Results for Sotheby's (Auctions)

Auctions: Six Observations From Sotheby's September 18 Hong Kong Sale

Ready or not, auction season is back. I don't know about you, but I wasn't expecting it so soon. While the auction cycle is generally synced up for Geneva and New York sales a bit later in the fall, Sotheby's is doing the earliest big sale of the fall with "Important Watches" in Hong Kong on September 18.  Personally, I'm still working through the best way to handle auction coverage, as the number of watches is often daunting. That challenge gets worse with Hong Kong sales, which we've generally struggled to stay on top of for a number of reasons. One of which, and this is a complaint for all auction houses, is that there are too many lots in Hong Kong sales. This is driven by both the market location (many of these watches were sourced locally—something I know because I know a decent number of these watches) and the forces behind the auction house and its metrics. Sometimes you have to make sellers happy and take what they want to get at other things (like taking random Hermès bags in a watch sale, as we see this time). It can be overwhelming for a buyer, and for you and me as readers. I want to find the interesting, great deals in the mid- and low-range and share them with you, but I also can't ignore the impressive pieces that might shape the broader market. One important note: for Hong Kong sales, I never get to see the watches in person. It's a lot easier for me to stand in front of a case of watches and pick things up by feel, closely evaluate condition and origi...

Auctions: The Last Steve McQueen Heuer Monaco From Le Mans Is Coming Up For Sale At Sotheby's

When lot 71 hammers at Sotheby's New York Auction this weekend, it will punctuate a story that was started nearly sixty years ago in France—the lot number surely a nod to the year Le Mans debuted, 1971. The story of Steve McQueen and the film has been well told over the past half century, immortalizing a man and bolstering two industries in the process. It's essentially canon at this point, yet the story was never complete—until now. A cache of documents from the film's property master, held onto for decades after production closed, has finally set the record straight. And the last watch is coming up for sale this weekend. The Heuer Reference 1133B Monaco Screenworn by Steve McQueen in Le Mans, Circa 1969, up for auction at Sotheby's this weekend. Photo courtesy of Sotheby's. The 1960s were a formative decade for Heuer. The Autavia launched in 1962, the Carrera in 1963, and the Monaco in 1969—the latter completing a trio of Heuer chronographs all released that year with the Calibre 11, a movement developed jointly by Heuer and Breitling, built around a Buren micro-rotor with a Dubois-Depraz chronograph module layered on top, creating the first commercially available automatic Swiss-made chronograph. The Autavia and Carrera received redesigned cases for the occasion. The Monaco was something else entirely: a completely new watch, built around a patented square case sourced from EPSA, creating the world's first water-resistant square chronograph. With its angular form,...

Auctions: Continuing Our Massive 2026 Geneva Spring Auctions Preview: Christie’s and Sotheby’s Round Things Out (Part 2)

There's no shortage of watches this auction season—more than 1,200 lots across the major houses—but volume isn't really the story. At Christie's and Sotheby's, the focus feels different this time around, moving past the hype-driven pieces of the early 2020s and back to some genuinely compelling and surprising watches. Last week, we published part one of our preview—today, we're finishing it up with part two. Christie’s I would argue that Christie's always has one of the more subtle and yet impressive catalogs. There are some truly fantastic pieces here and, as always, we'll start at the top. Lot 134, a unique and absolutely stunningly gorgeous (add all the superlatives you want) two-tone 14k pink gold and steel Audemars Piguet "Observatory-style" watch. Photo courtesy Christie's. If you're looking for a watch that my friend and current "Bring a Loupe" writer Weston Cutter called an "immediate knee-weakener," you need to sit down for this one. Lot 134 is a unique and absolutely stunningly gorgeous (add all the superlatives you want) two-tone 14k pink gold and steel Audemars Piguet "Observatory-style" watch. The watch is powered by a 13-ligne 13VZAS movement that was highly modified for precision as a time-only watch, with a large subsidiary seconds at 9 o'clock and a blank subdial at 3 o'clock. Bold numerals, bold design, it's the kind of thing you dream about if you collect early watches, and the estimate is a hilarious CHF 50,000 to 100,000. It should go for way m...

Auctions: Incredible Mystery Clocks, Breguet Watches for Royalty, And A Rare Set of Pateks At Sotheby’s And Christie’s Fall Geneva Auctions

We dig into the other auctions run by the big houses in the upcoming weeks.

Auctions: Sotheby's Announces Geoff Hess As Head Of Watches For The Americas

The industry vet joins a growing watch department at Sotheby's New York.

Auctions: Andy Warhol’s Patek Philippe 2526 (And Six Other Great Pateks) At Sotheby’s

The latest Sotheby's New York sale has a load of perpetual calendar chronographs, modern chronographs, and even pocket watches. So which ones are the best? We've got some ideas.

Geneva Auction Week Report - Highlights From Antiquorum’s Geneva Auction, Phillips’ Watches: Decade One (2015 - 2025), And The Celebration Of Breguet’s 250th Anniversary Auction At Sotheby’s

The Watches and Wonders fair and Geneva Watch Days always cause quite a stir in the usually calm and quiet city of Geneva. Auction week has another effect on the town. The thrill of the hunt for watches on auction brings a buzz that’s very different from the thrill of hunting for novelties. Stating that […] Visit Geneva Auction Week Report - Highlights From Antiquorum’s Geneva Auction, Phillips’ Watches: Decade One (2015–2025), And The Celebration Of Breguet’s 250th Anniversary Auction At Sotheby’s to read the full article.

