Results for Phillips Watches

5 Important Watches From The Phillips Geneva Watch Auction: EIGHT According to Aurel Bacs

Aurel Bacs shows us his Top 5 picks from The Geneva Watch Auction: EIGHT that will be held on 10th and 11th November 2018.

Four Watches Top $1 Million at Phillips Geneva Auction; New All-Time Rolex Record Set

Patek Philippe acquires Beyer Chronometrie, Philipps introduces watch insurance, and the Horological Society of New York commits over $1.6M to watchmaking

This week, Patek Philippe acquires Beyer, Philipps introduces insurance, and the Horological Society of New York Gala raises over $1.6MThe post Patek Philippe acquires Beyer Chronometrie, Philipps introduces watch insurance, and the Horological Society of New York commits over $1.6M to watchmaking appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Jaeger-LeCoultre flips the script on a worldtimer with the Reverso Tribute Geographic (live pics)

A novel take on a world timer, this Reverso has a 'Grande Date' on the main dial side, and an inverted world time disc on the reverse.The post Jaeger-LeCoultre flips the script on a worldtimer with the Reverso Tribute Geographic (live pics) appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Glashütte Original flips the moonphase on its head with the PanoLunarInverse

The PanoLunarInverse is Glashütte Original's first-ever PanoInverse model with a moonphase complication, and features stunning finishing.The post Glashütte Original flips the moonphase on its head with the PanoLunarInverse appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Yearning for an Oysterflex but Rolex hasn’t granted your wishes yet? There are plenty of others to choose from

If you're struggling with finding a rubber strap for your steel sports Rolex, here are a few options you should consider.The post Yearning for an Oysterflex but Rolex hasn’t granted your wishes yet? There are plenty of others to choose from appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Watches and What Else: Kelly Haygarth Talks Women in Watches and Flips Us the Entrepreneurial Byrd

Kelly Haygarth, founder of Byrd Watch Co., is a tour de force. You will not find a more welcoming person who’s full of passion when it comes to bringing folks together in this hobby. I’ve been fortunate enough to hang out with Kelly and her husband, Peter, a few times and they’re both the life of the party. While this interview was full of laughs, Kelly definitely manages to exude a sense of community and takes time to get serious about what it means to be an entrepreneur in this space. Watches “My first real watch was this little 28mm Victorinox that Peter gifted me in 2013. I now realize this was his attempt at grooming me into the hobby,” Kelly told me. But, as she would later recall (and in spite of Peter’s grooming efforts), her love of watches began in earnest in 2019.  “Peter grew up appreciating them [watches], and I never really understood. […] One day Peter called me and said he had found this Tag Heuer Carrera Twin Time, and I didn’t know what any of that meant. He found it in a pawn shop and it looked all grubby, and said it was $600. I was like WHAT?!?! How much?! On a watch?!”  Kelly began laughing, “Wow. I think back to that innocence, and wow.” She went on to describe how Peter brought the watch home and disassembled it on their kitchen island and cleaned it to the point where it was beautiful. Kelly didn’t think much of it at first, but one day Peter asked if she wanted to wear it. “I didn’t take it off. It became my watch. ...

Vintage Watches: Two Gold Patek Philippes, A 1980s Sinn Chronograph With World-Time Bezel, And A 1974 Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date

Let's be Sinn-cere, Patek Philippe might read clunky but it really Rolex-es off the tongue.

Highlights: Patek Philippe Complications at Phillips Hong Kong

Phillips’ spring auction season goes east for The Hong Kong Watch Auction: XXII on May 30 – 31. As usual, Phillips has put together a very strong lineup, and, as is often the case at watch auctions, Patek Philippe watches — both vintage and modern — have an outsized share of the catalogue. Lot 940 – Patek Philippe Bailey Banks & Biddle Triple Complication Patek Philippe produced this watch for Philadelphian jeweler Bailey Banks & Biddle around 1895, and it bears only the retailer’s name on the dial, which was not unusual. While the company came to a rather undignified end in the 21st century, it was once a manufacturing jeweller, medalist, and major Patek Philippe retailer. The dial is in rather rough condition by the standards of enamel dials, and while the dial may the most important thing to many wristwatch collectors, here the triple-complication movement is what matters. It features a minute repeater, chronograph, and perpetual calendar — which is presumably instantaneous. Note the lack of a minutes counter for the chronograph. While taken for granted on modern chronographs, most Patek Philippe triple complications did without it. In fact, the most common upgrade path for triple complications was a rattrapante, not minutes counter. The counterweighted pallet fork is also worth mention — this refinement disappeared as the Swiss lever matured and watchmakers realised a lighter pallet fork was better than a balanced one. The movement is fully functional, ...

