On 24 March 2021, Christie’s announced the launch of Dubai Edit online-only watch auction. The team of experts at Christie’s in Dubai have curated close to 200 lots which together are estimated to fetch from USD 9,000,000 to 15,000,000. The auction is restricted to a timeframe of 16 days in which registered bidders will be able to track specific lots and interact directly with the Christie’s platform.
Among the watches to be auctioned, there will be some of the most in-demand references, from grand complications by Patek Philippe and Gerald Genta to collectible minute repeaters, a selection of Rolex tool watches, from the Dato-Compax reference 6036 to the Rolex Big Crown reference 5510, as well as an impressive line-up of rare watches from one of the most coveted independent watchmakers, F.P Journe.
Highlights include the exceptionally rare Ref. 5002P Sky Moon Tourbillon in platinum (est. USD 1,000,000-1,800,000), which was not only the most complicated watch produced by Patek Philippe at the time, but also the first ever double-faced wristwatch in the Geneva manufacturer’s history –and is sure to elicit keen interest on the part ofdiscerning collectors from around the globe.
Two other exceptional Patek Philippe timepieces will also be presented during this auction, both of which possibly have unique dials: the Ref. 3990P with a light grey dial and the Ref. 5004R with a ruby dial. They are joined by a selection of exceptional minute repeaters of the same marque, such as the Ref. 5074P minute repeater perpetual calendar (est. USD 400,000-700,000), the imposing Ref. 5014P semi-skeletonised minute repeater perpetual calendar (est. USD 400,000-600,000), and the elusive pink gold Ref. 5029 minute repeater (est. USD 250,000-350,000) made in 10 pieces per metal (yellow gold, pink gold, white gold and platinum) to commemorate the anniversary of the manufacture in 1997. The Ref. 5071P and the Ref. 5971P lead the impressive selection of highly collectible baguette diamond-set watches that are certain to draw international attention.
Among the vintage Rolex watches highest on the desirability index, an extremely well-preserved Rolex Dato-Compax Ref. 6036, produced circa 1952 (est. USD 100,000-180,000). ‘Collectible Tool Watches’ include a Rolex Submariner Ref. 5510 “Big Crown” (USD 125,000-200,000), a Rolex Sea-Dweller Ref. 1665 “Patent Pending” (USD 90,000-120,000), and a rare Rolex Ref. 3525 chronograph in astonishing condition (USD 150,000-300,000).
Trends on point, the team has curated a selection of 7 F.P. Journe watches, including 3 platinum timepieces from before 2004, particularly coveted and recognisable by their rhodium-plated brass movements: Resonance (est. USD 150,000-250,000), Zodiac, of which only 150 pieces were made, (USD 100,000-150,000) and Octa Automatique with an elegant pink dial (USD 100,000-150,000).
In addition to the four Patek Philippe minute repeaters, the auction will also feature 3 examples of Grande Complication, and what was at the time among the most complicated and expensive wristwatches in the world: the Gerald Genta Grande Sonnerie and Petite Sonnerie timepieces made in 1994 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Manufacture.
Also on offer is an exotic set of six medium-sized Audemars Piguet Royal Oak jewellery watches and a unique diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald-set brooch in white gold indicating three time zones (London, Mecca, and Brunei).
Watches with regional relevance will also be presented. The selection features vintage Rolex Day-Date Ref. 1804 models with Eastern Arabic numerals (also called Hindi numerals) or featuring the official crests of regional royalty or armed forces. Prominent timepieces by independent watchmakers with a strong link to the UAE include MB&F LM1 M.A.D. Dubai limited edition and Richard Mille RM 010 MBZ Abu Dhabi Grand Prix edition.
All lots will be on view at Christie’s, Dubai DIFC Gate Village 5, Podium Level, between 24 March and 8 April, 2021, by appointment only.
Auction Highlights
Lot 1: Patek Philippe, An Extremely Rare Platinum double dialled wristwatch with 12 complications, Sky Moon Tourbillon, Ref. 5002P-001
Estimate: US$1,000,000-1,800,000
Case number: 4’214’430, Movement number: 3’350’014
Year: 2004
Case: Platinum, screw-set lugs, case band and minute repeating slide finely engraved with halved Calatrava crosses, two crowns both embossed with a Calatrava cross for winding and setting.
