The ‘Important Watches’ auction organised by Sotheby’s in New York on 6 December 2024 featured an exclusive selection of 212 pieces from the finest watch brands, chosen for their condition, rarity and quality. Total sale, including fees: $16,554,120 USD, representing 100% of the lots presented.
BEST RESULTS
Lot 128: Heuer – Reference 1133B Monaco | Rare square stainless steel automatic chronograph wristwatch with date, worn by Steve McQueen at Le Mans, circa 1969. Sold for $1,440,000 USD
Lot 77: Patek Philippe – Reference 5723/112R-001 Nautilus | Sold by Tiffany & Co: Automatic rose gold and ruby wristwatch with date and bracelet, circa 2018. Sold for $900,000 USD
Lot 19: Rolex – Reference 1803 Day-Date | Automatic yellow gold wristwatch with Arabic day and date, owned and worn by Egyptian President Gamal Nasser, circa 1963. Sold for $840,000 USD
TOP PERFORMANCES
Lot 19: Rolex Circa 1963 – Reference 1803 Day-Date | A yellow gold automatic wristwatch with Arabic day and date, Owned and Worn by President Gamal Nasser of Egypt, Circa 1963. 2,700% variation between the base estimate and the final result ($840,000 USD)
Lot 10: Rolex circa 1984 – Reference 1680/8 “Nipple Dial” Submariner | A yellow gold automatic wristwatch with date and bracelet, owned by Al Giddings and worn on screen by Bill Paxton in “Titanic”, circa 1984. 780% variation between the base estimate and the final result ($264,000 USD)
Lot 223: Cartier, Paris Circa 1930 – A yellow gold, enamel, agate, and emerald-set paperknife with timepiece, Circa 1930. 596% variation between the base estimate and the final result ($69,600 USD)
BREAKDOWN BY BRAND
Patek Philippe
Ranking first in terms of highest sale prices, Patek Philippe achieved the highest sale figure of $4,512,000 USD
Rolex
Ranking second in terms of highest sale prices, Rolex achieved a sale figure of $4,074,000 USD
Heuer
With a watch that reached a price of $1,440,000 USD, Heuer is the third best-performing brand in this sale with a result of $2,005,800 USD
These three brands represent a total revenue of $10,591,800 USD, or 64% of total sales
AVERAGE PRICE PER LOT
Given the number of lots, 212 in total, including 0 unsold lots, the average price per lot was $78,085 USD.
CONCLUSION
This sale once again demonstrated the dynamism of the auction market, with the following brands featuring in the top three: Patek Philippe, Rolex and Heuer.
