New York’s watch auction season can feel a little like an anti-climax after the Fall sales in Geneva, but this year has seen unprecedented demand driving up prices, and there have been some watches of fascinating provenance and horological significance going under the hammer.
Christie’s Important Watches and American Icons auctions were no exception as they generated combined sales of $7,726,875 this week.
The top lot of the live sale was a Patek Philippe reference 5016P, that sold for $471,000.
Other notable results included a rare Patek Philippe reference 3450, retailed by Tiffany & Co., which sold for $350,000, a highly sought-after stainless Rolex reference 6264, ”Musketeer Paul Newman”, which went for $200,000.
Among the timepieces in the American Icons section were a pair of pocket watches belonging to Ernest Hemingway and Charles C. Ritz, that sold for more than double the estimate achieving $43,750; and two Patek Philippe timepieces formerly belonging to the 41st President of the United States, George H. W. Bush, with the Ref. 3940 selling for $81,250 and the Ref. 3445 realizing $62,500.
A one-of-a-kind Patek Philippe gold, enamel, and platinum watch in the form of a backpack, dated 1876, created for Elbert E. Farman, sold for $62,500.
Top lots at the Important Watches and American Icons auctions:
(described by Christie's)
The Second: L. Leroy & Cie. A Split Seconds Chronograph, circa 1920, Formerly Belonging to American Novelist Ernest Hemingway. Price Realized: $43,750.