Diameter: 43 mm.
Strap: Patek Philippe blue CROCODILE leather strap
Dial: Front: Opaline dial with Patek Philippe Calatrava cross embossing, applied white gold Roman numerals, four subsidiary dials indicating day, month, leap year and ages of the moon, retrograde date display in red enamel.
Dial: Reverse: made of sapphire crystal glass with silvered 24 hours scale and Arabic numerals around inside edge for sidereal time, planisphere of the Northern Hemisphere rotating counterclockwise above the dial, disc with moon-phase display, white lacquered gold feuille hour and minute hands.
Movement: Cal. RTO 27 QR SID LU CL, manual-winding with tourbillon escapement, 686 parts, COSC-certified chronometer
Functions: Time, minute repeater, tourbillon, perpetual calendar, leap year cycle, retrograde date, sky chart, moon-phase, orbit of the moon, sidereal time
Buckle: Patek Philippe platinum buckle
With: Leather-bound Patek Philippe Certificate of Origin confirming the date of purchase as October 11, 2004, a Geneva Hallmark Certificate from the Canton of Geneva indicating the COSC test results, original mahogany wood presentation box, and outer packaging.
The Sky Moon Tourbillon Ref. 5002 is one of the most important watches ever to have been made in modern history. Made between 2001 and 2012, this watch was reserved for Patek Philippe’s most important clients. Prospective owners would have to submit an application to qualify as a prospective buyer. After an interview, prospective buyers would be entered into a waiting list before they got a chance to own this timepiece.
Inspired by the Star Caliber 2000, a double-sided pocket watch built to commemorate the new millennium, the Sky Moon tourbillon boasts a whopping 12 complications and a movement made up of 686 parts. The complications include the tourbillon, perpetual calendar, moon age, leap year cycle, day of the week, month, date, fly back, minute repeater, sky chart, moon phases and orbit.
The reverse dial reveals the angular progression of the stars and moon from the Northern Hemisphere and allows the wearer to observe the waxing and waning of the Earth’s satellite.
Lot 21: Audemars Piguet, A superlative set of six gold bejewelled Royal Oak wristwatches presented in its original presentation box
(1) Ref. 14892BA, A Gold Royal Oak with a bezel set with 32 baguette rubies, circa: 1990s
Estimate: US$125,000-225,000
Case: 18k yellow gold, bezel set with 32 baguette rubies (2.12 carat), caseback stamped No.1
Diameter: 36 mm.
Strap: Audemars Piguet red CROCODILE leather strap
Dial: Gilt satin dial with 3 baguette rubies and 8 diamonds
With: An original Certificate of Warranty from Almar Watches, Burlington Arcade, London, confirming the date of purchase as 31 May, 2016
Audemars Piguet’s iconic Royal Oak is a design icon and is best known for heralding the age of the luxury steel sports watch. However, here in a special and extremely collectible set of six timepieces, it is interpreted as a stunning set of six bejewelled watches housed in a special signed wooden presentation box.
Each of these high jewellery timepieces sees the Royal Oak’s characteristic octagonal bezel set with either 32 baguette emeralds, baguette sapphires, or baguette rubies.
Three of the watches are further distinguished by lugs studded with 64 brilliant diamonds and dials paved with diamonds and precious stones. According the archivists at Audemars Piguet, this exotic set was first sold in London in 1994. All six timepieces are presented with an official Certificate of Warranty from renowned London retailer Almar that confirms the sale of the set on 31 May, 2016.
Lot 51: Rolex, A Platinum Oyster Perpetual Day-Date with diamond-set bezel and Arabic calendar and numerals, Ref. 1804, Circa: 1960
Estimate: US$120,000-220,000
Case: Platinum with diamond-set bezel
Diameter: 36 mm.
Bracelet: Platinum Rolex President bracelet, overall length 190 mm.
Dial: Silvered with white gold applied Arabic numerals
Movement: Caliber 1555, automatic
Functions: Time, day, date
Clasp: Folding deployant clasp
The present timepiece is a rare example of the Reference 1804 in platinum with Eastern Arabic numeral, day and date. The presence of the Arabic calendar disc and numerals gives would have given this watch an exotic vibe in the 1960s.
