After the major spring auctions in Geneva and Hong Kong, Monaco is the place to be for watch lovers and collectors every summer! From HVMC to the Italian firm Wannenes, via the Swiss auctioneer Antiquorum, several watch sales took place in July.
The French auction house Artcurial, which has been established in Monaco for more than 15 years, recorded more than honourable results. Totalling more than €3.2 million, with an average price of €20,915 per watch, Artcurial reaffirmed its leadership in the Monegasque market and proved that vintage watches are very much in vogue.
Here’s a look back at 10 watches that thrilled the French Riviera this summer!
ROLEX, DAYTONA
SOLD 452 640 €
The Daytona 6241 is a legendary watch for collectors. Introduced in 1966, it was manufactured until 1969, a very short production period that makes it so rare, as it is estimated that around 2,700 / 3,000 pieces were manufactured.
This model in 14k yellow gold is one of the very few produced for the American market. Of the entire production run of the 6241, an estimated 400 pieces were delivered in 14k gold, making it an extremely rare and coveted timepiece. Mounted on a vintage Jubilee bracelet with “Rolex USA” stamped folding clasp, this watch complies with the American standards that have made the more scratch-resistant and cheaper 14k gold the norm.
With its superb “Paul Newman” dial, the ultimate grail for any collector, this watch is a must-have for any discerning collector. Coming from an impressive private collection, its current owner chose to sell it by auction, convinced that this method of sale would generate international competition between bidders.
F.P. JOURNE, TOURBILLON SOUVERAIN
SOLD 308 320 €
Officially launched in 1999 on the principle of subscription, the Tourbillon Souverain remains the watch with which François-Paul Journe earned the first-class position he enjoys today in the very exclusive world of independent watchmaking.
Initially intended for a handful of discerning connoisseurs, the Tourbillon souverain has now captured the hearts of collectors the world over.
Awarded the Aiguille d’Or prize at the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix in 2004, the Tourbillon Souverain is the ultimate watch for all enthusiasts of the brand, and is today the most sought-after model of all the watches signed by F.P. Journe.
Manufactured in 2007, and equipped with calibre 1403, used only from 2003 to 2018 before being replaced by calibre 1519, this watch is a rare collector’s item that has sparked a particularly remarkable auction battle. Estimated at €150,000, this watch doubled its estimate. In less than three years, the value of this model has doubled in the auction room, and this result confirms that it has become a ‘safe bet’ on the collector’s market.
With its guarantee card stamped by La Pendulerie in Paris, F.P. Journe’s historic partner, this watch was a dream opportunity for any connoisseur of fine watchmaking to acquire a watch with promising investment potential.
AUDEMARS PIGUET, ROYAL OAK
SOLD 131 200 €
An iconic model created by Audemars Piguet in 1972, the Royal Oak has been available in an infinite variety of watches since its launch: “Squelette”, “Jubilée”, “Tourbillon”, “Off shore” or “Concept”, the brand has never ceased to reinterpret this watch with the subversive design imagined by Geral Genta. Among all the existing variations, the Royal Oak 25636 “skeleton” expresses all the expertise of Audemars Piguet: complication, design and delicately decorated finishes. Launched in 1986, this watch is an interesting piece for any discerning collector, since it is the first model to be fitted with a sapphire caseback. Only 313 pieces were produced and marketed until 1997, and only 156 were produced in yellow gold, which explains the immense desirability of this particularly exclusive timepiece.
TUDOR, SUBMARINER
SOLD 56 416 €
Produced for 10 years, the Submariner 7928 is a legendary military watch. Used by the U.S. NAVY and the French Navy, this model appeared in 1959 and differed from previous Submariners in that it was water-resistant to 200 metres and, above all, had shoulders to protect the crown.
Stamped “IV.59” on the inside of the case, this is one of the very first models produced. What makes it so rare and exceptional in the eyes of collectors are its square crown shoulders, a characteristic feature of the very first series. To date, only 100 watches equipped with these famous “Square Crown Guards” are known to enthusiasts worldwide.
Considered a trophy for a discerning collector, this watch, presented for the first time at auction, came directly from the family of its original owner: a clearance diver in the French Navy. Accompanied by the logbook of its sole owner and various administrative documents stamped “Marine Nationale”, this watch is a rare testimony to the partnership that was established between the French Navy and Tudor, its official supplier, from the 1950s onwards.
To date, no comparable example, so well documented – and so perfectly patinated! – has ever been offered at an international auction.
CARTIER
SOLD 31 488 €
This result testifies to the particular craze for Cartier in recent years. While vintage timepieces are particularly sought-after and are setting auction records, modern creations are also seeing their collector’s value increase tenfold.
This elegant dinner jacket watch set with more than 200 brilliants and calibrated diamonds is particularly astonishing, as it runs completely counter to the production of the 1980s. In the midst of the “quartz crisis”, Cartier came up with this skeleton watch revealing a fully decorated and chiselled mechanical movement. At a time when traditional watchmaking was being challenged, Cartier dared to reassert its expertise and produced a watch that was completely at odds with the “bracelet/quartz” trend in vogue at the time.
