Modelled on mid 20th century wristwatches, the Farer GMT combines vintage design elements, like a domed dial and pencil hands, with distinctly more modern colour accents in orange, green and blue.
Three models are available – the Lander, Oxley and Ponting – each named after colonial era British explorers. All share the same steel case that’s 39.5mm in diameter.
More unusually the crown is bronze, meaning it will develop a patina over time as the watch is wound and set.
The Farer GMT is powered by an ETA 2893, a variant of the workhorse ETA 2892 modified to show a second time zone.
Like many other watches at this price point, the Farer GMT is produced by a private label Swiss manufacturer, in this case Roventa Henex.
Price and availability
The Farer GMT is priced at £1250 (about US$1600), and available direct from Farer online.
The last time Tudor had a brand ambassador was when it signed an up and coming golfer in 1997, after he won his first major. That five year deal ended in 2002 and Tiger Woods decamped for TAG Heuer (and is now with Rolex).
Now Tudor has just signed two giant names in sport: retired footballer David Beckham and the All Blacks, perhaps the world’s most famous rugby team.
The news is the latest development in Tudor’s multi-year strategy of building itself into a brand with an identity distinct from its parent, Rolex.
It follows the earlier steps of rolling out affordable and well designed sports watches – the Heritage Black Bay is the bestseller – as well as expanding its retail network; the brand re-entered the American market in 2013 after a decade’s absence.
The All Blacks, who boast a winning Test record of 77%, will wear the Black Bay Dark, in keeping with their monochromatic uniform.
Beckham, best known for his time at Manchester United and the England national team, gets the two-tone Black Bay S&G and the Black Bay Chrono, both new launches for 2017.
Japanese watchmaker Citizen will introduces its first ever tourbillon wristwatch come June 2017, according to fashion news website WWD Japan.
The Citizen Tourbillon Y01 will commemorate the 300th anniversary of major department store chain Daimaru, which got its start as a dry goods store in 1717.
A limited edition of just two watches available only at Daimaru for about US$90,000, the Tourbillon Y01 has an 18k white gold case that’s 42mm in diameter and 12.2mm high. The dial is white and black cloisonné enamel.
Although Citizen is the parent company of Swiss watchmakers Arnold & Son as well as La Joux-Perret, both of which make tourbillon movements, the Tourbillon Y01 is developed and produced in Japan by Citizen.
The cal. M001-Y01 inside is hand-wound with a 100-hour power reserve, while the balance runs at 21,600 beats per hour. The bridges visible through the sapphire back are decorated with striping that’s meant to evoke trees during the rainy season.
The Tourbillon Y01 (ref. NA2000-05A) will be priced at ¥10m before taxes, or about US$90,000.
Despite being just 33 years old, Masahiro Kikuno makes wristwatches by hand in a rigorously traditional manner, inspired by the craftsmen who built wadokei, or traditional Japanese clocks, in the 19th century.
Based in the small city of Matsudo, an hour’s drive from Tokyo in Chiba prefecture, Kikuno crafts his timepieces inside his home, working in a converted bedroom, while the garage is the machine shop and the spare toilet a metal treatment facility. Shared with his wife, Kikuno’s house is compact, clean and comfortable, like many Japanese homes.
The upstairs bedroom that’s been turned into a workshop
Despite its modest size, Kikuno’s workshop is almost entirely vertically integrated. Kikuno has equipment for turning wheels, bluing and tempering steel, and even a roller for making flattening steel bars to make mokume-gane (literally translating as “woodgrain metal”) dials.
Kikuno wearing the now discontinued Mokume wristwatch
He makes nearly the entire watch himself, even the case, an unusual accomplishment for a one-man operation. In fact, Kikuno’s dedication to crafting components is so uncompromising he even produces his own mokume-gane – hammering, rolling and heating copper, gold and silver to produce a woodgrain gold alloy.
The hairspring, mainspring, jewels, crystal and leather strap are bought from suppliers, primarily Seiko subsidiaries.
