Phillips was founded in 1796 in London by Harry Phillips. The auction house was acquired by Bonhams in 2002, sold again in 2008, and re-emerged as an independent under various ownership through the 2010s. The Watches department was repositioned in 2014 with the recruitment of Aurel Bacs (formerly head of Christie's watches) and Livia Russo, who established Phillips's Geneva watch sale as the most-watched calendar event in vintage watch auctions.
Phillips's signature contributions: setting the all-time price record for a wristwatch (Paul Newman's own Daytona ref. 6239, USD 17.8M, 2017); reviving the vintage Heuer market; legitimising modern independents at auction (FP Journe, Greubel Forsey, MB&F selling at strong premia); thematic curated sales (Daytona Lesson One, Rolex Submariner Study). Geneva and New York sales twice yearly; total annual watch volume ~USD 100M+. Main competitors: Christie's, Sotheby's, Antiquorum.
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