Valuable Jewels And Watches At New York Art, Antique & Jewelry Show

Wanna Play The Maze Ring by Suzanne Syz Art Jewels

The annual New York Art, Antique & Jewelry Show will return to the Park Avenue Armory, November 20 - 24. The event boasts more than 80 international exhibitors showcasing more than 30,000 items, including more than a dozen exhibitors with millions of dollars worth of jewels and watches on display.

Cartier Double Tiger bracelet

Among the featured jewels are an 18.5-carat untreated Kashmir sapphire ring valued at $6.5 million and Pope Paul VI’s diamond cross and diamond ring. Véronique Bamps, a Monaco-based specialist in antique jewelry, will be showing a rare Cartier double tiger bangle bracelet in yellow gold set with white and fancy intense yellow diamonds, onyx and emeralds; and an Art Deco dome ring in platinum, sapphires and diamonds by Suzanne Belperron, circa 1940.

Art Deco dome ring in platinum, sapphires and diamonds by Suzanne Belperron

There will some modern jewels as well led by Suzanne Syz Art Jewels, who will be presenting her one-of-a-kind and limited edition pieces. Syz is renowned for her creative, contemporary designs and her combinations of precious materials, including titanium, rare gems and more recently, miniature pearls. It is one of the few events where her jewels can be viewed and purchased by the public as the Geneva-based jeweler sells most her pieces privately. 

Watches will also be part of the show. M.S. Rau Antiques of New Orleans will be bringing several timepieces, including a World Time Watch by Patek Philippe ($54,000) and Patek Philippe Pocket Watch ($19,500) and, for women, a Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Wrist Watch ($98,500).

The annual show, owned and operated by the Palm Beach Show Group, will open with a preview party for VIP guests on Friday. The invitation-only event provides a first-look of the show’s offerings before they are available to the public. 

For more information follow this link. 

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‘Singing Bird Pistols’ Could Fetch $5 Million at Christie’s Hong Kong Auction

“Singing Bird Pistols” at Christie's Hong Kong

A pair of matching gold and enamel “Singing Bird Pistols” is the highlight of Christie’s Hong Kong Important Watches Spring Sale on May 30. The matching mirror-image pistols set with diamonds, agate and pearls, attributed to world-renowned craftsman Frères Rochat, is the only publicly known pair of singing bird pistols in the world, according to international auction house, which has placed an estimate of $2.5 million to $5 million.

The auction at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre will offer 540 lots that are expected to bring in about $80 million. The sale includes 150 lots of rare enamel and pocket watches, ladies’ jewelry watches, vintage wristwatches and inspirational modern complication wristwatches.

As is typical with an auction that includes vintage watches, Patek Philippe has a strong presence. Among the top piece being offered by the famed watch brand is a Reference 2499 (left), third series in pink gold, made in 1971. In extremely fine condition, this watch is only the sixth example of the ref. 2499 third series in pink gold to ever come to the public market. Its estimate is $700,000 to $1.2 million.

Among the modern watches on sale is the Opus 6 (left), an art piece in white gold which combines stunning design with cutting-edge technical excellence. It is the result of a collaboration of famed jeweler Harry Winston and watchmaker Greubel Forsey. The unusual construction of the Double Tourbillon 30°, a signature of French-English watchmaking duo Greubel and Forsey, combines a one-minute tourbillon inclined at 30 degrees inside a four-minute tourbillon to offset any positional errors and to ensure superb chronometry. The movement provides 72 hours of power reserve, hours and minutes by co-axial discs at 3 o’clock, and small seconds disc at 11 o’clock. Limited to 6 pieces, this example is numbered 5/6, and is manufactured in 2006. Its has a presale estimate of  $300,000 to $500,000.

Of particular importance among the enamel and pocket watches being offered is a rare gold and enamel openface duplex pocket watch, circa 1815 (left), by renowned London watchmaker William Ilbery. The enamel painting on the case is executed in the manner of Jean-Louis Richard and illustrates the English watchmaker’s talent of combining high technology with the decorative arts. The presale estimate is from $60,000 to $95,000.