The educated watchmaker’s workshop will inevitably have a well-stocked library
The converted garage
Like the houses, garages in Japan are fairly compact, built to accommodate practically sized cars. Yet Kikuno has managed to equip it with everything necessary. Much of the heavy lifting – fabricating main plates and bridges, polishing, metalworking – is done in the garage.
The roller for flattening mokume-gane bars
A polishing machine
His machine shop also includes an old school milling machine. It’s operated manually: Kikuno traces the hand-drawn plan for the baseplate with a stylus, while the cutter simultaneously mills out the part.
Kikuno also has to do his own quality control to ensure all the parts he produces are up to spec. He does this with an optical comparator, a device that projects a magnified image of a part against an overlay chart.
The genesis of an idea
Kikuno’s path to watchmaking was an unusual one, having been a small arms technician in the Japanese Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) for four years starting at age 18. It was in the military that Kikuno found his calling, when he met a senior officer who was a watch enthusiast.
Kikuno then left the JSDF, enrolling in a four-year course at the Hiko Mizuno College of Jewelry in Shibuya, a Tokyo district better known for its fashion stores. It was there that he produced his first timepiece, a time-only wristwatch with a retrograde display.
His first watch/photo courtesy Masahiro Kikuno
The college, however, taught watch repair, rather than watchmaking, leading Kikuno to embark on a journey of self education. Like many other self-taught independent watchmakers, Kikuno studied the craft primarily via George Daniel’s seminal Watchmaking, which instructs the reader on how to produce a tourbillon. That led Kikuno to build his first tourbillon wristwatch in 2010.
For a spell after graduation Kikuno continued as an instructor at the college, but in 2012 set up shop on his own as an independent watchmaker. A year later he became a member of the AHCI.
Five years on, Kikuno is still in the process of developing a house style, explaining the diverse aesthetic of the watches he has made. The fact that he makes nearly everything himself also means limitations in certain areas, like the shape of the watch case for instance.
Uncompromisingly traditional
Kikuno has built only a handful of watches in the seven years since he started, averaging one watch a year. That’s a consequence of his uncompromising adherence to traditional techniques of production.
In fact, he briefly attempted to produce timepieces without electricity, neither for lighting nor equipment, because it was how it was done in the 19th century. He somewhat sheepishly admits the effort was quickly abandoned due to sheer impracticality.
Tools to blue and temper steel parts
Consequently it is fitting that his signature timepiece is the wadokei wristwatch, the first time a traditional Japanese timekeeper has been produced in wristwatch form.
The wadokei keeps seasonal time – meaning days are longer in summer and shorter in winter – a system of time-telling that was replaced by conventional 24-hour days when Japan modernised after the Meiji Restoration. Kikuno’s wadokei wristwatch is essentially a miniaturised version of the original clocks, but it tells both traditional and modern time.
Kikuno’s personal wadokei worn as a pocket watch
The elaborate, engraved wadokei wristwatch
Not only are the production methods similar, Kikuno also points out that his approach to producing the wadokei is historically correct, for the clocks were typically produced by a single craftsman, rather than a series of contractors as it was in Switzerland during the same period.
The watches
Kikuno’s watches start at approximately ¥5m, about US$45,000, for the Sakubou wristwatch that features a moon phase and a hand-cut, kuro-shibuichi dial. Made of a copper, gold and silver alloy, the dial takes Kikuno two days to complete, first having to cut the floral motif by hand with a tiny saw then treating it to create a matte black finish.
The Sakubou is powered by an in-house movement naturally, one designed and built from scratch by Kikuno. The moon phase display at six o’clock is accurate to a day in 122 years, the standard in modern watchmaking.
While Sakubou is Kikuno’s latest creation, having just been unveiled at Baselworld 2017, his most distinctive wristwatch, however, is undoubtedly the Wadokei wristwatch. This starts at ¥18m (about US$160,000) for the basic version, rising to ¥25m (US$225,000) for the fully engraved model.