JAEGER LECOULTRE, REVERSO
SOLD 30 176 €
A best-seller from the Jaeger-LeCoultre Manufacture, the Reverso is a cult watch that has appealed to all generations. Designed in 1931, its atypical design makes it undeniably one of the finest watchmaking creations of the Art Deco period. The Reverso saga began in India, in a British polo club. On a business trip, Swiss watch distributor César Trey imagined a reversible timepiece that could withstand the shocks of a polo match. Created by Jacques-David LeCoultre, the Reverso was to enjoy a commercial success that remains unequalled to this day.
Some timepieces, produced in only a few dozen examples, are particularly rare and the chance to see them reappear in an auction room is exceptional. Such is the case with this model, named “Clair de Lune” and created in 2001 by watchmaker and craftsman Miklos Merczel, head of Jaeger LeCoultre’s Métier d’Arts workshops. Issued in a limited edition of 24 watches, the only example to reappear in auction rooms was sold by Christie’s in Hong Kong in 2008. In fifteen years, the value of this Reverso, decorated with enamel paint, has doubled on the market!
BREGUET, TYPE XX
SOLD 20 992 €
While Breguet is usually known for the classicism of its watches and its excellence in developing sophisticated complications, the Type XX remains an iconic timepiece in the brand’s collections. Originally developed in the 1950s in response to a call for tenders issued by the French Army in search of a reliable, robust and perfectly legible aviation watch for its pilots, the Type XX is a cult model that is highly prized by collectors.
Of all the timepieces delivered to the French Army, this watch is particularly rare because it comes from the most coveted series, the one ordered by the French Navy from Breguet in 1958. This series comprised just 500 watches, all numbered from 1 to 500, and was delivered to the French Army in 1960. Easily identifiable by the engraving “Marine Nationale Aéronautique Navale” on the case back, these watches remained in service until the early 1980s. As an endowment watch, some servicemen were able to keep their watches, which explains why some of them are still around today. This explains why some of these watches are now on the collector’s market. This model had an unusual feature: it was still fitted with its original steel bracelet, fitted with a very rare diving extension and stamped ‘made in France’.
PATEK PHILIPPE, CALATRAVA
SOLD 19 680 €
In 1950, Patek Phillipe launched the reference 2509, a water-resistant watch equipped with an anti-magnetic movement. Produced until 1967, this model is easily identifiable by its eccentric second hand at 6 o’clock. Equipped with a water-resistant case made by Frères Borgel, one of Switzerland’s leading watch-case manufacturers, this model is nicknamed “Grande Calatrava Waterproof” by enthusiasts.
The Calatrava was launched by Patek Philippe in 1932 and has been available in a variety of models since its invention, but the 2509 model is one of the most innovative, reflecting the brand’s avant-garde research. At the end of the 1960s, watch manufacturers were focusing all their water-resistance research on diving watches, but Patek Philippe dared to imagine the first water-resistant “city” timepiece. This innovation testifies to the brand’s desire for excellence, which is to offer its customers ultra-resistant watches that perform well in all circumstances.
VACHERON & CONSTANTIN
SOLD 14 432€
Made in 1970, this stunning Vacheron Constantin pendant watch features a rare malachite marquetry dial. Produced in only a handful of pieces, this unusual timepiece combining yellow gold and hard stones is highly emblematic of the seventies spirit that liked to venture outside the confines of the traditional round or square case.
A true collector’s item, this timepiece is also one of the last pieces from the Manufacture to bear the “Vacheron & Constantin” signature, since it was in 1970 that the Manufacture officially changed its name to Vacheron Constantin.
Malachite, turquoise, coral, tiger’s eye, lapis lazuli and opal…. Since the late 1960s, many of Switzerland’s leading watch manufacturers have been producing ladies’ watches with coloured dials made from hard stones. This example, whose dial reflects exceptional craftsmanship given the fragility of malachite, sold for more than double its low estimate (€6,000)!
PIAGET
SOLD 14 432€
In the 1970s, Piaget established itself as one of the most creative manufacturers of ladies’ watches. Combining precious stones and precious metals with unprecedented audacity, the Manufacture produced extremely sophisticated watches equipped with high-quality mechanical movements. This example, in yellow gold and ruby, is equipped with a rare 4P calibre, a movement developed by the Manufacture in 1976. Made in 1980, this watch was produced in only three examples, a rare piece that meets the company’s demand for exclusivity. At Piaget, jewellery watches are always created in small series, and certain models are often produced in less than 10 pieces. Selling for €14,432, almost three times its estimate, this jewellery watch testifies to the growing interest in the brand’s vintage models. This is an encouraging result for Artcurial, which will be organising a “Piaget 150 years” sale in 2024. With the support of Piaget, France’s leading auction house will celebrate all the creativity and boldness of the manufacture founded by Georges-Edouard Piaget in 1974 in La Côte-aux-Fées.