Auctions: Phillips Bringing Three Mega Pateks to Its Spring Sales

We'll have further auction coverage in the coming weeks, but it's worth giving Phillips a bit more attention, as it continues to lead in year-over-year sales. The auction house sold a record total of over $290 million in watches last year and has had five years in a row with over $200 million in sales. The market has shifted (I'd argue at least twice) in the past few years, but despite the growing F.P. Journe, independent, and pocket watch (yes, pocket watch) markets, the top lots for Phillips continue to be Patek Philippe. At each of their spring auctions, Phillips is selling an important Patek to headline the sale, and each is the kind of watch that could be the pinnacle of the world's top collections. Normal caveat here: I haven't seen these watches in person yet, and anyone considering bidding should make sure to check any watch in person if at all possible. A Patek Philippe ref. 2523 Two-Crown World Time With Cloissoné Enamel South America Dial First, we have the star of Geneva, to be sold on May 9: the Patek Philippe ref. 2523 two-crown world time with cloisonné enamel map of South America, from 1953. Aside from rare variants of 2499s or 1518s (and a few repeaters), these two-crown watches, with their incredible, angular lugs and giant open canvas at the center of the dial, have become the holiest of Holy Grails for many collectors. They are rare enough to be hunted and coveted, but there are also enough out there to be studied, understood, and codified. Too rare o...

Auctions: Previewing The Phillips, Sotheby's, And Christie's End-Of-Year New York Auctions

The auctions kick off on December 6-7 at Phillips, then December 8 at Sotheby's, and December 9 at Christie's, with some phenomenal watches on offer from all three houses.

Highlights: Magnificent Matched Sets at Phillips Hong Kong

Matching sets are a motif of Phillips’ upcoming Hong Kong auction, with the most spectacular being the Concord Saratoga Splendour, a set of four minute repeating, high jewellery wristwatches representing the four precious stones – diamond, sapphire, ruby and emerald – each with a distinct movement made by Christophe Claret. Also on offer is a set of three watches from Glashütte Original with Meissen porcelain dials, and a Patek Philippe Pagoda quartet. Lot 857, a matching pair of Bovets depicting Hong Kong harbour by day and by night. Image – Phillips Such sets enjoyed popularity at the top end of the market during the 1980s and 1990s, often centred around the four precious coloured stones, diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires. Perhaps the ultimate example of the matched set is the most complicated Patek Philippe watch, the Calibre 89, that was originally launched as a set of four in yellow, rose, and white gold, and platinum. Unfortunately, many of these sets have since been split up. Can these three escape that fate? Lots 858 to 862 – Concord Saratoga Splendour Set Concord was one of a few brands that saw great, but ephemeral, success during the 1980s and 1990s, in the same vein as Gerald Genta, Ebel, and Corum. In 1995 Concord launched the Saratoga Exor, a minute repeating tourbillon with perpetual calendar and bimetallic thermometer, set with 15.85 carats of baguette diamonds. With a price tag of CHF2 million, it was probably the second most expensive w...

Highlights: Independent Watchmaking at Phillips Hong Kong Fall 2025

A window into the early days of contemporary independent watchmaking, the upcoming Phillips Hong Kong auction offers an unexpectedly diverse line-up, including a single-owner collection of 1990s watches. The indie selection ranges from Daniel Roth in the late 1980s to Philippe Dufour’s influential finissage. And the historically-minded enthusiast will also notice the catalog includes work from an era when star independent watchmakers, such as Louis Cottier, counted brands as their clients. Lot 982 – Daniel Roth Ref. 2187 Tourbillon “Double Face” After helping establish Breguet as a Swiss watchmaker, Daniel Roth established his eponymous brand in 1988 with his inaugural model being the ref. C187/2187, a tourbillon wristwatch with two faces. The front indicates the time and showcases the tourbillon at six o’clock, while the reverse is home to the date and power reserve indicator. Despite the strikingly exotic look for the time – remember this was the late 1980s – the tourbillon actually employs the familiar Lemania tourbillon calibre, unsurprising given that Mr Roth helped with the construction of the calibre while he was at Breguet. While the bones are Lemania, the aesthetic is uniquely Daniel Roth. The grey dial has a pinstripe guilloche while the three-armed seconds hand indicates the time on a three-layer scale. Just last year, Louis Vuitton resurrected the Daniel Roth marque with a new generation of the iconic tourbillon powered by an all-new calibre deve...