The wadokei fully-engraved
His tourbillon, on the other hand, costs approximately ¥10m (US$90,000), indicating how much more complex the wadokei is.
Kikuno also has a handful of prototypes sitting around the workshop, movements he works on when he has the time. Amongst the works in progress is an intriguing, pocket watch sized double balance wheel prototype that is similar to the F.P. Journe Resonance. He does not know if it will ever be turned into a commercially available timepiece.
Masahiro Kikuno’s watches are available direct from the watchmaker, who can be reached via his website.
Without fail Rafael Nadal will have on his right wrist a Richard Mille wristwatch – the Spaniard plays left-handed – while he is on court, even during major tournaments. Richard Mille has just unveiled the latest timepiece created for the tennis champ, the RM 27-03 Tourbillon Rafael Nadal.
Like last year’s time-only RM 35-02 Nadal, the new tourbillon has a red and yellow colour palette, a nod to Nadal’s home country, while the spherical yellow crown is modelled on a tennis ball.
Made of Quartz TPT, a carbon composite, the case gets its colour from the resins used to bind the carbon fibres inside the material. The case measures 40.3mm wide and 47.77mm long, while standing 12.75mm high, making it slightly wider than the preceding RM 27-02 Nadal tourbillon.
The movement base plate is made from a similar composite material, being an novel “unibody” structure where the base plate and case band are one piece, a construction first used in the RM 27-02. The angular titanium bridge on the front is a stylised bull’s head, Nadal’s personal emblem and also an animal symbolic of Spain.
Like all of Richard Mille’s tourbillon calibres, the movement is produced by Renaud & Papi, the movement specialist owned by Audemars Piguet. It is hand-wound with a 70-hour power reserve.
Price and availability
Limited to 50 pieces, the RM 27-03 is priced at SFr710,000 before taxes, equivalent to US$731,000.
Not officially launched at SIHH 2017 but widely rumoured to be imminent, the Panerai Mare Nostrum Acciaio PAM00716 revisits a 1990s classic, a reissue thrice removed from the original.
Its origins lie with a prototype (or perhaps several) of an oversized, 52mm wristwatch chronograph produced in 1943, which was intended for officers of the Italian navy. The watch never made it to production, though one example surfaced at Christie’s in 2005 and Panerai introduced two pricey, Minerva-powered remakes in recent years.
Then in 1997, before Swiss luxury conglomerate Richemont acquired Panerai, the watchmaker introduced the modern day Mare Nostrum chronograph, inspired by the giant original but more practical at 42mm. These pre-Vendôme watches – Richemont used to be known as the Vendôme Luxury Group – were the ref. 5218-301/A, and included a batch of “Slytech” special editions made for American actor Sylvester Stallone.
The latest Panerai Mare Nostrum chronograph PAM 716 takes after the ref. 5218-301/A, with the same dial and 42mm steel case. Most of the watch remains identical to the 1993 model, with minor exceptions like additional lettering on the back and crown.
While the dial is the same blue as before, the Super-Luminova on the hands and hour markers is a shade of tan that mimics the aged original. On the 1993 watches the luminous paint was tritium, which was white when new but over time has darkened into the tan that’s found on the new PAM 718.
The movement also remains the same, being the hand-wound OP XXXIII, which is actually an ETA 2801 topped by a Dubois-Depraz chronograph module. It has a 42-hour power reserve.
And just as with the 1993 original, the Mare Nostrum PAM 716 is packaged in a box that includes a scale model of the Luigi Durand De La Penne, an Italian navy destroyer launched in 1993. The reason being the ref. 5218-301/A made its debut in September 1993 on the newly commissioned vessel.
Price and availability
The Mare Nostrum PAM 716 is a limited edition of 1000 watches that will be available at retailers and boutiques in September or October 2017. It is priced at €9900 or S$14,600.
