The beginning of this year looks promising with a first series of auctions in Monaco under Artcurial’s flagship. French leading auctioneer in the field of watches, among one of the most prominent in all other categories, Artcurial has developed its niche market locally for watches, jewelry and Hermès bags under the impulsion of François Tajan.

1. Antique Watches

My first choice is focused on this rare and exquisite collection of antique watches which covers several centuries of watchmaking history. It is interesting because we discover watches from the beginning of the 16th century until early 19th century with ornamental works of art depicting various stylistic periods in Art History.

Lot 56 – A gold enamel pocket watch from the Paris school of enamellers and signed Estienne Chavanes, circa 1640. This interesting piece in the lineage of the Blois School of enamellers in the early 16th century is a testimony of the first enamellers going back to the first dynasties of Toutin, The present example is depicting a scene La vierge à L’enfant à la Colonne from a painting of the Old Master Simon Vouet.
Est. 20 000 – 30 000€.

 

 

 

Lot 76 – Here is a gold and enamel pocket watch made for the Chinese market with a painted enamel scene attributed to Jean-Louis Richter, the famous Geneva enameller of the early 19th century. The case is richly decorated with a pearl-set bezel. The watch is also accompanied by its original key which makes it a rare example made by Ilbery, famous English watchmaker specialized in watches made exclusively for the Chinese market.
Est. 80 000 – 100 000€.

 

 

2. Ladies Watches

In a market mainly focused on gentlemen’s watches, it is good to see that Artcurial is now focusing on this rising market for ladies’ watches, indeed it has a real potential at auction, which explains why Artcurial under the impulsion of Marie Sanna, Head of Watches, will organize a thematic sale “Le Temps est Féminin” for the end of this year in Paris.

Lot 119 – The so-called Reine de Naples launched a few years ago by Breguet is a perfect example towards the feminine watch community. The Queen of Naples, Caroline Murat, was indeed the first one to order from Abraham-Louis Breguet a wristwatch on June 8th, 1810, which now clearly states a point for the brand Breguet. This model is meeting a new demand for ladies’ watches both with a specific design and useful complications.
Est. 10 000 – 15 000€.

 

 

 

Lot 167 – This very small and elegant ladies’ wristwatch in gold is without any doubt one of my favorite ladies’ wristwatch in this sale. Confirmed by Audemars Piguet in its archives, it was sold in 1958 and is a good testimony from the period when small sizes were the perfect sign of elegance for ladies’ timepieces.
Est. 1 500 – 2 000€.

 

 

 

 

3. Vintage Watches

This last section is in number one position worldwide at auction, we have seen last year a rise and explosion in the collectors’ appetite for vintage models, such as sports watches or even the so-called professional watches like the star of this sale, a Rolex Milgauss first generation. With recent impressive results achieved at Christie’s, Sotheby’s, Philipps and Antiquorum this section should again be the biggest focus for the collector’s eye.

 

Lot 139 – This diver’s wristwatch signed Blancpain Fifty Fathoms coming directly from the original owner, a professional diver, is one of the highlights of this section, it has its beautiful original patina and was subject to a report by the brand who clearly examined the piece under all aspects, the workshop by Blancpain for vintage is the perfect tool for collectors.
Est. 20 000 – 30 000€.

 

 

Lot 214 – This rare wristwatch which we qualify as professional, because originally intended for the engineers of the CERN, was developed to resist to magnetic fields up to a 1000 gauss, whereas normal wristwatches from the period would only resist up to maximum a 100 gauss and is a clearly sought after by collectors. It comes directly from the original owner, showing all its characteristics with the so-called honeycomb dial and lightning center seconds.
Est. 90 000 – 120 000€.

 

 

This first auction of the season was an opportunity for me to help you discover some other aspects of the international watch auction market, a step aside from the hub of international auctioneers all year around in Geneva, New York and Hong Kong.

End of this month will be the meeting point for 2016 Highlights in The Market’s Eye with a statistic analysis on major auction locations in Geneva, New York and Hong Kong and anticipate market trends to follow in 2017.