A Preview of the Upcoming Important Watches Auction by Sotheby’s (Nov 9th)

Auctions: Previewing New York's Spring Auction Season At Phillips, Sotheby's, And Christie's

Auction season can be exhausting. I can barely believe that we do this twice a year. We often only have the time and energy to cover the main show in Geneva, with a few thousand lots offered between four auction houses just last month. But after Geneva and Hong Kong (which comes before Geneva for some houses and after for others), the circus comes to New York, and this year we're going to take a gander at the watches on offer in the city. Most auction houses don't drop their catalogs until after Geneva is over. That prevents people from holding their bids because they're doing the "distracted boyfriend meme" and looking at future watches. That keeps them from going all-in in Geneva, which isn't what the auction houses want. They want your bids now and later. Well, later is here, and I hope you have some cash left over. Weirdly, I'm getting a sense of déjà vu; there are a few familiar-looking watches. So let's go ahead and take a look. Phillips It was a banner weekend for Phillips in Hong Kong with a pretty fantastic $51.5 million sale, backed by the $10.2 million sale of the first series rose gold Patek 2499, which became the most expensive wristwatch ever sold in Asia. That is one of three mega Pateks Phillips was offering this season, which is rounded out by an incredibly clean and honest 1518. I know the record result means that that should be the watch to pick, all things being equal, but I still like a watch that looks basically untouched. Photo courtesy Phillips. P...

Auctions: Sotheby's To Offer A Massive 300+ Piece Cartier Collection Across Sales This Year

Starting in Hong Kong on April 24th and running into December, the house will offer pieces from Cartier Paris, London, and New York - plus a lot of insanely impressive other watches from Rolex, Patek, Dufour, and more.

Auctions: A Look at the ‘Grosse Pièce’ - Audemars Piguet’s Most Complicated Pocket Watch Still in Private Hands, Up for Auction at Sotheby’s

The watch, a part of the late Robert Olmsted's history-changing collection, goes up for sale on December 8.

Auctions: Sotheby's Is Putting Some Of A. Lange & Söhne’s Rarest New Creations On The Auction Block

With many of these grails coming up for auction for the first time, this winter will be a defining moment in Lange's secondary market performance.

Auctions: Sotheby's New York Auction To Feature 'The Olmsted Complications Collection,' Including Two Never-Before-Seen Patek Philippes

The auction will be the department's first at the iconic Breuer building in New York and is expected to draw heavy bidding.

Auctions: Sotheby's to Sell a Complete Set of Patek Philippe Star Caliber 2000 Pocket Watches for the First Time, With The Second-Highest Estimate Ever In Watches

Quoted in excess of $10 million, this is a rare chance to see a Star Caliber 2000, let alone the unprecedented chance to buy all four metals.

Auctions: Sotheby's x Heist Out's Thematic Watches & Wonder Week Auction Returns As 'Area_51'

Hold on to your diamonds, we're going to space.

Auctions: Sotheby's Brings First International Auction To Saudi Arabia, Featuring A Prototype Richard Mille (And More)

Amongst Paul Newman Daytonas and Richard Milles, there's also artwork from names like René Magritte and Pablo Picasso.

Auctions: Nine Vintage Heuers To Watch At Sotheby's This Week

A dive into the 'Heuer Champions' portion of the catalog, including many with ties to motorsport.

Auctions: A Rare Vintage Heuer Carrera With Racing Provenance Up For Sale At Sotheby's

The vintage Carrera Sunray DX is one of perhaps a dozen given to racing team members in the '60s.

Auctions: Sotheby's Watches Announces Its 'Most Historically Important Pairing Ever' With George Daniels And Roger Smith Watches This Fall

It's the last of Daniels' Millennium series – double signed – and the very first in the Co-Axial Anniversary series by Smith for Daniels, representing the best of British watchmaking.

Auctions: The New York Summer Auctions Are Here! These Are The Top Lots To Watch At Christie's, Phillips, And Sotheby's

Summer biddin', had me a blast // Summer biddin', happened so fast

Auctions: A Patek Philippe Collection Unlike Any Other Heads To Auction At Sotheby's Hong Kong - Here Are Our Highlights

The "Nevadian Collector" sale is absolutely mind-blowing in its diversity and quality.

Auctions: An Original Royal Oak Watercolor By Gérald Genta Just Sold For Over $600K At Sotheby's Geneva

The first "Gérald Genta: Icon of Time" auction concluded this morning.

Auctions: Gérald Genta's Personal Royal Oak To Sell At Sotheby's In May 2022

Will this set a new Royal Oak record?

Auctions: Five Charmingly Idiosyncratic Lots From The Upcoming Auction At Sotheby's

It's not all time-only and QPs.

Auctions: Philippe Dufour Simplicity No. 100 Sells For $662,698 At Sotheby's Hong Kong

Sometimes less really is a whole lot more.

Auctions: Three Breguet Watches From The David Salomons Collection In The Mayer Museum Of Islamic Art Will Come Up At Sotheby's

Masterpieces from one of the most legendary collections in watchmaking are coming up for auction.

Auctions: A Gumby Watch Gifted By Andy Warhol To Keith Haring To Cross The Block At Sotheby's

“Nothing is important…so everything is important.” – Keith Haring

Auctions: Rolex Daytona John Player Special Sells For £1.215 Million At Sotheby's

It's a record for the JPS and for a watch sold in an online auction.

Auctions: A Rare Rolex Daytona Fetches $3.27 Million At Sotheby's Hong Kong Auction

A platinum case and a stone dial set a new auction record for automatic Daytonas.

Auctions: Dent Pocket Watch Sets Two New Records At Sotheby's Online Auction

Pocket watches worth watching may require deeper pockets.