Rolex typically accounts for the biggest proportion of turnover at any watch auction – a Rolex wristwatch just sold for over US$5m last week – with the star performers being late 20th century sports models, the very same watches that form the core of contemporary Rolex collecting. But there is more to Rolex than the “Paul Newman” Daytona and “gilt” Submariner.
Here are five Rolex highlights from Christie’s upcoming Hong Kong watch auction that range from valuable watches that are in vogue, to the intriguing and affordable.
This 1930 Oyster Imperial is an early waterproof Rolex wristwatch that has a cushion-shaped steel case equipped with all the signature Oyster case features – a screw-down crown, fluted case back and screw-in bezel. And it is fitted with an attractive black lacquer dial, albeit one with cracks on its surface.
But more intriguingly it strongly resembles early Panerai watches, which were of course manufactured by Rolex since Panerai was founded as an instrument manufacturer rather than watchmaker.
In fact, this Oyster Imperial (along with many other Rolex watches of the period), heavily resembles what Panerai now labels the Radiomir 1940, which was historically the ref. 3646, a transitional model between the earlier Radiomir watches and later Luminor models.
That being said, the Oyster Imperial is a dinky little watch, with a case that’s just 32mm in diameter. Consequently it is estimated at a modest HK$25,000 to HK$40,000, or US$3300 to US$5200, an eminently reasonable sum for a historically interesting wristwatch.
Lot 2424 – Rolex Oyster chronograph ref. 3481 “Anti-Magnetic”
Yet another early and under appreciated, albeit undersized, wristwatch by Rolex – the Oyster chronograph ref. 3481. Produced in the late 1930s, the ref. 3481 was one of the earliest Rolex chronographs (almost contemporaneous with the more exotic Zerographe), the predecessor of better known watches like the Cosmograph Daytona.
This example dates to 1939 and is marked “Anti-Magnetic” on the dial.
It’s in handsome condition, with a well maintained case and appealing dial. Despite showing visible age, the dial remains appealing as the discolouration is mostly even.
Like many other watches of the period the case is small, just 29mm wide.
Notably, it is accompanied by a period Rolex box marked “Philippe Beguin”, a now defunct store in Geneva that was once a prominent Rolex retailer, the very same shop, in fact, that sold the Last Emperor of Vietnam the diamond-dial ref. 6062 “Bao Dai” that recently became the most expensive Rolex ever sold.
This is estimated at HK$80,000 to HK$120,000, or US$11,000 to US$16,000.
Lot 2427 – Rolex GMT-Master ref. 1675 in 18k yellow gold
Unlike the preceding lots this GMT-Master is more in keeping with current tastes in vintage Rolex collecting. Dating from 1971, it’s a typical yellow gold GMT-Master of the period, featuring a matte brown dial and matching bezel. While not an exceedingly rare watch in itself, what sets this apart is its remarkable condition.
Having been worn little over the 45 years since it left the factory, the watch is in remarkably crisp and original condition. The case retains its signature bevels lengthwise along the lugs, as well as fresh hallmarks.
More significantly, the back of the lugs are practically unmarked, meaning a bracelet was never fitted to the watch.
This example boasts an attractive combination of qualities: being new enough to hardly look like a vintage watch, yet with barely enough wear to make it easy to wear, unlike an actual, unused “new old stock” wristwatch.
This is estimated at HK$100,000 to HK$200,000, or US$13,000 to US$26,000.
Lot 2446 – Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 6265 in yellow gold
Even more in tune with today’s tastes than the GMT-Master is this Daytona ref. 6265 in yellow gold. This 1979 example is in top condition, with a well preserved case that maintains its proper, original appearance along with all the gold hallmarks still visible.
A top of the line chronograph in its day, the ref. 6265 was only chronometer certified in its precious metal guises, either 14k or 18k gold.
While it’s fitted to a black bezel that’s originally meant for the ref. 6263, the watch is accompanied by the 18k yellow gold bezel that’s correct for the ref. 6265.
The watch is also fitted to a correct Rolex Oyster rivet bracelet that is in similarly excellent condition. This carries an estimate of HK$550,000 to HK$850,000, or US$72,000 to US$110,000.
