IMPORTANT MODERN & VINTAGE TIMEPIECES. AUCTION NOVEMBER 6 & 7, 2021 | HOTEL BEAU-RIVAGE | GENEVA

Geneva is the capital of watch auctions and the biggest auction houses including Antiquorum, Christie’s, Phillips and Sotheby’s are all poised for the upcoming watch biddings which will start on November 4, 2021. It begins at the Theater du Leman where the industry’s biggest awards event, Grand Prix d’Horologerie de Genève (GPHG) goes live. What’s more, this year marks the 20th anniversary of the GPHG (The ‘Oscars’ Of The Watch World in the watch industry).

Watch lovers and serious collectors are at the height of their happiness, as we have entered one of the most exciting 6 weeks of in-person events, auctions, horological forums and shows that are taking place in New York, Geneva and Dubai.

I was invited in mid-October 2021 by the auction house Antiquorum to discover the delightful collection of pieces that will be part of their upcoming Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces Auction that will be held on November 6 and 7. It will take place at the prestigious and luxurious Hotel Beau Rivage. Antiquorum is the world’s premiere auction house of modern and vintage timepieces and it was a true pleasure to discover the beautiful collection for the upcoming auction.

Antiquorum’s Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces Auction

Among the rare wristwatches in the auction, there will be a selection of vintage Patek Philippes, including three perpetual calendar chronographs.

My Personal Favourite: Patek Philippe

Indeed the Reference 1518 which is Patek Philippe’s original perpetual calendar chronograph watch will be up for bidding and this is the piece that stole my heart. Made of yellow gold with manual winding, it was my personal favorite. I loved the bracelet, it’s so unique and the craftsmanship was spectacular. Although traditionally for men, I love a gold wristwatch for women too as it almost accentuates one’s wrists.

Fun fact: this particular Patek is a watch that was produced in just 281 examples between 1941 and 1954. So it truly is a rare Patek Philippe find.

Wristwatches For Women

For the ladies, there will be some truly spectacular pieces ranging from Vacheron Constantin to Cartier and of course Patek Philippe.

Patek Philippe Reference 5298

The women’s pieces include a truly unique Patek Philippe Reference 5298 with a brown satin dial and diamond bezel. It is a very fine and extremely rare piece. This self-winding Patek Philippe watch with a diamond bezel, baguette and diamond indexes is the true essence of luxury in horlogerie. Indeed, there is a diamond set on the side of the bezel which is a signature of Patek Philippe that indicates that the bezel is made of platinum.

Fun fact: While most Reference 5298s come with a black dial, very few examples were fitted with the satin brown dial, making this piece very rare.

Crash de Cartier

There will also be the Crash by Cartier at the upcoming Antiquorum auction. This is an iconic model sought after by watch collectors, but what is the story behind this particular design?

The story goes that the Crash by Cartier design was inspired from when a client of Cartier who brought in his damaged watch after a car crash in 1967. The manner in which the watch was distorted inspired the jeweler Jean-Jacques Cartier to create the first-ever made asymmetric case of the watch. This manual wind, 18k yellow gold, and diamond wristwatch is a rare beauty.

Vacheron Constantin Set of Kalla Genève

Possibility the most impressive pieces, these two manual wind, 18k white gold watches from Vacheron Constantin are set with 258 diamonds. Circa 1995, Reference 33546 is a real show stopper.

If you are a watch fan, in addition to these events, auctions and shows, there will also be smaller watch-related exhibits planned around the world.

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Useful Information

Geneva Auction Week in November 2021

• Phillips, Hotel La Reserve, 301 Route de Lausanne. Session one, November 5 from 2pm; Session two, November 7 from 2pm. Viewing starts November 3.
• Antiquorum, Hotel Beau-Rivage, 13, Quai du Mont-Blanc. November 6th from 3pm; November 7th from 10 am. On view from November 3.
• Christie’s, Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues, Quai des Bergues. November 8 from 2.30pm. Viewing starts November 4.
• Sotheby’s, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Quai Turrettini. November 10 from 1.30pm. Viewing starts November 2.

A Stylish Story – Anna Blachut

Your luxury blogger from Geneva