Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo announces its inaugural New York auction. A thematic evening sale taking place on 26 October, the sale will offer 50 exceptionally rare and iconic collectors’ watches of the 20th century, including elegant dress, sports, and complicated watches by Patek Philippe, Rolex, A. Lange & Söhne, Audemars Piguet, Breguet, Cartier, Omega, and Vacheron Constantin, and also leading independent brands such as Philippe Dufour – all made before the turn of the century.
Phillips worked once again with Pucci Papaleo and his team to create a stunning catalog for this landmark auction with photography by Fabio Santinelli - the world’s leading photographer of watches.
Highlights from the Winning Icons sale will be on exhibition in Taipei (24–28 September), Hong Kong (30 September to 2 October), London (4–7 October), Seattle (10 October), Los Angeles (12-14 October), and New York (20-26 October).
On view will be the top lot – the legendary Rolex “Paul Newman” Daytona owned and worn by Paul Newman (picture above). The worldwide tour will also feature highlights from the 11 November thematic sale “The Crosthwaite & Gavin Collection” devoted to Heuer watches, the 12 November Geneva Watch Auction: SIX sale, and the 28 November Hong Kong Watch Auction: FIVE sale.
"New York represents our third selling location following Geneva and Hong Kong since the start of our department in November 2014", said Paul Boutros, Head of Watches, Americas, and Senior Vice President. "We are delighted to open this important market with a thematic auction dedicated to iconic wristwatches of the 20th century. The inspiration for this sale came from one of the world’s most legendary watches – the singular, one and only Rolex “Paul Newman” Daytona owned and worn by the Hollywood legend himself. Auctioned for the first time ever in the country where Paul Newman was born, raised, and worked; it’s truly an American story of one of the most famous American actors of all time."
"We are proud to launch our watch auctions in New York with this groundbreaking thematic sale", added Aurel Bacs, Senior Consultant. "After observing particularly strong demand from American clients over the past several years for vintage and modern collectors’ watches, we collaborated with Pucci Papaleo and his team of world-class professionals to create an exciting evening sale in one of the world’s most important markets for watches. Led by the watch so many of us have dreamed of one day finding – Paul Newman’s own Rolex “Paul Newman” Daytona, the selection of 50 iconic watches offered will delight both novice and experienced collectors alike. It's a true honor to auction this historic timepiece."
The auction will take place at Phillips’ New York saleroom, 450 Park Avenue, New York, Thursday, 26 October, beginning at 6PM.