Look out for these ultra-rare Seikos at Phillips’ Decade One auction

Borna highlights three incredibly rare and historically significant Seikos set to go under the hammer with Phillips in November 2025.The post Look out for these ultra-rare Seikos at Phillips’ Decade One auction appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Highlights: Phillips NYWA XII

As the Hong Kong auctions have wrapped, we move to the final sales of the spring season in New York City. Phillips will offer a healthy mix of new and old, common and rare, across 144 lots. The sale includes many of the expected top-of-the-line offerings, with the headline lot a Patek Philippe ref. 1518 in yellow gold, and staples like a pair of ref. 5004s. But there are plenty of interesting watches to be down catalog too, including some fresh faces and value buys. Highlights include the best of English watchmaking made by Charles Frodsham a century apart, the auction debut of American independent Keaton Myrick, an unusual F.P. Journe Résonance, along with a Cartier pocket watch made by complications specialist THA. We round up these and a few more from The New York Watch Auction: XII, which takes place from June 7-8, 2025. The full catalogue is available on Phillips.com. Lot 11 – A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Chronograph “2022 Best of Show, Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este” Since 2012, A. Lange & Söhne has been a sponsor of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, a classic car shown that takes place in spring on the picturesque shores of Lake Como. Each year, the owner of the event’s best car is presented with a unique Lange watch. While past winners have received a fairly conventional Lange 1 Time Zone, the brand upgraded the prize in recent years to a striking 1815 Chronograph. In 2022, the winner was Andrew Pisker with a Bugatti 57 S from 1937. He received th...

Highlights: Independent Watchmaking at Phillips Hong Kong

Phillips’ upcoming Hong Kong auction is a three-day affair that starts with enamelled Chinese market masterpieces of the 18th and 19th century, followed by a two-day main sale that includes several notable examples of independent watchmaking. Some, including watches from Greubel Forsey and Urwerk, might be value propositions and comparably accessible entries into the brands, while others will be six figures but arguably worth it – like the Piaget Gouvernor Grande Sonnerie that was produced by a young Francois-Paul Journe in the mid 1990s. We round up those and a few more indie highlights from The Hong Kong Watch Auction: XX that takes place from May 23-25, 2025. The full catalogue is available on Phillips.com. The Piaget Gouvernour Grande Sonnerie with a movement made by François-Paul Journe in 1997 Lot 893 – Krayon Anywhere in pink gold & Lot 965 – Krayon Anywhere in white gold The sale includes not one, but two examples of the Krayon Anywhere. Conceived by engineer Rémi Maillat, the Anywhere indicates sunrise and sunset times anywhere in world, thanks to a set of cams and levers that can be adjusted for a particular locale. The chapter ring on the periphery of the dial is composed of overlapping discs that move with the seasons, indicating sunrise and sunset as well as the seasonal length of the day. A sub-dial at six indicates the calendar, which is linked to the sunrise and sunset indicator. Hand finished to a high level by specialists in the Vallée de Joux...

Highlights: Magnificent Chinese Market Timepieces at Phillips Hong Kong

The Geneva sales have wrapped up, but the spring auction season continues in Hong Kong, where Phillips will offer a collection of unexpected and wonderful pocket watches made for the Chinese market in the 18th and 19th centuries. As Europeans became enamored with Chinese goods such as tea, silk, and porcelain, the Chinese were equally enraptured by European watches and clocks, often adorned with miniature enamel painting, pearls, gemstones, and hand engraving. Genevan enamelling, in particular, was world-leading and adorned some of the most elaborate timepieces of the 19th century. Proof of that can be found in the Patek Philippe Museum’s extensive collection of Chinese market watches and clocks. Today, Chinese market watches seem alien in their lavish and ornate decoration. Collectors’ tastes have become homogenized over time, particularly today, which makes historical Chinese market watches stand out as a world unto themselves, both in style and mechanics. A mini collection of such watches will be sold during the first session of Phillips’ The Hong Kong Watch Auction: XX at 6:30 pm on May 23, 2025. The extraordinary miniature enamelling found on a clockwatch by L. Vrard & Co. Lot 801 – Perfume Sprinkler Pistol by Moulinié & Bautte & Cie Geneva historically specialized in the manufacture of oddly shaped “fantasy watches” watches during the early 19th century. Common forms include fruits, musical instruments, animals, and flowers. Some of the more exotic fanta...