Among the jewelry watches featured at the sale is the Piaget Petite Galaxy, circa 1995. The case, dial and bracelet of this wristwatch in white gold, are entirely set with 221baguette-cut diamonds, weighing 21.66 cts. Its presale estimate is $60,000 to $80,000.

 The house of Audemars Piguet is represented with its geometric check-board pattern of diamonds and baguette-cut emeralds of a lady’s white gold bracelet watch, circa 2000, featuring a timeless design and high craftsmanship in gem setting. Its presale estimate is $20,000 to $30,000.

Patek, Rolex and Erotic Watches to Headline Antiquorum’s Geneva Auction

Patek Philippe Ref 3939

More than 550 vintage timepieces will be up for auction at Antiquorum’s “Important Modern and Vintage Timepieces” auction to be held March 27 at the Mandarin Oriental Geneva.

The top lot is a Patek Philippe Ref 3939 HP minute-repeating platinum watch with one-minute tourbillion regulator and enamel Breguet dial (pictured above). The timepiece may be only the fifth example of this reference to appear at auction, Antiquorum said. It’s estimated to sell for CHF $444,000 – 555,000. The sale also includes a collection of 30 erotic watches and objects that were the property of a European collector.

Other sale highlights (all estimates U.S. dollar) include:

A Patek Philippe Ref. 2524/1, retailed by Gübelin Lucerne. This minute-repeating 18k yellow gold wristwatch with subsidiary seconds dial was made in 1954, with only eight pieces manufactured (auction estimate, $333,000 – 444,000).

A Rolex "Oyster Perpetual" Ref. 6284, 14K yellow gold wristwatch with a cloisonné enamel dial, by Marguerite Koch, representing the map of the two americas (estimate, $144,300 - $210,900).

Another Rolex on the block is the "Cosmograph Daytona", Ref. 6239 “Paul Newman,” made circa 1963 with an auction estimate of $44,300 - $55,500.

A Vacheron & Constantin Ref. 4582 pocket watch sold to H. Thommeu on Feb. 7, 1950. This large 20k yellow gold keyless dress watch with single hand and special champleve enamel and diamond-set dial is the only watch with single-hand ever made by Vacheron & Constantin (estimate, $12,000 to $16,600).

 The highlight of the erotic watch collection is the repeating musical watch with four actions and concealed erotic automaton "Musique d'Amour," made circa 1810. This watch is the work of Genevan watchmaker Henry Capt and is one of the very few known examples with two automaton scenes, Antiquorum said. It has three animations on the dial instead of the usual two—musicians and birds automaton scene on the dial plate and concealed erotic automaton scene, playing at will. The arm of each musician moves and a scene of two billing doves in an arbor, one dove appears when the music starts and disappears at the end of the tune. The enamel erotic scene is of very high quality depicting an aristocratic interior, of particular note is the pillar in the scene which is very cleverly enameled, with flecks of gold dust to accurately simulate lapis lazuli (estimate, $77,760 - $100,000).

French Museum Exhibit Celebrates the Country’s Horological Contributions

Leroy 01, the museum’s masterpiece. With its 24 complications, it was considered one of the most sophisticated horological pieces that was produced in the early part of the 20th Century.

On a clear day you can look east from the French city of Besançon and see Switzerland. This proximity to the watch capital of the world has helped the city and surrounding Doubs region to become the watch and clock capital of France. There’s even a museum dedicated to the industry in the city, the Musée du Temps (Time Museum) that a current exhibit showcases the museum’s entire antique watch collection for the first time to the public.

The exhibition, Montres et Merveilles (Watches and Wonders), contains 200 pieces of horology, including watches, cases, enameled plates, horological tools and iconographic documents.

The exhibit is set up in four parts in chronological order. The first section is dedicated to watches from the early sixteenth to the eighteenth century. Their accuracy is fairly uncertain, but they are, in most cases, authentic pieces of jewelry, crafted from the precious materials, with elaborate decorations. The technical evolution of watch craftsmanship leads up to the eighteenth century, with new inventions and techniques being progressively introduced. Visitors can observe the clocks’ workings and therefore understand their mechanical principles—such as plate movements with elaborate struts and balance-cocks as well as fuse chains and springs.