Introduced to the market at the Basel Fair in 1956, the Day-Date has been one of Rolex’s flagship models and enjoys continuous popularity. Symbol of luxury and prestige, the model was particularly appreciated by Middle Eastern clientele, often presented by the rulers as gifts or token of esteem.
Lot 101: Patek Philippe, A Rare Perpetual Calendar Split-Seconds Chronograph with ruby hour-markers, Ref. 5004R
Estimate: US$300,000-500,000
Case number: 4’146’775, Movement number: 879’861
Circa: 2001
Case: 18k rose gold
Diameter: 36.5 mm.
Strap: Patek Philippe brown CROCODILE leather strap
Dial: Opaline white dial with a baguette-cut ruby set in a gold chaton at 12 o’ clock, 10 ruby stones set in square gold chatons, three subsidiary dials – one at 9 o’ clock that combines the running seconds and a 24-hour register, another at 3 o’ clock combing the minutes and leap year indication, and the 6 o’ clock combing the date ring and moon-phase indication
Movement: Cal. CHR 27-70 Q, manual
Functions: Time, perpetual calendar, split-seconds chronograph, moon-phase, leap year indicator, 24 hours (AM/PM) indicator
Clasp: Patek Philippe 18k rose gold deployant clasp
With: Patek Philippe Extract from the Archive confirming 2001 as year of manufacture and 8 October, 2001, as date of sale
Lot 126: Gérald Genta, Unique Pink Gold Grand Sonnerie, No. 1 Ref. G0026.6
Estimate: US$50,000-70,000
Case number: 69’800, Movement stamped No. 1
Year: 1994
Case: 18k pink gold, octagonal stepped case,
Diameter: 40 mm.
Strap: Maroon CROCODILE leather strap
Dial: Mother-of-pearl dial with applied Arabic and luminous dot numerals, luminous hands, inner concentric retrograde date sector, five subsidiary dials indicating the power reserve for the striking and going-train, seconds, indication for Grande or Petite Sonnerie and Silence or Chime, windows for day, month and leap year indication.
Movement: Cal. 31000, self-winding, engraved and gilded with three-arm polished steel tourbillon carriage with Geneva Hallmark
Function: Time, minute repeater, perpetual calendar with retrograde date, power reserve indicator for the going train and striking mechanism, one-minute tourbillon
Buckle: Steel tang buckle
With: Gérald Genta Certificate of Origin, a humidity regulator, a polished wooden presentation box, and outer packaging
Lot 127: Gérald Genta, A Unique Yellow Gold Grand Sonnerie, No. 3, Ref. G0025.7
US$30,000-60,000
Case number: 66’744, Movement stamped No. 1
Year: 1994
Case: 18k yellow gold, octagonal stepped case with glazed caseback, “Vendôme” lugs with fluted middle portion
Diameter: 40 mm.
Strap: Black CROCODILE leather strap
Dial: Mother of pearl dial tritium dot hour markers, eight subdials for (starting at 12 o’clock) 24-hour display, power reserve indicator for the striking mechanism, months of the four year leap cycle with green circle indicating the current year in the cycle, power reserve indicator for the going train, date concentric with subsidiary seconds, Grande or Petite Sonnerie indication, days of the week and silence or striking indications, green baton hands for the subdials, red baton hand for the running seconds
Movement: Cal. 3100, self-winding, engraved and gilded with three-arm polished steel tourbillon carriage
Functions: Minute-repeater, perpetual calendar, 24-hour additional display, 48-hour power reserve indicator, power reserve indicator for the striking mechanism, and with one-minute tourbillon
Buckle: Steel pin buckle
Lot 128: Gérald Genta, A Platinum Grand Sonnerie, No. 1, Ref. G0025.7
Estimate: US$30,000-60,000
Year: 1994
Case: Platinum, octagonal stepped case with glazed caseback
Dimension: Width 39 mm., thickness 15 mm.
Strap: Grey leather strap
Dial: Mother of pearl dial with four subsidiary dials, tritium dot indexes, four auxiliary sectors with silent mode at 10 o’ clock, power reserve for chiming indication and going train, Grande et Petite Sonnerie indicator at 8, second 24-hour time zone, white gold tritium-coated hands
Movement: Cal. 31000, self-winding, rhodium-plated brass movement with Geneva Hallmark and tourbillon escapement
Functions: Alarm, calendar, minute repeater, power reserve indicator, tourbillon, dual time
Buckle: Steel buckle
With: Additional original platinum bracelet and clasp
When it was introduced in 1994, the Gérald Genta Grand Sonnerie was the most complicated wristwatch in the world.
