SJX Watches
Takeaways from the Record-Breaking Rolex Daytona Auction
In just a couple of weeks, Rolex and Phillips pulled off the near-impossible: a record-setting auction where the unique Daytona “Four Seasons” set sold for £37.3 million, equivalent to US$49.5 million. The sum is the largest tally ever for a charity watch auction of any sort, and also surpasses the US$31 million achieved by the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime ref. 6300A in 2019 – which was admittedly a single watch. All of the proceeds from the sale of the “Four Seasons” go to charities founded by Roger Federer and Leonardo DiCaprio, global celebrities and Rolex “Testimonees” who lent star power to the evening, which took place on September 28, the day after the Laver Cup that Mr Federer attended. The venue was the Raffles London, perhaps the latest and greatest hotel in the British capital, a city with no shortage of grand hotels. Reputedly the most expensive hotel project in the city’s history, having cost some £1.5 billion, the colonial building was once home to the British Ministry of Defence. The four Daytonas were on display in a room that appeared to be a basement bunker. The lavishly rebuilt interiors of the “Old War Office” were a fitting venue for the record-breaking evening, which was populated by a mix of celebrities, including Mick Jagger and Jon Bon Jovi, as well as many anonymous but well-heeled watch collectors who are clients of Phillips. Some of the world’s most significant watch collectors were in the room. Despite the short time...
