Sotheby’s may not have hammered as many seven figure deals as Phillips at this month’s New York watch auctions, but it came close when an F.P. Journe Vagabondage II, owned by footballing GOAT Tom Brady, sold for $960,ooo.
The price was a new record for the reference, which produced in 2010 and 2011 and limited to 69 pieces in platinum.
F.P. Journe’s desirability has grown beyond genuine watch collectors who revere the watchmaker’s craft and innovation, and the brand has now been captured by speculators, according to industry experts.
John Reardon, founder of vintage Patek Philippe specialist Collectability, says that, while auction houses and dealers have always been commercial, there has been a big shift recently so that now many , of not most, collectors are also in it to make money.
“Many new buyers in this market are flush with cash and determined to make a killing buying and selling,” he tells WatchPro.
“Brands like F.P. Journe are at the top of a mania supported by an enthusiastic crowd with a common interest in seeing record after record break. I have yet to find a Journe collector who wants to talk about the watches but rather only boast about the prices. We all know this storyline and it doesn’t end well,” he warns.
Five F.P. Journe watches sold at last week’s Phillips New York auction for over one million dollars, the top price paid was for a Chronomètre à Résonance “Souscription, No. 007” in pink gold and platinum achieving $13.9 million, the most expensive watch ever sold in the United States.
Sotheby’s did not quite reach these heights, but claimed a number of records for sales of F.P. Journe’s less rare references including $832,0o for a Vagabondage I, $537,600 for a Chronomètre Bleu ‘Byblos’, $576,000 for a Chronomètre à Résonance and $320,000 for an ARS Octa Sport.
Elsewhere at the auction, a Heuer Monaco worn by Steve McQueen during the filming of Le Mans in 1971 hammered at $640,000, A Patek Philippe Ref. 5216P retailed by Tiffany & Co realized $640,000 and an early 1970s Cartier London Maxi Ronde went for $243,200.
Demand for independent watchmakers is spreading. After Phillips sold four Voutilainen watches for more than $1 million, Sotheby’s saw a Simon Brette Chronomètre Artisans Rose sell for $512,000, a Grönefeld 1941 Remontoire achieve $211,200 and a Vianney Halter La Resonance hit $307,200.
Sotheby’s reports a total of 1,800 watch collectors from 60 countries registered to bid, an increase of more than one-third compared with the same sale last year. The auctioneer says global watch sales are up 66% year-on-year in 2026.
Will the current bull market continue?
Eric Wind, founder of Wind Vintage, believes it can.
“I am quite optimistic we will continue to see records fall for “trophy” watches – the special watches by virtue of their rarity and quality – that are driving the discussion right now. Independent watches are generally where we see a lot of price momentum – I would not have expected an Akrivia to sell for almost $4 million at auction in 2025, but here we are. Same for four Kari Voutiliainen watches that each just sold for over $1 million in auction at Phillips New York that were each under $100k not that long ago,” he says.
