Highlights: Independent Watchmaking at Phillips Hong Kong
Value buys and an F.P. Journe grande sonnerie badged Piaget.
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, the manual wind movement inside is inspired by one section of Lake Neuchâtel, the body of water besides Krayon’s workshop, explaining the unusual, jagged outline of the barrel bridge.
Visible at the six o’clock position is the cam and u-shaped racks that control the sunrise and sunset discs. A lateral screw on the cam adjusts it position, allowing a watchmaker to customise the display for any latitude.
While the Anywhere has to be adjusted by Krayon for a specific location, the brand will do this without charge for the buyers of each of these watches.
A white gold Anywhere just sold at Phillips in Geneva two weeks ago, meaning that three examples have come to market within a short period of time. As a result, this might be an opportunity to land one at an attractive price.
Lot 893, the pink gold example. Image – Phillips
Both examples date to 2022 and were sold about six months apart. Each is complete with box and papers.
The version in pink gold is lot 893, while the white gold model is lot 965. The two have identical estimates of HK$700,000-1.4 million (US$89,700-179,000).
Lot 960 – F.P. Journe Vagabondage II
Still one of the quirkiest of Francois-Paul Journe’s creations, the Vagabondage was a trio of tortue-form watches with unusual time displays.
This is the second instalment in the series and shows the time with jumping hours and minutes in windows, along with the seconds power reserve. (The third, and final, watch in the series had jumping hours and seconds, along with sweeping minutes.)
Hours are indicated at 12 o’clock with a single disc, while minutes are shown just below with double discs. As with several other of F.P. Journe’s movements, the cal. 1509 of the Vagabondage II employs the brand’s trademark constant force mechanism, or remontoir d’egalite, to regulate the energy needs to the jumping display.
The double jumping displays consume enough energy that the power reserve of the movement is just 28 hours; unsurprising given its single, ordinarily sized barrel.
Launched in 2004, the tortue case is unlike the signature round F.P. Journe case. Its origin story is well known – the form was conceived for another brand – but the shape has since become synonymous with F.P. Journe as well thanks to the quartz Elegante.
Complete with box, papers, and a 2024 factory service, this example shows wear on the case, but appears to retain the original factory case finish with its sharp edges. The Vagabondage II has an estimate of HK$780,000-1.40 million (US$100,000-179,000).
Lot 999 – Harry Winston Opus 4 by Christophe Claret
The fourth instalment in Harry Winston’s Opus series, this watch was created by Christophe Claret, then a leading maker of complicated movements, primarily for other brands. Harry Winston has halted the Opus series, while the Claret company is no more, making this something of an interesting historical curiosity.
More classical than the avant-garde Opus editions that came before and after, it is still a complex watch: the movement incorporates a minute repeater with cathedral gongs, one-minute tourbillon, oversized moon phase, and date, plus the time shown on both of its double faces.
The open-worked front showing the movement and time
Featuring an indirectly driven time display as well as the hammers and gongs, the open-worked front dial reveals this is the work of Claret, not only because of the engraving on the barrel bridge, but also with the tourbillon cage that was the brand’s signature.
The reverse has a conventional dial with a large central moon phase, along with a pointer date.
Thanks to swivelling lugs, this watch can be worn on either of its two faces. However, it is not a dual time zone as both sides show the same time.
The dial showing the time, moon phase, and date
Like many of the very complicated watches of its era, the Opus 4 is enormous. The case is 44 mm in diameter, and probably almost 20 mm high due to the thickness of the movement. Add to that the platinum case with chunky lugs, and the result is a watch with massive presence.
The Opus 4 has an estimate of HK$480,000-960,000 (US$61,500-123,000), which is not so much as such things go, making this something of a value proposition. Servicing costs, however, may be substantial at Harry Winston, so that should be factored into the buying decision.
Lot 1000 – Piaget Gouverneur Grande Sonnerie
In the early 1990s, Piaget (which had then just been acquired by Richemont) decided to produce the ultimate striking complication, a grande sonnerie.
The Geneva brand tapped an up-and-coming watchmaker named Francois-Paul Journe to construct and produce the movement. Mr Journe was then a freelance watchmaker, having just departed his prior company and not yet having established his eponymous brand.
The planned series of 10 watches apparently only resulted in six timepieces, each unique but all powered by a complex calibre of Mr Journe’s own creation. The cal. 1996P grande sonnerie movement was complex and fragile, but formed the archetype of the subsequently Sonnerie Souverain that F.P. Journe would launch in 2005.