Lot 2447 – Rolex Daytona ref. 6263 “Paul Newman Panda”
The double-barrelled nickname means this Daytona ref. 6263 is a notably pricey example. It combines several particularly desirable features: a “Paul Newman” type dial, the “Panda” colour scheme with black registers on a white dial, as well as the screw-down pushers typical of the ref. 6263.
More importantly, this example is in sterling condition, having come from a Japanese collector who acquired it 25 years ago. The case is crisp and well preserved, as is the dial. There is slight discolouration to the centre of the 30-minute sub-dial, which is not particularly appealing visually but perhaps of interest to diehard Rolex collectors since it indicates the sub-dial might be turning “tropical”.
Additionally, this “Panda” is reassuringly correct, having “Mark 1” pushers, a “Mark 1” bezel as well as a crown that lacks the three spheres of the Triplock logo – typically parts that have long been replaced with newer components on such watches. And the bracelet is period correct, as is the case back that is stamped “6239” inside.
This is estimated at HK$1.5m to HK$3.0m, or US$200,000 to US$300,000.
Preview and sale information
The preview exhibition for Christie’s Important Watches takes place daily from May 26 to 28, 10:30am to 6:30pm at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The auction takes place on May 29, starting at 2:00pm, at the same venue.
Introduced last year as a sly nod to the world’s bestselling smartwatch, the H. Moser & Cie. Swiss Alp Watch takes the concept even further with the “Zzzz” edition. Similar to the Moser Concept watches with unadorned dials, the Swiss Alp Watch Zzzz takes its cues from the Apple Watch in standby mode.
Two versions are available, the first with a plain black dial (ref. 5324-0207) that is dead ringer for the smartwatch, while the second has a Funky Blue dial (ref. 5324-0208) with a graduated metallic blue finish.
Both have an 18k white gold case that measures 38.2mm wide and 44mm long, making it slightly longer and definitely heftier than the Apple Watch.
The movement inside is the HMC 324, the brand’s top of the line time-only movement. It’s a hand-wound calibre with a four-day power reserve as well as the Moser interchangeable escapement. Constructed to be modular and easily replaced during servicing, the escapement also has the pallet fork and escape wheel made of hardened solid gold.
Price and availability
The Swiss Alp Watch Zzzz is a limited edition of 20 pieces with each dial, priced at US$26,900.
530Happening next week in Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Watch Auction: Four is the final sale for the spring season on the territory. It’s a 356-lot sale that encompasses diverse vintage watches as well as 42 timepieces from the collection of Laurent Picciotto, the proprietor of the famous Chronopassion store in Paris.
Our final instalment covering highlights from the sale focuses on chronographs, ranging from the affordable from the likes of Omega and Girard-Perregaux, to headliners like the Patek Philippe ref. 530 in steel. The full catalogue for the auction is available here.
Lot 809 – Omega Speedmaster Perpetual
The most complicated Speedmaster ever made, the Speedmaster Perpetual is esoteric and well outside the mainstream of Speedy collecting. It was produced as a 50-piece limited edition for the Japanese market (Bubble-era Japan got some of the most intriguing special editions), conceived to mark the 700th anniversary of the Switzerland, an even more esoteric event than the watch.
The case is 18k yellow gold, 39mm in diameter, and still recognisable as a Speedmaster, despite the fancy dress that includes a gold dial with black hands as well as an unusual but original octagonal crown.
Inside is the Omega cal. 1160, which is an ETA 2892 with both a chronograph and perpetual calendar module on top. Interestingly, because the perpetual calendar plate is topmost, the correctors for the calendar display sit just under the rim of the bezel.
The watch is in fine condition, with noticeable oxidisation of the case, indicating it hasn’t been worn in a long time. It’s accompanied by the original booklet, but unfortunately not the wood winder box made for the edition. The Speedmaster Perpetual is estimated at HK$60,000 to HK$100,000, or US$7,500 to US$12,500.
