Phillips in collaboration with Bacs & Russo, finally dissolve the reserves and unveil some of the watches that we will be able to find in the catalog of the next auction "The Geneva Watch Auction XII" which will take place in Geneva from 6 to 7 November, at the Hotel la Rèserve .
At this event Phillips also added "Retrospectives: 2000-2020", A thematic auction curated by Phillips with Blackbird, which will take place on November 8, with a selection of watches spanning the XNUMXth and XNUMXst centuries, icons of industry savoir-faire, technical skill and design watchmaking.
The common denominator is, as always, the quality of the watches. Many of those in the catalog share their rarity, state of conservation and relevance.
The Geneva Watch Auction XIII
The selection is guided by a series of pieces from two of the most important private collections, one of which - by an enigmatic “Mr. Green ”- will be in the catalog with 30 examples, including Patek Philippe, Longines, Omega and Rolex.
In the course of our chat with Aurel Bacs it had not been possible to anticipate anything, except the promise that this too - despite the difficulties linked to COVID-19 - would be an auction at Phillips' height, proof of this is the top lot of the review: the Patek Philippe reference 2523/1 world time in rose gold with guilloché dial.
Introduced in 1953, this marvelous specimen features a double crown - at 3 and 9 o'clock - one with the function of winding the watch, while the other is to adjust the disc of the cities of the world. The dial of the Patek Philippe 2523/1 has a guilloché finish and is one of the 4 examples known so far.
The creation of this timepiece was inspired by the adoption of the coordinated universal time in 1884. According to a legend, the Scottish railway engineer Stanford Fleming began looking for a way to standardize time, after missing a train in Ireland several years earlier.
Fleming then began to support the division of the Earth into 24 time zones of 15 ° each, one hour apart with a universal time for each individual zone. His proposal was initially met with skepticism, but was eventually adopted at the International Prime Meridian Conference in Washington DC.
It took the watchmakers several decades to make a movement capable of showing the time in all 24 zones simultaneously. The pioneer was the Swiss watchmaker Louis Cottier, who invented a rotating ring bounded by a fixed outer dial disc with the names of different cities engraved on it. As air travel and telephone communications were starting to take off, large watch companies like Rolex, Vacheron Constantin and of course Patek Philippe saw the potential of Cottier's invention and started using it in their own watches.
Among the known examples of Patek 2531/1 rose gold, one is found at the Patek Philippe museum of Geneva, while the other two belong to private collectors. These features make it as rare as a steel Patek Philippe 1518.
Patek Philippe 2499 second and third series
To signal the Patek Philippe 2499 perpetual calendar, second series, in yellow gold, from the private collection of the great collector and conoisseur John Goldberger estimated at 700.000-1.200.000 CHF.
There will be another in the catalog Patek Philippe 2499, of the third series, coming from the retailer Beyer and embellished with the word Beyer in the moon phase counter at six o'clock. The watch is in excellent condition and complete with all period equipment. The estimate is 400,000-800,000 CHF.
Patek Philippe ref. 130 in steel
Another superb example of the Geneva-based maison that will go on auction next November is the Patek Philippe ref. 130 in steel with two-tone sector dial, from 1939, sold in France and which has always belonged to the same French family. Estimated between 250,000-450,000 CHF.
Presented in 1934 by Patek Philippe, the 130 was produced not only in steel, but also in precious metals. In the steel version the lugs differ from those of other metals: they are slightly shorter and thinner, making it decidedly more sporty and robust.
Highlights of the Rolex selection
The selection of Rolex models will include examples rarely seen on the market.
The main lots of this collection are the Rolex reference 8171 in steel, never polished (estimate CHF 300.000-600.000) and the Rolex 6200 "Big Crown" excellently preserved, one of the first Rolex Submariner models. An iconic piece with the sought after “Explorer dial” 3, 6, 9, this specimen features an incredible chocolate “tropical dial” (estimate CHF 400.000-800.000).
Rolex 8171 steel 
Rolex 6200 "Big Crown"
These are just some of the most important lots of the "Geneva Watch Auction XIII", Keep following us to stay updated on upcoming previews ..
For more information, Phillips. com
Here is where to view the lots at auction:
- Hong Kong: October 3-9, Location: 14 / F St. George's Building, 2 Ice House Street, Central Hong Kong
- Taipei: October 13-15, Location: 12F., Unit B No. 89, Songren Road, Xinyi District Taipei City 110
- London: October 5-8, Location: Phillips' HQ, 30 Berkeley Square, London
- Geneva: November 4-8, Location: Hôtel La Réserve, Bellevue, Geneva
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