Having set the benchmark for online auctions at Christie’s with blockbuster sales in March 2021 with a $15m auction, before adding a $12m auction the following year, it looks set to do the same again.
True to form, the region’s leading auction house kicks off the second half of the year with a selection of highly collectible modern and vintage timepieces offered in Watches Online: The Dubai Edit featuring Collectible Women’s Watches.
All the watches will be on display at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) from 12 to 26 October with online only bidding.
Over 300 watches are going on auction with an estimate ranging from US$ 14 to US$ 23 million.
Heading the sale is the exclusive Richard Mille RM 50-03 McLaren Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph (Est: US$900,000-1,200,000), a technical tour-de-force from the avant-garde independent watchmaker, made in a limited edition of only 75 pieces.
The Dubai auction will also feature several timepieces with Middle Eastern résonance and the largest selection of gem-set and mother of pearl Rolex Daytona watches to ever be offered in the region. To meet the market demand, the team of specialists have prepared an important selection of independent watchmakers F.P. Journe and De Bethune among others.
A dedicated section of 60 collectible women’s wristwatches will open the show with a closing on the 25 October, 24hours before the main auction.
This section is composed of two collection, one contemporary from a collector of the Middle East while the second is driven by bracelet watches from the 1970’s mostly by Piaget.
Commenting on the sale, Remy Julia, Head of Watches at Christie’s Middle East, India and Africa, said: “Dubai is the confluence of all that counts in the world of exceptional modern and vintage watches. Over 300 lots have been consigned by the team of specialists at Christie’s Watches Dubai for the Fall’s first sale, which is a record for the region.”
Concluding: “With an estimate of US$14 million, the quality of all provenances is a milestone. Never so many rare watches have been consigned by Christie’s in Dubai before. The sale has established itself as unmissable global event for discerning collectors of exceptional timepieces around the world.”