A second section covers the turning point of 18th and the 19th century watchmaking, marking technical and aesthetic innovations. The shapes become more refined, the clockwork more precise, prompted by the search for maritime chronometers. This section contains the Lépine watch collection, acquired by the Museum in 1998 as well as pieces by Breguet, Berthoud and Leroy.

The third part is dedicated to the nineteenth and early twentieth century watch industry, characterized by the introduction of mass production. This part is devoted to production in the city of Besançon. Through the display of pieces produced in Besançon’s manufacturing plants up to those of the early twentieth century, the exhibition aims at showing the importance of the city as the capital of French watch and clock craftsmanship in that period.

Apart from watches, this section gives visitors an opportunity to see lesser known parts of the museum’s collections, but which relate closely to Besancon’s productive sector, such as watch cases and enameled plates that remind the visitor that a large part of the city’s activity was not the production of clock workings, but rather the assembly of clock workings within watch cases.

Finally, the last section is dedicated to watch craftsmanship in the early 20th Century, focusing on the Leroy 01, the museum’s masterpiece. With its 24 complications, is considered one of the most sophisticated horological pieces that was produced in the early part of the century. “Manufactured in Besançon, the 01 is the perfect expression of the excellence of the skills developed by local watchmakers of that time,” the museum said in a statement.

The exhibit runs through May 29. It is sponsored by the Richemont Group and the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie. For more information:

Musée du Temps
Palais Granvelle,
96 Grande Rue
25 000 Besançon
Téléphone : 03 81 87 81 50
Télécopie : 03 81 87 81 60

Antiquorum Auction Fetches $3.5M Led by FP Journe Platinum Watch Set

Antiquorum’s December auction of “Important Modern and Vintage Timepieces” in New York on Wednesday fetched more than $3.5 million with 83 percent of the 356 timepieces sold by lot and 119 percent sold by value, based on the low estimate. In addition to the telephone, room, and commission bidders, there were 419 registered Internet bidders competing for timepieces. Bids came in from across the world including, Australia, Italy, China, Hong Kong and United Kingdom.

The highlight of the sale was the FP Journe set of platinum watches (lead photograph). The “Invenit et Fecit” collection of six wristwatches with champagne dial sold for a notable $200,500.

Greubel Forsey also attained an important result with its white gold “Double Tourbillon 30° Vision” (above right) selling for $160,000. An A. Lange & Sohne Flyback Datograph sold for $74,500 (above left).

Patek Philippe achieved strong results with the ref. 3971 (left) selling for $ 98,500 after heated competition among bidders. Also achieving noteworthy prices were two Patek Philippe ref. 5146; the pink gold example achieved $27,500 while the white gold brought $26,875. The Patek Philippe lapel watch sold for $21,250 to a Chinese bidder for nearly three times its high estimate.

Vintage Rolex watches continue to achieve strong results at auction. At Wednesday’s sale, the Rolex ref. 6263 sold for $35,000. The Rolex 14K gold ref. 6238 “Paul Newman” (left) and the Rolex ref. 6239 steel “Paul Newman” each sold for $64,900. The Rolex ref. 6204 obtained $57,500—three times its estimate.

“We are delighted by the recent increase in strength in the vintage Rolex market with exceptional examples once again achieving significant prices as seen by the Rolex ref. 6204 in today’s sale,” said Charles Tearle, auctioneer, director and watch expert, Antiquorum USA.

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo “A Series” sold for $23,750—more than four times its high estimate. Also, Richard Mille obtained a noteworthy result for the RM010 in 18K white gold, selling for $43,750.

Watches with exceptional provenance continue to generate interest. The Rolex GMT that belonged to Captain Don Walsh, who co-piloted the Bathyscaph Trieste to the deepest part of the world’s oceans at 35,800 feet, sold for $30,000. Also, Joe DiMaggio’s Imexal clock, which was presented to him as the Casey Stengel Award in 1974, attained $13,125, more than four times its low estimate.

A Girard Perregaux vintage 1945 Tourbillon with Three Gold Bridges (left) sold for $57,500 while the Girard Perregaux World Time Perpetual Calendar with special order dial sold for $ 22,500.

