Calibre 89, auctioned an Antiquorum, Geneva

Cartier watch made in honour of Red Cross, Sotheby's sale

Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – A watch made for an Ethiopian emperor and a 1948 pink gold watch with a perpetual calendar and moon phases are among the top pieces on the watches auction list at Sotheby’s Sunday 15 November.

The world’s most complicated timepiece, a Patek Philippe Calibre 89 watch with 33 complications, is up for auction Saturday 14 November at Antiquorum.

The two Geneva auction houses hold their big annual watch sales, which dominate the market, every November.

Several historical watches are top of the billing at Sotheby’s:

• the 1948 pink gold watch, estimated at CHF300,000-400,000
• a yellow gold, enamel and pearl set open-faced duplex watch, made around 1820 for the Chinese market
• a gold and enamel first class Geneva observatory chronometer watch with detent escapemen made by Lattes for Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopa in about 1893
• and a very rare yellow gold, enamel, hunter case keyless shutter dress watch with minute repeater by Cartier made for Henry P Davison as a tribute to the League of the Red Cross, about 1918.

Sotheby’s sales items can be viewed by the public Sunday 15 November 10:00-18:00.

World’s most complicated watch in rare appearance, for sale in Geneva

Antiquorum celebrates its 35th annual Geneva watch auction this weekend with the sale of the rarely seen Calibre 89 watch valued at CHF4.5-5.5 million (GenevaLunch background story). The Calibre 89 watch is one of only four unique models produced.

Another 300 watches, including many Patek Philippe special watches, will also be auctioned. On the auction list: including a 1969 very fine gold Tiffany’s wristwatch estimated at CHF180-220,000, with square button, co-axial split-seconds chronograph, 30-minute register and tachometer.

Antiquorum sold 49 of the 81 watches sold by major auction houses for over $1 million in 2008 and it holds the world record for the most expensive watch ever sold at auction, over $4 million, in 2002.

The public can view Antiquorum’s auction items Sunday 15 November until 19:00.

Madoff prisoner watch up for sale in New York

A Rolex “prisoner” watch owned by imprisoned financier Bernard Madoff is being auctioned by the US Marshals’ office in New York, Saturday 14 November to help recuperate some of the billions that Madoff owes those he swindled.

Geneva public visits and auction times, locations: Antiquorum, Sotheby’s

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