FLIGHT OF FANCY
An ultra-rare yellow gold version of Omega’s Flightmaster
professional pilot’s watch soared to £32,798 when it crossed
the block at Bonhams in Hong Kong this summer. Although
more than 37,000 Flightmasters were made during the
production run from 1969 through the early 1970s, it is
believed that fewer than 200 featured yellow gold cases with
matching bracelets. This example was sold complete with an
extract from the Omega archives confirming that it was
originally delivered to Italy in 1971.PERPETUAL MOTION
The new Phillips Perpetual boutique at
the auction house’s galleries in Berkeley
Square promises to offer the finest
collector’s timepieces in custom-built
surroundings, a space that will also serve
as a venue for shows, exhibitions and the
London base of Singer Reimagined—the
watch brand formed through a collaboration
with car restoration firm Singer Porsche.The watch (below right) worn by the
late Marlon Brando when he
starred in Francis Ford Coppola’s
Apocalypse Now is expected to
fetch a six-figure sum when it
crosses the block at Phillips New
York on December 10. The actor
gave the 1972 Rolex GMT-Master
to his daughter Petra in 1995; she
subsequently gave it to her husband,
Russel Fischer. It will be sold to raise
money for a children’s charity set
up by the couple. At the same
Game Changers sale, Phillips will
offer a gold Day-Date given by
Rolex to Jack Nicklaus in 1967. He
wore it for every win of his career.
Proceeds will go to the Nicklaus
Children’s Health Care Foundation.AUCT ION CA LEN DA R
Autumn 2019BUBBLE TROUBLE
Lest anyone believe that vintage
watch prices can only keep on
climbing, it’s worth remembering
that around 25 years ago, the
Rolex Bubbleback was highly
regarded as a blue-chip
collectable with prices for the
best examples sometimes
reaching £20,000.
Now, however, the profusion of
horological knowledge and the
huge choice of more
interesting models that
hold greater wrist
appeal have put the
puny, 32mm
Bubbleback in the
shade— a fact
evinced when
three examples
were auctioned at
Bonhams Hong
Kong in June. One
failed to find a buyer,
and the other two
made just £4,800
between them....Back in the 1980s,
Rolls-Royce owners who
wanted to demonstrate
their allegiance to the
marque even when they
weren’t behind the wheel
could buy a Corum watch
with a case in the form of
the distinctive radiator
grille, complete with tiny
Spirit of Ecstasy mascot.
Although relatively few
were made, three
examples recently
cropped up at auction—
one at Watches of
Knightsbridge on July 20
that was sold for £4,000
(complete with its rarely
seen original packaging)
and two more (above) that
realised almost £10,000
between them at
Bonhams in Hong Kong
on June 12. The latter sale
also included a 1960s
decanter set housed in a
box decorated with a
miniature Rolls-Royce
grille and full-sized door
handles. It realised a
Mini-like £ 1,600.THE GODFATHER
OF ALL WATCHES
September
10 Bonhams, London
23 Fellows, BirminghamOctober
1- 15 Christie’s, online
15 Fellows, Birmingham
16 Bonhams, New York
23 Gardiner Houlgate, Bath
27 Antiquorum, Hong KongNovember
9 Christie’s, Geneva
(Only Watch)
10 Antiquorum, Geneva
10 Christie’s, Geneva
11 Christistie’s, Geneva
15 Dr. Crott, Frankfurt
19 Bonhams, London
22 Christie’s, online
23 Bonhams, Hong Kong
25 Christie’s, Hong Kong
26 Christie’s, online
26 Fellows, BirminghamDecember
9 Fellows, Birmingham
10 Phillips, New York
11 Bonhams, London
11 Christie’s, New YorkMARY ELLEN MARK (BRANDO); DAVID CAIRNS/EXPRESS/GETTY IMAGES (PILOTS); CLIFFORD COFFIN/CONDÉ NAST VIA GETTY IMAGES(MODEL WITH ROLLS-ROYCE); COURTESY OF BONHAMS (ROLEX BUBBLEBACK); DAVID CAIRNS/EXPRESS/GETTY IMAGES (PILOTS)That’s the
SPIRITStopwatch Auction Report
By Simon de Burton
28 VANITY FAIR ON TIME AUTUMN^2019