Highlights: A Noteworthy Trio from Patek Philippe at Phillips Geneva

It’s hard to stand out among the 194-lots in Phillips’ incredibly stacked upcoming Geneva auction. The catalog for The Geneva Watch Auction: XXI includes 36 watches from Patek Philippe, including familiar favorites like two ref. 5004s and an assortment of Nautilus and Aquanaut models. But three watches are especially notable. These highlights are led by the only known ref. 3448 “Padellone” perpetual calendar in pink gold – a retailer-signed example at that – followed by a landmark “grand” complication with Hagmann case, and a Beyer-signed pocket watch with a portal to Amsterdam on the back. The auction takes place on May 10 and 11, 2025, at the Hotel President Wilson in Geneva. Lot 74: Patek Philippe ref. 3448 in pink gold signed “Freccero” Patek Philippe’s first self-winding perpetual calendar, the ref. 3448, was primarily made in yellow or white gold – except for this example in pink gold. Besides the unique case material, this also has a retailer-signed dial. In addition, it’s in incredible condition, with unpolished lugs so sharp you could almost cut yourself. It features an early “second series” dial, with a “dimple” style minute track and engraved, enamelled markings. Even though the movement inside the ref. 3448 is one of the most beautiful automatics ever made, the cal. 27-460 doesn’t skate by on pretty privilege. The calibre is technically competent: with a free-sprung gyro-max balance, overcoil hairspring, and Patek Philippe’...

“Neo Vintage” Highlights at Phillips Geneva Online

The spring auction season is getting underway with the first sale being Phillips’ The Geneva Sessions Spring 2025 taking place online until March 12. The online auction is a warm-up for the Geneva live auction taking place in May, but the 70-lot sale nonetheless includes several interesting timepieces, including some unusual examples from the “neo vintage” era. Essentially watches made in the 1990s to the early 2000s, such watches tend to be good value today; 30 years on they still sell for a fraction of the original retail price. One of the best known watches from the era, perhaps even iconic, is the Vacheron Constantin Mercator. A double retrograde with hands taking the form of a compass, the Mercator was introduced in 1994 and produced for a decade. A little over 600 were made with most of them having etched brass dials; less common were the examples with cloisonné enamel dials. The sale includes a Mercator with a map of Portugal dating to 2004, making it one of the final pieces made. Part of a limited edition of just ten watches, this example includes an achieve extract. The Mercator Portugal is lot 19 with an estimate of CHF25,000-50,000. The enamel dial of the Mercator Portugal One of the quirkiest watches in the sale is the Alain Silberstein Kronomedio Saphir. The French designer was the first to employ sapphire crystal for the watch case way back in 1997. An exceptionally expensive watch at the time, the sapphire chronograph illustrated Mr Silberstein’s av...

Highlights: Metiers d’Art at Phillips Hong Kong

With the Geneva sales over, the auction season now moves to Hong Kong, where Phillips is staging a pair of sales: Toki, a theme sale dedicated to watches related to Japan, and the traditional The Hong Kong Watch Auction: XIX. Taking place over three days from November 22-24, the sales total 346 lots, including a notable line-up of metiers d’art timepieces decorated with artisanal techniques. They range from an enamelled Bulgari Serpenti to a Vacheron Constantin Les Masques quartet. We round up metiers d’art highlights from the two sales. The catalogues with online bidding for Toki and HKWA XIX. TOKI Lot 65 – Patek Philippe Rare Handcrafts “Kimono” Ref. 5077P-097 Patek Philippe’s annual Rare Handcrafts offerings are often centred on several themes, and in 2013, resulting in several models with Japanese motifs, including this Calatrava ref. 5077P with a cloisonné enamel dial. The technique of enamelling is well known: a mixture of silica sand, metal oxides for colour, and oil is painted on a surface before being baked in an oven at temperatures exceeding 800°C. to melt the paste to form enamel. Cloisonné adds an additional layer of complexity by employing gold wires to form the motif, with the enamel painted into the cells form by the wires. Here the wires form a cherry blossom motif typical of traditional kimono fabric. According to Phillips, only four examples were produced with this dial, with the present watch being the first to emerge at auction. This wat...

Phillips Reloaded auction brings the best of neo-vintage to the market

There are a lot of stories in watches, and these four have more to say than most, with a unique Rolex, an early F.P. Journe, and more. The post Phillips Reloaded auction brings the best of neo-vintage to the market appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Auction News: The Original Rolex Daytona “Rainbow” Ref. 16599 Emerges at Phillips

A watch known to insiders but largely unknown, the original Rolex Daytona “Rainbow” came long before the modern-day version that arrived at Baselworld 2012. It was a ref. 16599 equipped with the cal. 4030 based on the Zenith El Primero that was produced sometime in the 1990s. Now the one-off “Zenith Rainbow” is going under the hammer at Phillips come November when the auction house stages Reloaded, a thematic sale dedicated to watches made between 1980 and 1999. Having been owned by a well-known collector for several years – the same gentleman sold another record-setting Rolex at Phillips several years ago – this ref. 16599 has a bezel set with sapphires in a rainbow graduated due, along with a diamond pave dial with blue sapphire hour markers. I happened to meet the prior owner of this watch and he related the story of how he came to possess the watch. Knowing that backstory, the lavish stone setting and almost-bespoke nature of the watch certainly makes sense. Today’s Rainbow in Everose, the descendent of the ref. 16599 Estimated at over CHF3 million, the Daytona “Rainbow” will be sold on November 8, 2024 in Geneva at the Hotel President during Reloaded: The Rebirth of Mechanical Watchmaking, 1980-1999. The auction catalogue will be available closer to the date of sale.  

