watch auction Archives - The Watch-Collector Leeds

Rare Rolex Submariner Explorer dial Sold £230K

Posted on October 12, 2017 The W-C

Rare Rolex Submariner Explorer dial Sold for £230K at Lockdales Yesterday in Ipswich it smashed the previous record for this model. The watch is Rolex Submariner 5513 which is a great watch in itself but Rolex back in the 1960’s added the 9, 6, and 3 to dial and only made a short production run. The owner of the piece said he nearly damaged the watch when it dropped in a cement mixer some time ago but it seem to have survived the fall.

Now 60 years on the watch are collectible as hell, the more original it is the more the watch does at auction these type of pieces always end up in top auction houses around the world to bring the premium when the hammer falls you rarely see one for sale in a top vintage Rolex shop.

The auction house estimated £7000 to £8000 which would be correct for a fantastic condition 5513, but this was the biggest sale to date since opening in 1996! The commission on this sale was £38k a nice days work for Lockdales.

The 5513 has a stunning patina on the metres first dial all matching just perfect, the bezel looks original to the watch and the lugs just look pucker for 60 years of age with the original expandable oyster bracelet. This model is slightly rarer with underline under the “Swiss” at 6 o clock. The watch had bidders in the room from all over the world in total over 100 bidders online for the watch in the end a collector from Italy won the auction to take home the stunning Rolex Submariner explorer dial.
This Rolex around the 1960,s would have been around £70 to purchase and today’s equivalent of £1000, that was great investment piece for the owner god knows what the hammer price would be with box and papers with the original sales receipt!

The Paul Newman Daytona is coming up for sale shortly and will break world records as the most expensive watch to date.

George Daniels Space Travellers Watch At Auction

Posted on September 23, 2017 The W-C

George Daniels Space Travellers Watch At Auction Sotherby’s in London recently, The watch is masterpiece by the English watchmaker and is widely regarded as one if his best creations. The watch sold for £3.200,000 million with auction fees included. Sotherby’s estimate was £1.2 mil to £1.8 mil so did well over the estimate. The piece is the most expensive ever English watch that has been to auction shows British is as good as the Swiss in watch making!!

The pocket watch is 18K Yellow gold chronograph with Daniels Independent Double-Wheel Escapement, Mean-Solar and Sidereal Time with Age & Phase of the Moon and Equation of Time Indication, that is mouthful, Rare pieces like this seem to be smashing auction house prices.

The auction had two bidders fighting for the piece a Asian collector and English, in the end the English collector wont the watch so wont be leaving the UK. This is a video about the timepiece.

Watch Buyers

Take a look inside Patek Philippe Exhibition

Posted on July 15, 2017 The W-C

Patek Philippe Exhibition Arts and watches in New York 2017 take a look inside. Hodinkee as done a video of the watches in the exhibition. Some truly great pieces that will go for sale. The collectors place to be, wish I would have made the trip, watches becoming more collectible than ever these days markets pulling high premiums for the sort after watches with provenance especially ones with famous celebrity attachment.

Patek Philippe Market pulls in the big hitters Patek Philippe still holds the record for the most expensive watch sold at auction the Henry graves super complication for a staggering $24,000,000 dollars but the pocket watch was way a head of its time. I feel you would need a degree in watchmaking to use the watch super complication, but doubt it was bought to use more an invest piece also one of a kind piece.

enjoy the video!

Vladimir Putin’s Patek Philippe 5208P For Auction

Posted on June 3, 2017 The W-C

Vladimir Putin’s Patek Philippe 5208P Grand complication found and is going up for auction with Monaco Legend Auctions. The watch is one of Patek’s best pieces that to own this only the top clients can own by application a familiar process to new limited edition and exclusive Porsche’s & Ferrari. The watch is a thing of beauty as most Patek Philippe’s are the watch has minute repeater, a mono-pusher chronograph, and an instantaneous perpetual calendar wow! and at a cost of 980,000 CHF not for the faint hearted deep pockets needed.

buy Patek Philippe — The 5208 Self winding minute repeater.

The name Vladimir Putin is on the papers and was sold by Watches of Switzerland in London but if not 100% confirmed was his watch but Patek Philippe would on sell this watch to the named person on the papers also with the application process more than likely was Mr Putins watch. The watch is made in precious metal Platinum and is 42mm the case size with pierced lugs a very nice touch, a perpetual calendar date means you set the watch and if constantly worn will keep the correct date and time up to 100 years even allowing for the leap year.
Patek Philippe are no doubt one of the best watch makers in the world I always found a lot of their models are more dress watches, very very classy stunning beautiful in every way. Overall do not think will ever own one or see one of these pieces. be nice to see what the watch fetches at auction.

Phillips: Hong Kong Vintage Watch Auction

Posted on May 18, 2017May 22, 2017 The W-C

Phillips Auction in Hong Kong 30 May 2017 should have some really nice vintage pieces for sale it seems the world has gone vintage mad! The auction has some great pieces from Heuer, Omega, Rolex, Vacheron Constantin, Longines, Breitling, Zenith, Panerai, Bregeut, Patek Philippe and many more. These vintage watch auctions pull some top money for the right pieces as they are getting harder and harder to find in top condition box and papers and folk wanted to snap the top pieces what ever the cost.

I was never into vintage watches was always in to modern pieces till about 5 years ago, but then I realized how nice it is with aged patina and matt dial etc…..and just simple the simple fact the watch had be worn and loved rather than stored in box. But unfortunately you need pockets these days to buy them vintage pieces from top the names and I mean deep deep pockets. The Paul Newman Daytona 6363 was may be around £300 in the 1970,s some these days fetching over a million dollars. Any thing Paul Newman or Steve Mcqueen wore are timeless classics only going one direction in price and people know this. This Rolex Daytona 6263 did a staggering over $3 million!!

Take a look at some of the lots at auction some stunning pieces.

https://www.phillips.com/auctions/auction/HK080117