CHF a World Record for a wristwatch at the time.
Almost 8 years later and we have in this auction a wonderful diversity of predominantly vintage watches, some incredibly rare. I’ve chosen just a few, this is not based on high prices, just on what appeals to me and what I find horologically interesting.
First is this fantastic Rolex GMT- Master Ref:6542 featured above from 1955 and is Lot 140. There’s so much written online and in books already on the GMT-Master but the very first was the Reference 6542. This had the non crown guard case, a Bakelite bezel and the small 24 hour hand. What makes this example rarer is the red text of GMT-Master and the 50m = 165ft, topped off with the wonderful engraving on the case back.
I love personal stories that can come with watches and this example was originally owned and dedicated on the back to a Mr Gonzalo Güell who was a Lawyer, politician, and diplomat and most notable the 13th Prime Minister of Cuba from March 1958-January 1959. Not the longest term for a Prime Minister, but still beating our very own Liz Truss by some margin.
For those who follow me on Instagram, my love for Breguet is clear. I’m fortunate to own a few more modern pieces, i.e. the late 1980’s and early 90’s but his work spanned generations. Arguably one of the greatest Clock and Watch makers of all time, with this next lot we are taken back to 1947. So not long after the end of the Second World War, the original owner would have walked into Breguet Paris and purchased this stunning chronograph – Lot 184 in the sale. Cased in steel with its silvered Sector dial with Tachymeter, I love the flat shaped hands of this period and there’s just something special about a Breguet Certificate, no other brand produces such a great looking document.
Below we have a personal stand out watch of this auction for me, Lot 231. Here is a magnificent Vacheron Constantin ‘Cornucopia’ wristwatch in Pink Gold with oversized flared lugs. The pinnacle of extreme case making design and known as the Ref: 4695 and dating from the 1950s. The post war years heralded some truly spectacular case designs, perhaps a need for fun and exuberance, Vacheron Constantin certainly took the “bull by the horns” and created some stunning watches. Just look at the angles and details of the pink gold case, balanced with the silvered guilloché dial, simply breath-taking. I’ve included an image of an original Vacheron Constantin brochure from 1950s that I own, where you can see this Reference 4695 in all its glory.
The next watch below, Lot 179 is one that evokes many memories for me from the start of my auction career. Joining Bonhams London in 1998 as a junior watch specialist, we were offered a variety of wrist and pocket watches all for sale but the most coveted for collectors, was not the Rolex Daytona, but the Rolex Prince. Finding great examples from original owner families were always the ones that the collector’s wanted and the top prices paid of any watch in those auction sales. It’s strange, how they still sell for similar sums to what they did 20 or so years ago. Yet their beauty and elegance hasn’t waned.
The one here appeals to me with its pink dial, steel case with wonderfully flared pink gold sides and it’s the Ref:1541 and dates to 1928 and Ive included another vintage advert, I love the slogan ‘The Rolex Prince the Watch for Men of Distinction’ . Its incredible to think what was happening in the world at this time with the Great Depression looming in the US and the Rolex company was a mere 20 years old, with most of there greatest hits yet to play out. I find these early watches by Rolex so undervalued and they are literally a piece of history on your wrist. For the full auction catalogue and all details click here
https://www.monacolegendauctions.com/auction/exclusive-timepieces-33
All images except stated courtesy of Monaco Legend Group.
The Phillips Geneva May auction will be my next highlight article.
