Following last week’s WorldTempus video teaser about the Christie’s Geneva Edit, let’s take a look at the results. The sales exceeded expectations, reaching a total of CHF 55 million over the weekend with 17 lots selling for over one million Swiss Francs.
The November 6th live auction – Legendary and Unique Watches – realized sales of CHF 31.8 million, while the November 7th auction – Rare Watches – made CHF 27.6 million. These incredible figures follow a month-long world preview tour with collector dinners in the Middle East, the United States, Asia and Europe. The tour not only piqued the interest of the world’s watch-collecting community, but also a number of new bidders. In fact, 40% of the weekend’s bidders were new to Christie’s, proving that vintage watches remain an extremely hot commodity. Let’s take at a look at both sales in detail.
Legendary and Unique Watches
The Legendary and Unique Watches white glove sale featured 111 timepieces and united bidders from over 35 countries. The star of the show was a Richard Mille Limited Edition RM56-01 AN SAPHIR/PR00 No. 11 from 2013 that set a new record when the hammer dropped at CHF 3.6 million.
Another very successful sale was the F. P. Journe Unique Grande and Petite Sonnerie from January 2009. This piece was a bespoke piece created for a special collector and is one of the most individual watches from Journe’s Sonnerie Souverain collection, partly explaining why it sold for an impressive CHF 3.1 million. A second F. P. Journe unique piece reached CHF 1.9 million. This timepiece was made for the man who inspired and contributed to the conception of Journe’s Centigraphe model, making it even more special.
Rare Watches
The Rare Watches auction was equally successful with 238 of the 239 lots finding a new owner. Top lots included an incredible selection of Rolex and Patek Philippe timepieces. A Rolex Daytona (Paul Newman model) Ref. 6263, reached CHF 3.4 million, while the famous Patek Philippe / Tiffany & Co. Nautilus with its iconic turquoise dial reached CHF 3.1 million.
Other top results went to a Patek Philippe Ref. 1518, which was jointly signed by Cartier and realized a sale of CHF 2.2 million, and a Rolex Pre-Explorer Model, Ref. 6298, which sold for CHF 289,800, when it was estimated at between CHF 20,000 and 40,000!
Geneva Autumn 2022
The auctions took place at Geneva’s Four Seasons, Hotel des Bergues, and welcomed bidders from over 46 countries, further attesting to the auction house’s international following. Remi Guillemin, Head of Christie’s Geneva Watch Department said: “Holding two high calibre auctions with incredible sell-through rates of 100% and 99.18% within 24 hours is an unseen moment in watch auction history, making Christie’s the market leader. Our gratitude goes to our worldwide collectors, confirming Christie’s Geneva as a special place for Rolex and masterpieces.”
If you missed the sale, fear not, the Geneva Edit continues online until November 15th with esteemed pieces by Rolex, Cartier, Breguet, Vacheron Constantin, Zenith, and many more. For more details: Christie’s Watches Online: The Geneva Edit.
