The auction "IMPORTANT MODERN & VINTAGE TIMEPIECES", curated by Antiquorum Auctioneer, will be held on 9 May in Geneva at the Hotel Beau-Rivage. With a total of 535 lots and a catalog full of a great variety of wrist and pocket watches, able to satisfy every type of collector.

Talking with Julien Schaerer (Managing Director of Antiquorum) is John Varese (Head of Italy) shows their satisfaction in being able to complete a such a rich and varied catalog with important watches that have never appeared at auction, despite one of the most challenging periods of recent years both for the pandemic situation still underway, and for the advance of modern watches on the vintage market which, according to them, is cyclical and they look forward to the years to come with confidence.

But let's see together some of the 535 lots that will be auctioned on May 9th during this important auction which, we recall, will take place in two sessions: one at 9 am for lots from 1 to 234 and the second at 14 pm for lots from 235 to 535. 

Lot 389 - PATEK PHILIPPE, REF. 5074R, PERPETUAL CALENDAR MINUTE REPEATER, Rose Gold

Presented in 2005 during the Basel Fair, with a silver dial and in the rarer black variant, this very rare Patek Philippe 5074 is considered the successor of the famous 3974. The mechanism is the same in both references except for the gong which, in Ref 5074 , spin around the important 42mm case of the watch twice, to give a better and louder sound. This type of gong is called "Cathedral gong". In addition to this complication we find the perpetual calendar with moon phases.

Estimated lot CHF 300,000 - 400,000 | HKD 2,400,000 - 3,200,000 | USD 300,000 - 400,000

LOT 434 - A. LANGE & SÖHNE, LANGE 1 Ref. 101.026

Another rare and sought-after example by fans of the Glashutte house is the A. Lange & Söhne Ref. 101.026 Lange 1. According to the estimates of the Antiquorum experts, only 30 steel pieces were produced divided into a first series of 25 pieces and a second series bearing the customer's name on the caseback. The watch proposed at auction was sold in 1997 at the official Milan dealer.

Estimated lot CHF 100,000 - 200,000 | HKD 800,000 - 1,600,000 | USD 100,000 - 200,000

LOT 293 - ROLEX, REF. 6239, DAYTONA ALBINO BIG RED DIAL

Top lot of "Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces" and, at the moment, themost talked about watch in the world of collecting is the Rolex Daytona ref. 6239 "Albino".

In the Rolex world similar wristwatches such as the Albino 6239 (lot 293) have only been seen by a couple of important collectors due to the extreme rarity of the piece (only about 4 pieces known to date). Only a few of these pieces were produced, each with its own distinct characteristics as the dials were prototypes that were never to be marketed.

The model that will be auctioned on May 9th has been submitted to Rolex for an overhaul estimate. According to Antiquorum Rolex confirmed by telephone that the watch has been accepted for service revision and it took an additional 8-12 weeks to estimate the revision costs. This will make it the only Rolex Albino 6239 that has been presented to Rolex Geneva and accepted for an overhaul quote. 

Estimated lot CHF 700,000 - 1,200,000 | HKD 5,600,000 - 9,600,000 | USD 700,000 - 1,200,000

LOT 498 - ROLEX, REF. 6241, DAYTONA "Paul Newman"

Reference 6241 was produced for only 4 years, from 1965 to 1969. The 37mm steel case houses a bezel divided into two bodies, an outer steel ring and a black acrylic insert with a tachymeter scale printed in white. Initially presented with a silver dial with contrasting black counters, or with a black dial with silver counters, this steel model presented by Antiquorum is configured with the iconic “Paul Newman” dial. The mounted caliber is the Valjoux 722 - 1.

The reference 6241 represents, together with the 6264, one of the rare references with push-button chronographs with only 2250 pieces produced, of which it is estimated that only 10% were sold with an “exotic” or “Paul Newman” dial. The model at auction has never been on the market until today.

Estimated lot CHF 130,000 - 230,000 | HKD 1,040,000 - 1,840,000 | USD 130,000 - 230,000