November hosts the most significant auctions of the year in Geneva. In this piece, we focus on the Phillips Geneva watch auction! We will present some remarkable outcomes achieved at Phillips Auction House.

Prominent auction houses worldwide conducted their auction days. Indeed, they featured truly rare and valuable watch models. Our focus centers on Phillips auction house watches, which once again set impressive records.

Similar to other vintage watch auctions in recent years, this one commenced with the sale of contemporary models. This strategy aims to engage the audience, allowing attendees time to gather, warm up, and prepare for the highlights. Moreover, this often saves the best and most luxurious pieces for the end of the first and second days. The auction room often fills up when the main stars are up for bid.

2023 Phillips Geneva Watch Auction

The Phillips Geneva watch auction showed us an array of amazing watches. That makes it a pity to miss any on the repertoire. Below, we highlight some of the most expensive watches. We will also talk about surprises and timepieces from brands you may not have heard of before. Let’s hop in! 

LOT 8 – PATEK PHILIPPE ref. 5016P

Exceeding pre-auction estimates, this exceptionally rare Patek Philippe ref. 5016P features a perpetual calendar, retrograde date, tourbillon regulator, and moon phase in platinum from 2008. 

This is a masterpiece, with a unique mechanism and a diameter of just 37mm.

It was estimated by experts to sell between 300,000 CHF and 600,000 CHF.

The watch sold for 787,400 euros!

LOT 12 – ROLEX ref. 6062

Breaking the million-euro mark, the Rolex ref. 6062 Triple Calendar, presented at Baselworld in 1950, debuted as the most complicated Rolex of its time. It includes three extra functions known as the triple calendar.

These are a day of the week, the date of the month, and the month of the year, completed by a lunar indicator at position 6.

Critics have become truly vocal about Rolex’s shift away from the elegant sophistication they were known for over half a century ago. The focus has truly shifted to more contemporary models! 

The estimated value of Reference 6062 was between 1,000,000 CHF and 2,000,000 CHF, attributed to the rarity of stainless steel in the 50s.

The watch sold for 2,117,000 CHF!

LOT 23 – GEORGE DANIELS

Dr. George Daniels, the 20th-century’s finest watchmaker, was a shadow industry changer. Each of his watches, auctioned for no less than a million euros, showcases his artistic mastery. Amid the quartz crisis, he persisted in traditional watchmaking, developing the Co-axial escapement during that critical period, patented in 1980.

The Co-axial escapement minimizes friction in gear operation. This resulted in a more precise mechanism and longer breaks between servicing. This revolutionary invention by a self-taught genius is now commonly used by Omega in its impressive mechanisms.

George Daniels Anniversary Platinum No1, one of 47 models made in 2010, was delivered to its owner in 2013. With an estimated value of 700,000 CHF to 1,400,000 CHF, the watch sold for 1,143,000 CHF!

LOT 45 – A. LANGE & SOHNE 1

One of the world’s most beautiful watches, Lange 1 (Lange One or Lange 1), is also among the most sought-after Lange models. Presented in various versions at the auction, the model discussed here was the most expensive. 

German company A. Lange & Sohne is famous for crafting luxurious elegant (and sporty) watches. Most of them are made of precious metals like gold and platinum. Until the 2019 Odysse model, they never produced steel watches in series.

The Lange 1 in steel, with a diameter of 38.5mm from 1994, is one of the few models in this material ever to leave the factory. Its rarity and excellent condition led to an estimated value of 100,000 CHF to 200,000 CHF, and it sold for 241,300 CHF!

LOT 104 – MB&F x ALAIN SILBERSTEIN

On one side, the company pushes design limits into an unknown and abstract future. In addition, an artist achieved worldwide fame with watches and mechanisms adorned with vivid decorations and cool colors. This assembly resulted in the “Horological Machine 2.2 Chocolate Box” Unique Piece, crafted in collaboration in 2010.

This device displays time with an extraordinary rectangular plate measuring 59mm x 38mm.

The case is made of titanium with a brown silicon PVD coating. Also, it houses a retrograde minute and jumping hour display on the right and a retrograde date indicator on the left.

Estimated between 25,000 CHF and 50,000 CHF, the watch astonishingly sold for 304,800 CHF. This is six times the highest expert estimate!

LOT 106 – F.P. JOURNE Sonnerie Souverain

The world’s best (new) watches come from F.P. Journe. At the auction held last Friday and Saturday, numerous watches from the company were featured, attracting significant attention.

One beauty was their steel watch, representing the pinnacle of watchmaking in the 21st century. Consider this watch the epitome of a perfect manual timepiece.

Why is it so honored? It has a mechanism that flawlessly incorporates Grande Sonnerie, Petite Sonnerie, minute repeater, and power reserve indicator functions. The first two functions are real-time striking functions. This watch allows the use of Grande Sonnerie (G), Silence (S), or Petite Sonnerie (P) independently – displayed on the dial at position 7.

It has buttons at position 4 to select functions, the crown at position 3, and the button for activating the minute repeater at position 2. This watch packs many innovations and patents into a 42mm diameter case, only 12.5mm thick. Estimated between 500,000 CHF and 1,000,000 CHF, it sold for 1,079,500 CHF!

LOT 120 – PATEK PHILIPPE ref. 3700

Patek’s Nautilus is highly popular. Introduced in 1976 at Baselworld, it immediately signaled something new and different, surpassing its greatest competitor of that time, the Royal Oak from Audemars Piguet.

Two years after its Basel debut, Patek created a platinum model, which we see here. This is the third known Nautilus ref. 3700 ever uncovered. The previous two had already found their owners, and this one awaited a new one.

Phillips experts anticipated that this model could sell for a record value. Their estimate was entirely accurate.

The watch sold for 2,450,500 CHF, making it the most expensive Nautilus ref. 3700 ever sold at auction!

LOT 169 – PATEK PHILIPPE x CARTIER

To conclude this extensive text, we present another Patek Philippe. The watch catalog was released months before the auction, and collectors worldwide immediately selected their favorites from the shadows.

This Patek ref. 2455 in yellow gold with a gold bracelet and a signed dial caught their attention. Besides the brand logo, the Cartier brand’s signature adorned the dial.

Cartier sold Patek Philippe watches in its boutiques in the second half of the 20th century, giving them the right to sign the dial (and in this watch’s case, the clasp). Combined with the fantastic condition of this 34mm watch, collectors believed this could be an excellent purchase. Moreover, all of this is with a modest estimate of 10,000 CHF to 20,000 CHF.

In an incredible turn of events, the watch sold for a shocking 279,000 CHF!

Final Words – Phillips Geneva Watch Auction