Vanity Fair UK - 10.2019

Did you

clock

these two?

November will see the eighth edition

of the biennial Only Watch charity

auction that, since 2005, has raised

more than CHF40million (around

£33.8million) for research into

Duchene muscular dystrophy and

other neuromuscular diseases. This

year, 50 watches will be offered,

with four brands—MB&F and L’Epee

and De Bethune and Urwerk—

collaborating on projects.

Other makers range from

Armin Strom to Zenith

and Audemars Piguet to

Kari Voutilainen, with

Patek Philippe,

Jaeger-LeCoultre,

Louis Vuitton and

Ulysse Nardin. The

sale will be staged

by Christie’s at Four

Seasons Hotel des

Bergues in Geneva on

November 9, prior to

which all lots will be

taken on a world tour.

onlywatch.com

The “Polarouter” wristwatch of the

1950s—created by Universal on

behalf of Scandinavian airline SAS

to commemorate the first flights

from Copenhagen to Los Angeles

via the North Pole—was the first

commercially successful design

penned by Gérald Genta, who went

on to create legendary watches

such as the Patek Philippe Nautilus

and Audemars Piguet Royal Oak.

This 1955 example (later re-named

"Polerouter") fetched a modest

sum of £4,800 at Watches of

Knightsbridge on July 20.

This rare two-and-a-half-foot high

Omega clock mounted on a metal pole

realised HK$63,125 (£ 6,612) when it

appeared for sale at Bonhams Hong

Kong in June. Originally intended for

use on a railway station platform, it was

sold complete with a wooden-cased

master clock to which it could be

connected in order to maintain

accuracy through electronic impulses.

THE ONE AND ONLY

AUCTIONEERS’ TOP TIPS

Buy, Sell, Hold

“Full sets” with a quality

vintage watch: box, papers,

unpolished with perfect dial

1940s chronographs: Patek

Philippe, Vacheron Constantin,

Audemars Piguet

Quality vintage models by

well-known brands that

have not seen recent price

Modern complications,

especially early Roger Dubuis

and early FP Journe models

The rising star of the Patek

Philippe Ellipse has arrived

and prices are rising fast

Patek Philippe remains the

most collectable despite the

Rolex sports watch frenzy

Heuer chronographs.

They will come back

Military-issued watches—

expect to see a steady

increase in value

Oversized, waterproof

chronographs and

complicated pocket watches

Grand Seiko models such as

the SBGK005 are affordable,

elegant and wearable

Audemars Piguet until the

museum opens next year,

after which prices could rise

Vacheron C onsta nt i n— pr ices

have dropped in recent

years, but could be set to rise

Low-quality vintage sport

watches from third-rate

companies

Manual-wind Rolex

Daytonas—prices for all but

the rarest are stalling

High-end contemporary

independents like Philippe

Dufour and Kari Voutilainen

Watches that have increased

in price by over 100 per cent

price in recent years

Vintage Omega Speedmaster,

Rolex sports models and

Patek Philippe Nautilus

Watches with aftermarket

diamonds—non-factory

modifications hurt value

Rolex remains the number

one seller, particularly

vintage Daytonas

Interesting military

timepieces, especially those

with intriguing provenance

Laura Bishop

Fellows,

Birmingham

Stefan Muser

Dr. Crott,

Frankfurt

John Reardon

Senior Consultant,

New York

Julien Schaerer

Antiquorum,

Geneva

Toby Sut ton

Watches of Knightsbridge,

London

Adrian Hailwood

Dreweatts,

London

Geoffroy Ader

Auction Consultant,

Paris

BUY SELL HOLD

Rare Patek Philippes or

vintage Rolex sports models

POLE POSITION

SERHIY HIPSKYY/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO (STATIO

N CLOCK); COURTESY OF BONHAMS (OMEGA);

WORLDPHOTOS/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO (OLD MAP);

CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD.

2019 (VA

CHERIN

CONSTANTIN); COURTESY OF ONLY WATCH (ZENITH)

Stopwatch Auction Report

By Simon de Burton

30 VANITY FAIR ON TIME AUTUMN^2019