Finally, in keeping with current trends, certain modern limited edition examples are drawing attention from the collector community and realizing strong prices at auction. An excellent example of this is the Jaeger Le-Coultre Aston Martin limited series wristwatch in titanium sold for $17,500—more than double its high estimate.

This was the last auction 2010 for Antiquorum. Its next auction will be held Feb. 26, 2011, in Hong Kong.

Timepiece Tuesday: Antiques, Girl’s Luxury Watch, Special Editions, An Awards Preview and a Social Media Contest

Chinese Watch Collectors Have Appetite for Vintage Pieces

Is there anything regarding luxury that the Chinese don’t want? Each season, Christie’s presents a range of 19th-century timepieces made especially for the Chinese market. This year, at the auction house’s Dec. 2 auction of watches, five 19th-century timepieces made especially for the Chinese market are coming up for sale. One, a circa-1877 gold-and-enamel pocket watch depicting three angels, is estimated to sell for between HK$320,000 and HK$480,000 (pictured). In addition, in 2005, Asia overtook the U.S. as the biggest market for Patek Philippe. Collectors are buying both new and vintage models, but there is an increasing focus on older pieces, according to the Wall Street Journal blog, Scene Asia.

Antique Clock Auction

Clocks will be a major focus in the Skinner, Inc. annual auction of Science, Technology & Clocks on November 20 in its Marlborough, Mass., gallery. Among the timepieces on the block, is a very important regulator by the Bond Shop (pictured). The Regulator No. 396 is was one of three made; No. 394 was developed for the Harvard Observatory, No. 395 for an observatory in Liverpool, England, and No. 396 for the personal use of Bond in his chronometer shop. As the director of the Harvard Observatory, Bond was one of the first to work towards establishing standard time. It is estimated at $300,000 to $500,000. Other clock highlights include a Newport tall clock, c. 1725 by William Claggett of Newport, R.I., which is the earliest American clock being offered in the sale. The piece is estimated at $60,000 to $80,000. The sale also includes a number of Willard clocks.

Frederique Constant to Introduce Luxury Girl’s Watch

The U.K. trade publication, Professional Jeweller, has learned that Frederique Constant will introduce a girl’s luxury watch at BaselWorld. “The company’s global sales director, Ralph Simons, confirmed it with a nod of his head during an interview this week,” the publication wrote. Stay tuned.

Marvin Unveils Sébastien Loeb Collection

Swiss luxury watch brand Marvin has created a new limited edition line in partnership with its ambassador, World Rally champion Sébastien Loeb. Two exclusive chronographs have been developed with Loeb and they both carry his signature. Their design is the work of two creative watchmakers: Jean-François Ruchonnet, best known for the TAG Heuer Monaco V4 and the Cabestan, and Sébastien Perret, the Neuchâtel designer who has been associated with all recent Marvin collections. The new Loeb Special Edition has a 44 mm diameter steel case flexible red horns mounted on spring suspensions, buttons coated in black PVD that resemble gear change paddles, and counters designed like dashboard instruments. The collection is limited to 777 pieces, representing Loeb’s seven world championship titles.

Grand Prix d'Horlogerie Preview

The 2010 edition of the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève will be November 18 at the Geneva Grand Théâtre. Ten timepieces have been shortlisted for each of the competition’s seven categories, including best ladies, men’s, design, jewelry, complicated, sports and the Petite Aiguille watch prize (the best timepiece under SFr5,000). There will also be four special awards, including the public prize, voted for by 5,000 participants. Brands shortlisted include Bulgari, Van Cleef & Arpels, Ralph Lauren, Audemars Piguet, Piaget, Chopard, Chaumet, Graff, Harry Winston and Chanel. The Financial Times has written a preview of the prestigious event that can be viewed here (subscription required).

Baume & Mercier In Search of ‘Very Special Reporter’

Baume & Mercier has launched a contest appealing to its social media fans. The Swiss luxury watch brand has invited its 75,000 Facebook fans to upload videos explaining their love of the brand and why they would make ideal "Very Special Reporters" at the upcoming Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie in Geneva, Jan. 17–21, the trade show for high-end watch manufacturers and buyers.