08.07.2021 - News

Our Top 5 Picks From The Bonhams Auction In London 21st June 2017

A very prestigious auction is set to take place in the very iconic Bond Street tomorrow, at Bonhams auctions. The auction displays a very impressive collection of both vintage and contemporary watches available for purchase. The auction features the very best in haute horology, offering rarity, provenance and refinement with excellent brands such as Rolex, Patek Philippe and Jaeger-LeCoultre. Here are just five of the top picks from the auction that we believe you should keep an eye on.

Lot 58 – Blancpain L-Evolution Carrousel Saphir Volunt Une Minute

This stunning rare piece by Blancpain is considered to be the highlight of the auction with a clear emphasis on the rarity of this timepiece and the significant movement inside the watch. The watch was produced circa 2010, and features a 43mm 18K rose gold case with snap on exhibition back and sapphire glass to the case band. The beautiful dial is made clearer with the sapphire glass exposing the quality movement and gilt pierced sword hands with luminescent tips. The sapphire plates allow the visual beauty and simplicity of the movement to be showcase effectively. Since the time of Breguet’s watch for Queen Charlotte, transparent plates have been specifically reserved for watches with the highest of finishes, and often used to display the movement.

BLANCPAIN. A VERY FINE AND RARE 18K ROSE GOLD MANUAL WIND CARROUSEL WRISTWATCH WITH SAPPHIRE MOVEMENT PLATES

The L-Evolution Carrousel Saphir Volunt Une Minute features an incredible sapphire plates fine one-minute carousel Index movement, B engraved barrel and grained and polished  bevel edge steel work. The carrousel unusually turns once every minute like every tourbillon, however in this instance, the tourbillon is connected to the barrel by two gear trains: the first delivers power required for the operation of the escapement, while the second controls the carriage rotation speed. The timepiece is limited to just 50 pieces worldwide, and has an estimated value of £50,000 – £60,000.

Lot 60 – Patek Philippe Ref 5004P Split Seconds Chronograph with Perpetual Calendar and Moonphases

An extremely fine and rare Patek Philippe Ref 5004P also headlines in this prestigious London auction. Patek Philippe are world renowned for producing timepieces that have both deep roots in tradition, yet feature the latest innovations in the world of haute horology. Originally introduced in 1995, the Ref 5004 was based on the reference 3970 perpetual calendar chronograph, the successor to the iconic Ref 2499. The case is 36mm in diameter and is polished round crafted in platinum, with the dial silvered with applied white gold Arabic numerals hour markers. The watch is finished beautifully with a black Patek Philippe alligator leather strap, signed platinum buckle and sapphire crystal front and caseback.

Lot 60 - Patek Philippe Ref 5004P Split Seconds Chronograph with Perpetual Calendar and Moonphases

The watch is powered by the manual winding 28-jewel Calibre CHR27-70Q which supplies energy for the split seconds chronograph, the extremely advanced perpetual calendar and the moonphases complication. Adding the split seconds function to the already highly intricate Calibre 27-70 required a total of 407 hand finished components, making this example one of the most complicated Patek Philippes ever produced. It is believed only 12 examples were manufactured each year before being discontinued in 2009, although a short run of an additional 50 examples were produced in stainless steel in 2011. The estimated price range for this particular timepiece is between £120,000 – £180,000.

Lot 80 – Rolex GMT-Master II 116758 Diamond, Ruby & Sapphires

Amongst this impressive list of watches, include a truly extraordinary 18K yellow gold Rolex GMT-Master II with original set diamonds and a spectacular ruby, sapphire and diamond bezel. The reference 116758 is measures 40mm in diameter and is cased in 18K gold with diamond set shoulders and crown guards. The watch features the iconic 18K yellow gold Oyster bracelet with folding clasp and black dial, which features luminescent hands and dot/baton hour markers. The watch has a date display aperture at 3 o’clock, which is magnified by the Rolex cyclops on the sapphire crystal.

Lot 80 - Rolex GMT-Master II 116758 Diamond, Ruby & Sapphires

The watch features the automatic Calibre 3186 movement which powers seconds, minutes, hours, date display and dual time zone hand. The watch is aesthetically very beautiful, and this timepiece is considered to be an extremely rare example. The estimated price range set for this watch is £20,000 – £30,000.

Lot 115 – Jaeger-LeCoultre Manual Wind Gyromax Multi-Axis Spherical Tourbillon

Lot 115 includes a very fine, exceptionally rare and important timepiece by Jaeger-LeCoultre in platinum. The watch model is the Gyrotourbillon 2, and features a multi-axis spherical tourbillon. The case measures in at 36mm and is features the iconic reversible rectangle case in stainless steel. The semi-skeletonised dial gives a clear indication of the incredible work over at Jaeger-LeCoultre in producing timepiece made for fans of haute horology.

Lot 115 - Jaeger-LeCoultre Manual Wind Gyromax Multi-Axis Spherical Tourbillon

The watch is powered by the skeletonised Calibre 174 manual winding movement which powers a three dimensional gyromax multi-axis tourbillon. The special movement also powers seconds, minutes and hours display, with has a 50-hour power reserve. The Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 174 epitome of the ability of a Swiss watch manufacture that is able to full research, develop and manufacture its own movements and inventions. The watch is a limited edition timepiece of 75 pieces, and is expected to reach between £100,000 – £120,000.

Lot 157 – Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ‘Paul Newman’ Ref 6262 Circa 1970

The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona ‘Paul Newman’ is considered to be the most collectible watch on the planet, with many collectors and fans alike considering the piece as ‘THE’ vintage collector piece to have. This particular example, reference 6262 circa 1970, is 37mm in diameter and features an original dial, chronograph movement, tachymeter scale around the bezel and steel Oyster bracelet with folding clasp.

Rolex Cosmograph Daytona 'Paul Newman' Reference 6262

First appearing in the 1960s, the ‘exotic’ dial of the Daytona was nicknamed the ‘Paul Newman’ by Italian collectors, simply because the exceedingly famous actor was pictured with the watch in both promotional posters and day-to-day life. With the reference 6262, Rolex has managed to sink the subsidiary dials and outer black scale within the cream opaque dial. The reference was manufactured for only one year in 1970 and is considered to be a transitional piece featuring the revolutionary Valjoux calibre .727. The estimated price is between £70,000 – £90,000, although we expect to see this rise well above the estimated price.

Images by Bonhams UK