The “Important Watches” auction, organized by Christie’s in New York on June 12, 2026, featured an exclusive selection of 140 timepieces from the finest watch brands, chosen for their condition, rarity, and quality. Total sales, including fees: $17 066 820 USD, representing 99% of the lots offered.
BEST RESULTS
Lot 41: Patek Philippe – An extremely significant, rare, and elegant 18-karat white gold self-winding wristwatch with a perpetual calendar, double case, leap year indicator via a “red dot,” and moon phase display; only two examples are known to exist. Sold for $2 759 000 USD
Lot 8: Audemars Piguet – An extremely rare, unusual, and large wristwatch in 18-karat white gold, rectangular in shape, with jumping hours and wandering minutes. Sold for $1 016 000 USD
Lot 79: Richard Mille – An extremely rare, original, and sporty wristwatch in bright red TPT®, limited edition, quartz-powered, with dual time zones, a tourbillon, a power reserve indicator, a function selector, and a torque indicator. Sold for $762 000 USD
BEST PERFORMANCES
Lot 8: Audemars Piguet, circa 1928—A large, extremely rare, and original rectangular wristwatch in 18-karat white gold, featuring a jumping hour and trailing minute mechanism. 3,287% difference between the low estimate and the final hammer price ($1 016 000 USD)
Lot 30: Patek Philippe, circa 1944—A large, extremely rare, and highly sought-after stainless steel wristwatch with a concave bezel. 1,932% difference between the low estimate and the final hammer price ($304 800 USD)
Lot 31: Patek Philippe, circa 1938—A very attractive and sought-after 18-karat gold wristwatch with Breguet numerals and a Hungarian import hallmark. 747% difference between the low estimate and the final hammer price (US$127 000)
BREAKDOWN BY BRAND
PATEK PHILIPPE
Ranking first in the auction’s top prices, PATEK PHILIPPE achieved the highest total of the sale at $8 835 950 USD
ROLEX
Ranking second in the auction’s top prices, ROLEX achieved a total of $2 077 720 USD
AUDEMARS PIGUET
With a watch that fetched $1 016 000 USD, AUDEMARS PIGUET was the third-best-performing brand in this auction, with total sales of $1 662 430 USD
These three brands accounted for total sales of $12 576 100 USD, representing 74% of the auction’s total sales
AVERAGE PRICE PER LOT
Given the total number of lots 140 in all, including 1 unsold lot—the average price per lot was $122 783 USD.
CONCLUSION
This sale demonstrated once again the vitality of the auction market; notably, the top three brands were: PATEK PHILIPPE, ROLEX, and AUDEMARS PIGUET