Lot 857 – Patek Philippe ref. 2577 “Freccero”
Less famous than the Calatrava ref. 2526 automatic but boasting the same ivory enamel dial, the ref. 2577 is significantly more rare. Perhaps 60 were made, with just three known in pink gold. Two of the three in pink are up for sale one day apart in Hong Kong, with first at Christie’s and then this example at Phillips.
Signed by Uruguayan retailer “Freccero” on the dial, the specimen at Phillips is the only one that is double-signed.
The case shows wear, but is in honest and original condition. The dial looks appealing but has three hairlines on the lower half. It has an estimate of HK$480,000 to HK$720,000, or US$60,000 to US$90,000. You can find more on the pair of pink ref. 2577 here.
Lot 860 – Patek Philippe ref. 130 chronograph “pink on pink”
Perhaps the quintessential vintage Patek Philippe chronograph, being available in a diversity of iterations, the ref. 130 is a typical mid-20th century wristwatch. This particular example is an unusual “pink on pink” specimen – a pink gold case matched with a two-tone, dark pink dial.
Much more scarce than the yellow gold ref. 130, this example was produced in 1949. Notably, it has been serviced by Patek Philippe – the owner is a noted collector who has a close relationship with the brand – and is correspondingly well-maintained and clean; the Calatrava cross logo on the crown usually indicates a factory service.
Both gold hallmarks on the case band and lugs are still obvious. The buckle is original, while the strap is a modern day Patek Philippe band. This carries a conservative estimate of HK$400,000 to HK$640,000, or US$50,000 to US$80,000.
Lot 862 – Patek Philippe ref. 1579 chronograph “spider lugs”
Belonging to the same owner as the prior ref. 130 in pink gold, this ref. 1579 in yellow gold is a similarly appealingly timepiece. Having also benefited from serviced by Patek Philippe, explaining its spotless condition, this ref. 1579 is circa 1952.
Measuring 36mm in diameter, unusually large for the era, the ref. 1579 feels more modern on the wrist than most of its contemporaries. Its most distinctive feature is the “spider lugs”, which are angled, angular and reminiscent of an arachnid’s legs.
The factory service means the watch has been polished, leaving the lugs more rounded than they were sixty years ago, but the two hallmarks on the case are still strong and correct. This ref. 1579 carries an estimate of HK$240,000 to HK$400,000, or US$30,000 to US$50,000.
Lot 942 – Franck Muller Chronograph Double Face
Though now better known for flamboyantly styled watches, when Franck Muller first started as a small-scale independent watchmaker nearly 30 years ago he was responsible for distinctly classical and notably innovative timepieces. One of his more ingenious creations was the Chronograph Double Face. The model name tells all: the watch has dials on both sides of the case to allow for multiple chronographic scales that are significantly more legible.
The front features a conventional dial with chronograph registers, while the back has an oversized, one-minute register with a central seconds as well as a pulsometer, tachymeter and telemeter. Because the face is so large, the scales are significantly easier to read than on an ordinary chronograph.
As with many of his early chronograph innovations, Muller built the double face on the robust Valjoux 7750 movement, dressing it up with decoration and a platinum rotor.
Dating to 1992 – the company was founded only a year before – this particular example is no. 0, meaning it was likely a prototype or one of the first produced. The case is platinum and 39mm in diameter, while the dial is beautifully made with applied, blued steel Roman numerals.
This has an estimate of HK$80,000 to HK$120,000, or US$10,000 to US$15,000.
Lot 952: Greubel Forsey Double Tourbillon 30° Secret “JCB”
While Phillips officially has no comment on the identity of the owner, Jean-Claude Biver has confirmed that the Greubel Forsey watches bearing the initials “JCB” belong to him. Having sold already sold a Greubel Forsey Invention Piece 1 at Phillips’ Hong Kong sale in November 2016, the TAG Heuer chief executive is offering another from his collection. This time it’s a Double Tourbillon 30° Secret in 18k white gold with a small plate on the dial engraved “JCB”.
