Hammer time! The month of May always makes me think of the early 1990s MC Hammer tune, which had such a positive vibe. But I do wish those harem pants will never, ever make a comeback on the fashion scene.
But, just like once unliked watches keep coming back, they probably will. And that is what I love about the auction season: Here you can get a sense of what is ahead of us. And for me it is not about the latest Rolex or Patek record. For me it is about that strange tonneau monopusher chrono from the 1930s by Audemars Piguet offered by Christie’s. It could have been made yesterday if it weren’t for its minute measures. Auctions are about shapes, sizes, secret watches, materials, future trends. It is also about seeing when a watch takes the step of becoming a collectible. Who would have thought a few moons ago that Trilobe would be part of a Christie’s catalogue in 2026?
And I love the fact that auctions oftentimes rule out logic. When the bidding is no longer about flexing your Centurion card or acquiring an asset. Biddings where no brands are involved to synthetically inflate value; biddings that are only about pure love for a timepiece; biddings that matter; biddings that gets fueled by bravado and competition; biddings that go from “that’s cool” to “I must have it”.
Auction showrooms are also a great place to dream through touching and looking at unique and unusual timepieces. Sometimes the dream is about the timepieces themselves, and sometimes the provenance offers something more. Like that Rolex Daytona from 1974. Its ex-owner was a gentleman who’d retired early after a successful career, bought a Rolex and a purple Porsche and moved to the French Riviera where he ended up being a radio DJ. Who doesn’t want to have a part of that life? So yes, the month of May is a season to be folly.
Unfortunately, I did not have the time to see all the auctions, two of which were happening on Sunday in parallel as thousands of Geneva Marathon runners were passing only meters from the bidding rooms along the lake. But I did see a little bit of Antiquorum at the Ritz-Carlton. I salute this house for having a wide array of brands (and prices) besides its “normal” high-end offer. Here you could really find something really cool if you only want to spend a couple of thousand, including super-cool Eberhard & Co. chronographs from the 1950s. In parallel the Sotheby’s auction at the Mandarin Oriental had some super interesting sales, including the 2M-sale of a grand complication pocket watch made by A. Lange & Söhne in 1916. Pocket watches are finally becoming more and more coveted by collectors – and if you take a few steps down on the complication ladder you can still find absolute steals.
At Christie’s bidding room at the Four Seasons most chairs were taken on the Monday afternoon just before a hailstorm suddenly swept in over the city. As I was walking back to the office in the midst of it – sans parapluie – another tune popped into my head: Four Seasons In One Day by Crowded House. This song was written in the 1990s as an ode to Melbourne, but from time to time it surely reminds me of my beloved Geneva.