Masterpieces of Historical English Watchmaking at Phillips

Phillips’ upcoming New York auction, taking place on June 8 and 9, includes an unusual number of exceptional, highly complicated English pocket watches. Notably, these watches were consigned by the same discerning collector who owned the unique Patek Philippe ref. 767 with double split-seconds that recently sold for US$1.30 million including fees. All dating from the late 19th to early 20th century, the pocket watches exemplify the most prestigious type of timepiece in the world during the period, the high-quality English watch. Banker J. Pierpont Morgan, for instance, was an avid collector of English watches, and owned what was then the most complicated watch in the world, and made in England naturally. Quintessentially English That, however, was also when English watchmaking of this quality peaked. A victim of economic crises, war, and unwillingness to adopt new manufacturing technologies, high-end English watchmaking would go extinct after the Great Depression, though it has been revived in the 21st century in artisanal form thanks to the likes of Charles Frodsham. English watches in their heyday were often very complicated, but restrained in terms of movement decoration. This same philosophy would later be employed by George Daniels, who understood that quality did not equal decoration. He famously said on several occasions that a high-quality watches does not need fanciful decoration (which he implied was customarily Swiss). The auction includes five English pocket ...

Business News: Phillips Perpetual Opens in Hong Kong

Five years since opening its first concept store in London, Phillips has now officially launched Phillips Perpetual in Hong Kong. Conceived as a conduit for collectors to buy and sell watches between the biannual auction seasons, Perpetual is located in Pedder Building, a 1920s Beaux-Arts style located in the Central business district. Established in 2019 with a showroom in London and led by James Marks, Perpetual is the private-sale arm of the auction house that allows clients to buy and sell anytime, instead of during the traditional May and November auctions. Perpetual operates physical stores in London and Hong Kong, along with a seasonal pop-up in Gstaad, as well as its e-commerce platform. The Hong Kong outpost strengthens its foothold in Asia, home to many of Phillips’ important clients. Something for everyone As with its London store, the Hong Kong boutique’s offerings will continually evolve. At opening, however, Perpetual in Hong Kong showcases diversity in terms of brands, complications, and styles. The flagship offering is a Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime ref. 6300G-010, the brand’s most complicated wristwatch boasting a grande and petite sonnerie, alarm, date repeater, second time zone, and an instantaneous perpetual calendar. Another highlight is the A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Tourbillon “Homage to F.A. Lange” in Honey Gold launched in 2010 to mark the 165th birthday of its founder. Setting it apart from the earlier Lange 1 Tourbillon is a larger a...

The Arts and Forms of Watchmaking at Phillips’ Hong Kong

After exploring the independents in Phillips’ upcoming Hong Kong auction, our attention now turns to watches that focus on unusual aesthetics, namely timepieces defined by complex decoration or unusually shaped cases. Amongst the artisanal selection, here is one of Muriel Sechaud’s avian creations for Vacheron Constantin, alongside other enamelled works from the workshop of Anita Porchet. Muriel Sechaud’s rendition of Audubon’s birds And amongst the form watches is the Patek Philippe ref. 5013R-013, a tonneau-shaped grand complication in pink gold with a black dial, of which only three are known.  The Hong Kong Watch Auction: XVII takes place on November 24 and 25, 2023. Registration for bidding and the complete catalogue can be accessed here. Lot 859: Vacheron Constantin “Birds of America” ref. 43060 by Muriel Sechaud Renowned enamelist Muriel Sechaud collaborated with Vacheron Constantin to create a collection inspired by the illustrations of Jean-Jacques Audubon, a French-American artist, naturalist, and ornithologist. Audubon’s work, ‘Birds of America,’ served as the primary inspiration for this collaboration. The Swiss watchmaker, known for its commitment to craftsmanship and artistic expression, commissioned a series of cloisonné enamel dials to reproduce Audubon’s intricate bird illustrations faithfully. This artistic union reflects the fusion of horological expertise with the beauty found in natural history illustration. The current reference...