Gérald Genta Pink Gold Grand Sonnerie, No. 1 Ref. G0026.6
With its characteristic pyramidal stacked case design and immensely complicated Cal. 31000 – composed of more than 1,000 parts in variants like this particular lot with retrograde date indicator – there was nothing quite like this wristwatch in the 1990s. The development of the movement was led by Pierre-Michel Golay, the brand’s technical director and co-founder, who would later go on to work for Franck Muller.
Gérald Genta Yellow Gold Grand Sonnerie, No. 3, Ref. G0025.7
It is believed that about 24 Grand Sonnerie wristwatches were made during this period, most of them were one-offs when it came to case material and dial design. If you look closely on the engraved movement bridge, you can see Genta’s signature and the No.1 engraving, since all these watches were one-off.
Gérald Genta, A Platinum Grand Sonnerie, No. 1, Ref. G0025.7
All these movements also carry the prestigious Geneva Hallmark (Poinçon de Genève) and feature haute horology finishing techniques like black polishing (on the tourbillon bridges).The mechanical watch renaissance, which began in the mid-1980s, had gathered enough momentum by the time Genta unveiled these pieces in 1994 to mark the 25th anniversary of this eponymous watch brand.
LOT 131: Richard Mille, A Titanium RM010 to mark 1st Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix 2009, MBZ Limited Edition 081/200
Estimate: US$100,000-150,000
Case stamped: RM010 AI Ti/2793
Circa: 2009
Case: Grade 5 Titanium
Strap: Richard Mille black rubber strap
Dial: Open-worked dial with applied lume plots on the hour markers. The track layout of the Yas Marina circuit a print of the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and MBZ010 in seen on the dial.
Movement: CAL. RMAS7, automatic
Functions: Time, date
Clasp: Titanium Richard Mille folding clasp
This particular Richard Mille was gifted to important dignitaries by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan to mark the first Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix in 2009.
Lot 133: MB&F, A Limited Edition Titanium Legacy Machine No. 1 M.A.D. Dubai, 01/13
Estimate: US$80,000-120,000
Circa: 2016
Case: Titanium, caseback stamped 1/13
Diameter: 44 mm.
Strap: MB&F; black CROCODILE leather strap
Dial: Green with dual time zones displayed on two dials (left with Roman numerals and right with Arabic Hindi numerals)
Movement: Manual
Functions: Dual time, power reserve
Buckle: MB&F titanium buckle
With: Original presentation box and certificate of warranty dated 30 November 2016 and instruction manual
A limited edition of just 13 pieces, the Legacy Machine No. 1 in titanium has a manual-winding movement developed for MB&F by Chronode with bridge design and finishing specified by renowned independent watchmaker Kari Voutilainen.
Lot 136: Rolex, A Rare Steel Triple Calendar Chronograph Wristwatch “Dato Compax”, Ref. 6036
Estimate: US$100,000-180,000
Circa: 1952
Case: Stainless steel
Diameter: 36 mm.
Bracelet: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet
Dial: Silvered dial with gold numerals at 12 and 8 faceted square hour markers and gold hands, outer date ring with blue Arabic numerals, calendar indications in the Spanish language
Movement: Cal. 72C, manual
Functions: Time, day, date, month, chronograph
Clasp: Rolex steel folding clasp
Reference 6036, the third generation of the celebrated “Dato Compax” Oyster triple calendar chronograph model presented by Rolex, was available with various dial layouts, cased mainly in yellow gold and in stainless steel.
Rolex Steel Triple Calendar Chronograph Wristwatch Dato Compax, Ref. 6036
The highly collectible Rolex Oyster triple calendar chronograph watches, also known as “Dato Compax” models, consist of four different series. Famed French Olympic skiing legend and Rolex enthusiast Jean-Claude Killy has sported a Dato Compax in the past and the model hence has been dubbed by watch enthusiasts the “Jean-Claude Killy”.
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