The “Wristwatches” auction organized by CAMBI Casa d'Aste, the first physical auction of the season dedicated to wristwatches, will take place on December 17th in Milan.

The catalog is compact and very diversified. Inside you will find big pieces - like like the Patek Philippe Celestial ref. 5102, still wrapped - or a splendid Longines “Start & Stop” in gold with internal bezel photographed by John Goldberger in his book “Longines Watches”, and small pearls such as the IWC Porsche Design “Compass”.

For the occasion, we decided to highlight some of the lots in the catalog that we believe deserve to be seen closely due to their rarity and condition.

Lot. 23 IWC - Porsche Design Compass IW3510

This is truly an iconic and in some ways revolutionary watch. Born in 1978, in a difficult period due to the advent of quartz movements, IWC signed a partnership with Ferdinand A. Porsche and Porsche Design with the idea of ​​attracting a new, young and dynamic clientele.

Thus was born the Compass IW3510: the first watch equipped with a compass, with a highly recognizable design, with an aluminum case since the watch had to be completely anti-magnetic. In later versions IWC opted for titanium, being a much harder material than aluminum, lighter and hypoallergenic.

The example proposed by CAMBI is in excellent condition, with PVD coating still unaltered. The starting price is really interesting, the lot is estimated between 1.400,00 - 1.800,00 Euros.

Lot. 67 LONGINES “Weems” Mk VIIA RAF, circa 1940

These watches are extremely rare as only around 2.500 were delivered to the RAF at the outbreak of hostilities during World War II and many will no doubt have seen the action during the early dark days of the Battle of Britain and beyond.

The Longines “Weems” watch has been delivered to pilots and navigators and features a movable outer bezel that is set on the second hand to calculate longitude in order to aid navigation.

This Longines is named after Lt. CDR PV Weems who was a well-known aviator, navigator and instructor at the Naval Officer School in Annapolis, Maryland, in the United States.

Lot estimated between 6.000,00 - 8.000,00 Euros.

Lot. 68 LONGINES - “STOP AND GO” Monopush Chronograph, reference 4334

Only a few variants of Longines “Stop and go” chronographs are known, all extremely rare. The example at auction also has the particularity of having an internal ring in yellow gold.

A “start & stop” is not a complete chronograph per se, but it is a continuous chronograph. The chronograph hand never stops and when the user presses the button at 2 o'clock, it resets and starts over. If you press the button lightly, the chronograph second hand will stop until you stop pushing it or push it further to reset its mechanism. The caliber is the Longines hand-wound 12.68Z, used between 1929 and 1961, based on the 12L caliber.

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This same watch, with matching serial numbers and movement, is featured in John Goldberger's book "Longines Watches", pages 266-267. Lot estimated between 12.000,00 - 18.000,00 Euros.

Lot. 87 ROLEX - 5513 Serif Dial "Feet first"

The Submariner 5513 is one of the great classics of the Geneva maison. This example is in wonderful condition, with a beautiful matt “maxi dial”, and a beautiful perfectly uniform patina also on the hands. The name "Serif dial" derives from a peculiarity of the indexes at 3,6 and 9 which have a small "whisker", a small pointed end.

It is a small detail but it is these details that make the difference when we talk about vintage Rolex! Also in this case the starting price is very interesting, with an estimate between 6.000,00 - 8.000,00 Euros.

Lot. 96 ROLEX - Day-Date in white gold ref. 18039b, made for the Saudi airline “SNAS"

Il Rolex Day-Date ref. 18039b is one of Day-Date's rarest and most sought-after models, able to combine the white gold case and yellow gold fluted bezel. A peculiarity of this model is the President-type “Tridor” bracelet, with a central link that combines white gold, yellow and pink.

But what makes this Day-Date truly unique is the dial. At 6 o'clock it is possible to admire a little known but very important logo. We are talking about the symbol of the Saudi aviation SNAS, a cargo company owned by Crown Prince Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

Unlike other custom dials, those bearing the SNAS symbol are very rare and little known on the market. Estimated lot between 14.000,00 - 18.000,00 Euros.

Exhibition and Auction
The exhibition will be possible only by appointment, in compliance with the Italian laws on prevention related to COVID19, from 10 am to 18 pm on the following days: Saturday 12, Monday 14, Tuesday 15 and Wednesday 16.

The auction starts at 15:00 on December 17th, at the headquarters in Via San Marco 22, Milan. In compliance with the DPCM of 3 November 2020, presence in the room is not guaranteed and it is advisable to participate via web, telephone and written offer. For more information, CAMBIaste.com