On Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 May at La Réserve Hotel in Geneva, the Phillips auction house in collaboration with Bacs & Russo organized “The Geneva Watch Auction: XIII“, Which is one of the most important auctions that the world of watchmaking offers. 

We at Perpetual Passion have had the opportunity to view the lots that will be auctioned and we report some of them Insights with the photos we made of the most interesting lots. With a catalog of this level, the choice was really difficult but I am sure that many of you will only appreciate these "Highlights" in which each watch is characterized by at least one of these elements: technique, design and rarity. Some probably incorporate them all.

Lot 29 - Audemars Piguet 25820SP "Tuscan Dial"

This perpetual calendar is a rare edition of 25 pieces. If the platinum details, such as the links between the links of the bracelet and the bezel, certainly contribute to embellishing and giving a particular shine to the watch, the real added value is represented by its dial which presents a particular irregular and unique workmanship with the calendar counters carved into the dial itself. 

The watch is estimated at between 60.000 and 120.000 CHF.

Lot 31 - Richard Mille Ref. RM022 "Aerodyne"

The Richard Mille RM 022 Tourbillon Aerodyne Dual Time is a rare version with a red Quartz TPT® bezel and case back made in just 10 pieces for the American market in 2018. The watch is a hand-wound tourbillon with function selector (HNW) of the crown that can be activated via a button inserted in the crown itself, indication of the torque delivered by the winding spring, indication of the power reserve and dual time zone regulated by a special button at 9 o'clock. It is part of a small circle of references that are dedicated to world of aeronautics whose references are easily understood from the structure of the tourbillon bridge and the barrel that recall the propellers and fans of aircraft engines. Its peculiarity is that of having a platen made of titanium and a particular honeycomb matrix in titanium aluminide with a carbon nanofiber core. 

The watch is estimated at between 250.000 and 500.000 CHF. 

Lot 33 - Patek Philippe Ref. 2523 Two-Crown Worldtime, “Eurasia” cloisonné enamel dial

The Patek Philippe Worldtime 2523 with a dial made by cloisonné enamelling, is the rarest and most coveted lot of the auction, at the level of historical importance we are on a par with the legendary Patek Philippe 1518. Although it was made in 1953, this watch appears to be modern thanks to the 36 mm case diameter and the square and geometric shape of the lugs. On the dial is represented the Eurasian continent (so much so that it has been defined as “Silk Road” - “silk road”) made through the particular cloisonné enamel which gives the watch incredible shades of color. Overall, only 12 watches with reference 2523 were produced using the cloisonné enamelled dials and of these only 3 represent the Eurasian continent. I can assure you that the photos fail to do justice to the beauty of this watch

The watch will be sold starting with an auction starting price of 3.500.000 CHF.   

Lot 141 - FP Journe “Chronomètre à Resonance” Platinum

The resonance Chronomere is one of Francoise Paul Journe's absolute masterpieces and has been renewed several times over the years. The lot at auction is part of the "final edition" presented in 2019 which slightly modifies the caliber with double escapement operating in resonance, adding a remontoir d'egalitè on each regulating organ and a single differential for the distribution of energy. The dial features the time indication of the left dial using the 24-hour scale, so as to avoid possible misunderstandings related to the day / night when checking the time at home. The watch case is made of platinum. 

The watch is estimated at between 80.000 and 120.000 CHF. 

Lot 164 - Bulgari Octo Finissimo - Middle East Edition Titanium

Made entirely of sandblasted titanium, the Bulgari masterpiece features a case with a thickness of only 5.15mm which houses the self-winding caliber BVL-138 with 60 hours of power reserve and a thickness of 2.23mm. The peculiarity of this watch lies in the fact that the dial has indices with green Turkish numbers, in fact it was made for the Middle East market. It is a unique opportunity to have a very special watch in your collection. 

The watch is estimated at between 7.000 and 14.000 CHF. 

For more information, Phillips. com

The Geneva Watch Auction XIII, Part I, May 8 at 14 pm
(lots 1 - 130)

The Geneva Watch Auction XIII, Part II, May 9th at 14:00 pm
(lots 131 - 236)

Hôtel La Réserve, 301 Route de Lausanne, Geneva, Switzerland