The Greubel Forsey “Secret” watches are variants of its tourbillons with full dials that hide the tourbillon regulator, giving them a discreet, functional appearance. This model keeps the double-axis tourbillon inside hidden.
Only from the back is the tourbillon visible, with its two cages that rotate once every minute and four minutes respectively. The one-minute cage is inclined at 30 degrees, explaining the model name, while the initials “JCB” are repeated on the outer cage of the tourbillon.
The movement is reminiscent of high quality, 19th century pocket watches, with a frosted finish and two large barrels partially visible under the barrel bridge.
This watch is essentially unworn and like new. And as with other Greubel Forsey watches owned by Biver, it is also engraved with the production date on the case back. It carries an estimate of HK$960,000 to HK$1.4m, or US$120,000 to US$180,000.
Lot 978 – Girard-Perregaux Scuderia Ferrari 70th Anniversary Foudroyante Chronograph
Produced in 1999 for the 70th anniversary of the Ferrari Formula 1 team – Girard-Perregaux was then the official watchmaker for the Italian car marque – the Ferrari foudroyante was one of the first lightning seconds chronograph wristwatches on the market.
Developed by what was then Jaquet (and is now La Joux-Perret), a movement specialist that focused on chronographs, the movement is based a Valjoux 7750, but heavily modified to boast two column wheels to control a split-seconds function, as well as a 1/8 of a second hand.
This is the top of the line Ferrari foudroyante, one of 150 with a platinum case. Though the case is just 40mm in diameter, it feels significantly larger due to the enormous lugs that are both wide and long.
The estimate is HK$60,000 to HK$80,000, or US$7500 to US$10,000 – tremendous bang for the buck.
Lot 1069 – Patek Philippe ref. 2499 “2.5 series”
This lot is a rare and unusual variant of arguably the most desirable chronograph with perpetual calendar reference produced by Patek Philippe. A transitional watch between the second and third series ref. 2499 – only three such in-between examples are known – this ref. 2499 is in yellow gold with round buttons, Arabic numerals and sans tachymetric scale.
The dial is a blend of features of the second and third series: the second is characterised by Arabic numerals and a tachymeter, while the next generation lacks a tachymeter and typically has baton markers.
Dating from 1966, this example is in clean condition, having been serviced by Patek Philippe – the case back sticker and Calatrava cross crown are indicators of that.
The estimate is HK$2.7m to HK$4.0m, or US$375,000 to US$500,000.
Lot 1071 – Patek Philippe ref. 2481 “Virgin Forest” cloisonné dial
Produced in 1951 with the cloisonné enamel done by noted artisan Marguerite Koch, this ref. 2481 is remarkably striking, with vibrant and fresh colours on the dial. Not only is the dial exceptionally rare, the case is pink gold.
Like many other top quality enamel dials of the period, the dial was produced by Stern Freres, the dial maker once owned by the same Stern family that owns Patek Philippe. It’s fine, original and wonderfully crisp, save for a chip and minor restoration at six o’clock.
The case is similarly well preserved, with the curved, fluted lugs clearly retaining their original form. The well matched pink gold and expandable Gay Freres bracelet is period correct, but not a Patek Philippe bracelet.
The estimate is HK$4.0m to HK$8.0m, or US$500,000 to US$1.0m.
Lot 1074 – Patek Philippe ref. 3448 in white gold
Already rare as a model reference, this ref. 3448 is made even more unusual with its white gold case (most of them are in yellow gold) as well as luminous dots for the hour markers – it is likely the only one with this combination of features. The hands, including the date pointer, are similarly painted with tritium to match.
While the watch is incredibly well preserved – the case appears unpolished – and accompanied by the original certificate, guarantee, papers and boxes, the luminous dot at the seven o’clock marker has created a small patch of discolouration on the dial surface.
This is the second time the watch is up for sale, having been first sold in 2005 by its original owner, for just over US$258,000. It is estimated at HK$2.4m to HK$4.0m, or US$300,000 to US$500,000.