Most notable are the flat hammers and gongs under the dial that Mr Journe would later employ in all his chiming watches. In the Gouverneur the gongs are concealed by the dial, but the two hammers are visible in an aperture.
This example has an 18k white gold case that’s just 37 mm in diameter. The two buttons in the case are for activating the minute repeater and toggling between chiming or silent mode respectively.
This example almost certainly requires a service going by the age and wear of the movement, but it is probably the most affordable grande complication by François-Paul Journe anywhere. The Gouverneur Grande Sonnerie has an estimate of HK$1.40-2.40 million (US$179,000-308,000).
Lot 1026 – Urwerk UR-220 “Miami Vibe”
Urwerk unveiled the UR-220 in 2020 as the latest iteration of its flagship satellite cube complication. In 2022, the model was discontinued (and recently replaced by the UR-230), and the UR-220 “Miami Vibe” served as its swan song. Now this UR-220 is a relatively well priced entry into Urwerk’s top-of-the-line complication.
Combining 18k red gold with a white rubber strap, the “Miami Vibe” stands in contrast to the all-black aesthetic that is more typical of Urwerk.
The time display, however, is classic Urwerk. The time is indicated by wandering hours that take the form of cubes that traverse the dial, while the minutes are shown with a retrograde points on an arc along the lower edge of the dial.
One of the more unusual features that was introduced in the UR-220 is its double power reserve that makes for a symmetrical dial. The power reserve at one o’clock measures the first 24 hours of power reserve, while the second indicator at 11 o’clock is for the second 24 hours. Once a watch is fully wound, the second indicator starts dropping and hits zero after a day. It’s followed by the first indicator that makes the same journey to zero.
The case back is also quintessential Urwerk, forming a “control panel”. Here it comprises a cylindrical service indicator that runs for 39 months, after which it stops to indicate a service is recommended. Notably, the service indicator only counts the time when the watch is running, and not when the movement is stopped.
Though the “Miami Vibe” is not a limited edition per se, the UR-220 model as a whole was limited to just 15 pieces a year across all its variants, meaning only a few dozen of them exist.
Complete with box and papers, this UR-220 has an estimate of HK$400,000-800,000 (US$51,300-103,000).
Lot 1029 – Greubel Forsey Balancier
Launched in 2017 as one of Greubel Forsey’s entry-level watches, the Balancier is functionally simple but nonetheless executed to the usual levels of finishing and construction that define the brand’s creations. While it does without the complexity of Greubel Forsey’s top-of-the-line tourbillon models, it captures the brand’s ethos at a more accessible price, relatively speaking.
The watch only shows the hours, minutes, seconds, and power reserve, but is replete with decorative and technical details. The hands, for instance, are in the usual Greubel Forsey style – domed, polished, blued, and equipped with mirrored countersinks on their hubs, even on the seconds and power reserve hands.
The Balancier is similar to Greubel Forsey’s tourbillon in terms of size, with a 43.5 mm case that is hefty and quite large. And like several of Greubel Forsey’s pricier tourbillon models, this has an aperture within a bulge on the case side, but instead of revealing a tourbillon regulator it shows off the balance wheel.
Though it is a merely balance wheel, it is anchored with a V-shaped bridge in polished steel similar to Greubel Forsey employs for its tourbillons.
Interestingly, the case back reveal the full plate of the movement that covers all of the movement parts, but still offers a lot of examine thanks to the “micro” relief engraving that is something of a Greubel Forsey hallmark. The French text is made up of words relating to Greubel Forsey’s philosophy, such as creativity and “guardian of time”.
This Balancier was sold in late 2024, making it relatively new and explaining its good condition. It includes the original box and papers. The estimate is HK$750,000-1.20 million (US$96,200-154,000).
Preview and auction
The sale and preview exhibition will take place at Phillips Hong Kong in the West Kowloon Cultural District.
Preview
Open daily May 16-25, 2025, from 11:00 am-7:00 pm
Auction
May 23 – 6:30 pm (Evening Session I lots 801 – 816)
May 24 – 2:00 pm (Session II lots 817 – 933)
May 25 – 2:00 pm (Session III lots 934 – 1058)
(All times are local to Hong Kong, GMT+8.)
G/F WKCDA Tower
Cultural District
8 Austin Road West
Kowloon, Hong Kong
For the auction catalogue and online bidding, visit Phillips.com.
This was brought to you in partnership with Phillips.
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