The auction ‘Rare Watches, Featuring Stories in Time: A Collection of Exceptional Watches’, organised by Christie’s in Geneva on 12 May 2025, featured an exclusive selection of 34 timepieces from the finest watch brands, chosen for their condition, rarity and quality. Total sales, including fees: $1,728,488 USD, representing 74% of the lots offered.
BEST RESULTS
Lot 155: PATEK PHILIPPE – A very rare and highly sought-after automatic wristwatch, in stainless steel and set with baguette-cut diamonds, featuring a central seconds hand, date display and bracelet. Sold for $447,023 USD
Lot 170: PATEK PHILIPPE – An 18-carat gold wristwatch with a chronograph and perpetual calendar, featuring a moon phase, leap year indicator and day/night indicator. Sold for $193,710 USD
Lot 154: ROLEX – An impressive and substantial automatic chronograph wristwatch in platinum set with diamonds, with bracelet. Sold for $141,557 USD
BEST PERFORMANCES
Lot 162: CARTIER Circa 1929 – An exceptionally rare and highly attractive rectangular 18-carat gold wristwatch, with hinged cover and concealed winding crown. 478% variation between the low estimate and the final result (USD 81,954)
Lot 160: BREGUET Circa 1811 – An extremely rare 18-carat gold watch with an open dial, quarter-hour repeater and ruby cylinder. 404% difference between the low estimate and the final result (USD 89,405)
Lot 171: ULYSSE NARDIN Circa 2020 – An unusual and highly attractive automatic wristwatch in titanium coated with Carbonium® and black PVD, featuring an oversized silicon oscillator. 253% difference between the reserve and the final hammer price (USD 41,722)
BREAKDOWN BY BRAND
PATEK PHILIPPE
Topping the list of the highest prices achieved at the auction, PATEK PHILIPPE recorded the highest total of the sale at $797,191 USD
ROLEX
Ranking second in the list of the highest prices achieved at the auction, ROLEX recorded a total of $242,882 USD
CARTIER
With a watch that fetched $81,954 USD, CARTIER was the third best-performing brand in this sale, achieving a total of $163,908 USD
These three brands accounted for a total of $1,203,981 USD, representing 70% of the total sale
AVERAGE PRICE PER LOT
Given the total number of lots, 34 in total, including 9 unsold lots, the average price per lot was $69,140 USD
CONCLUSION
This sale has once again demonstrated the dynamism of the auction market; the top three brands were: PATEK PHILIPPE, ROLEX and CARTIER