Lot 1076 – Patek Philippe ref. 530 chronograph in stainless steel
Despite sharing the same model reference as a time-only Calatrava, the ref. 530 is actually a strikingly oversized chronograph, with a 36.5mm case that makes it almost modern (the typical Patek Philippe ref. 130 of the period was just 33mm). Already rare in gold, the ref. 530 is decidedly less common in steel, with only a handful known.
This steel ref. 530 chronograph was produced in 1943 and is a later example with wider, 21.5mm lugs (compared to 19mm on the first generation).
Notably, it’s complete with the original certificate as well as a 1952 service receipt. It was last sold in 2003 at Antiquorum for the equivalent of just over US$675,000. Now the estimate is HK$4.0m to HK$8.0m, or US$500,000 to US$1.0m.
Lot 1080 – Patek Philippe ref. 3670A
Probably the most valuable modern day Patek Philippe chronograph, the ref. 3670A was introduced as a 16-piece limited edition in 2011. They were the result of a chance find of 16 calibre 13-130 movements in a mythical attic when Patek Philippe renovated its Geneva boutique in 1996. Based on the Valjoux 23, the calibre 13-130 is a gorgeously refined calibre most commonly found in the ref. 130 chronograph.
Dating to 1955, these rediscovered movements were cleaned and put into cushion-shaped steel cases with dark grey dials. Available only at Patek Philippe boutiques to key clients, they retailed for SFr240,000 at the time.
The exceptionally fine swan neck regulator is a work of art
This specimen of the ref. 3670A is the first one ever to appear at auction, and is estimated at HK$4.5m to HK$7.0m, or US$580,000 to US$900,000.
Lot 1149 – Patek Philippe ref. 5020R
Unlike the preceding watches, this is a contemporary wristwatch, but one that’s notably rare. Produced for a lengthy period from 1994 to 2002, the ref. 5020 is nonetheless infrequently encountered. Because it was unpopular when it was in production, few were produced. And this example is in pink gold, less common than the yellow gold version.
Regarded as somewhat ungainly while it was in the catalogue, the cushion- or TV-shaped case has grown more appealing over time. Unlike its peers from the same period, the ref. 5020 is feel substantially larger, giving it a more modern feel.
Mechanically this is identical to the ref. 3970 and later 5970, with the Lemania based CH27 movement inside.
But because of its rarity, the ref. 5020 is worth double or even triple what the average ref. 3970 sells for. This has an estimate of HK$1,.4m to HK$2.0m, or US$180,000 to US$250,000.
Preview and auction details
The HKWA4 preview is open to the public and takes place from May 25 to 29, 10am to 6pm, at the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong.
The auction will happen on May 30 at the same venue. The full catalogue is available here.
This was brought to you by Phillips.
Update May 28, 2017: Flaws on dial of ref. 2577 and chip on dial of ref. 2481 added.
The latest in a series of watches conceived to support conservation, the Aquatimer Chronograph Edition “Sharks” is a monochromatic take on the IWC diver’s stopwatch.
The dial is several shades of grey with a metallic finish, while the 44mm case is stainless steel. Rated to 300m, the case features IWC’s elaborate SafeDive bezel, which is an inner rotating elapsed time bezel operated by an outer bezel, connected by gears hidden underneath the steel cap on the case at nine o’clock.
Hammerhead shark silhouettes are cast in relief on the back, which hides the cal. 89365 inside. It’s an in-house, automatic movement with a flyback function and 68-hour power reserve.
The Aquatimer “Sharks” is packaged with a limited edition coffee table book appropriately titled Sharks. Containing images of sharks captured by Michael Muller, the book is signed by Muller and packaged in a metal cage inspired by those used to protect photographers against sharks.
Price and availability
Limited to 500 watches, the Aquatimer Chronograph Edition “Sharks” (ref. IW379506) is priced at US$12,200 or S$17,400. It is available at IWC boutiques and retailers.
