New Watches
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Time pieces OnlyWatch Patek Philippe Perpetual calendar Watches II
Chronology : 2010-2019 2021
See also : Time pieces OnlyWatch Patek Philippe Perpetual calendar Watches II
Chronology : 2010-2019 2021
2000 F.P. Journe
2021 SOLD for CHF 3.9M by Phillips
Established in central Geneva, François-Paul Journe creates in 1999 his watchmaking Montres Journe company with the F.P. Journe brand. His proud motto "invenit et fecit" is inscribed on the dials of his watches for stating that he is an independent designer and maker.
His first model is the tourbillon souverain wristwatch with remontoir d'égalité. The use of a tourbillon is a tribute to Breguet. The remontoir d'égalité from the invention by John Harrison for his marine chronometer had never been embedded before in a wristwatch. This component provides an equal amount of energy whatever the winding level of the main spring. The combination of tourbillon and remontoir improves the accuracy.
Journe launched his business by a subscription for 20 units of that first model, available for selected customers with a 20 % discount on the expected retail price and a 50 % advance payment. The serial model in the souscription is inscribed on the the dial.
He later managed a similar financing process for his next four models, reserving for the same patron the serial number originally attributed in the starting operation. By that way a clever collector had the Number Ones of the five models of precision wristwatches created by the brand. He kept them in a single wood box and consigned them separately for sale by Phillips on November 7, 2021.
The lot 138 had been the very first item released by the brand, in 1999. This platinum tourbillon souverain wristwatch with remontoir d'égalité was sold for CHF 3.54M from a lower estimate of CHF 300K.
The lot 140 was the first from the 2000 model Chronomètre à Résonance, in platinum and pink gold. It was sold for CHF 3.9M from a lower estimate of CHF 200K. The resonance is a tribute to Breguet's resonating escapements. It is achieved by two interacting mechanisms.
The other three were the 2003 Octa Réserve de Marche with a record setting 120 hour power reserve, sold for CHF 550K at lot 139, the 2004 Octa Chronographe, sold for CHF 960K at lot 141, and the 2003 Octa Calendrier, sold for CHF 940K at lot 142. The Journe Souscription wooden box where the five wristwatches had been housed was sold for CHF 100K as a charity lot for the Association Monégasque contre les Myopathies, lot 143.
The number 2/20 in the souscription of the first Journe model, the 1999 platinum tourbillon souverain wristwatch with remontoir d'égalité, was sold for CHF 2.7M by Christie's on May 12, 2023, lot 2039.
The first ever wristwatch combining the grande and petite sonnerie was made in 1992 by Dufour.
François-Paul Journe released in 2006 his Sonnerie Souveraine model with both strikes, for which he received ten patents. Four units were built each year until 2018. The case was made in stainless steel for a better sound. The mechanism is using 582 components.
The development had lasted six years, with the amusing target that it could be used without failing by an eight year old child. The challenge was to create a low tension movement to activate the grand strike of the quarter hours in a wristwatch with a 24 hour autonomy without a loss in the accuracy nor in the chime. The petite sonnerie is the minute repeater.
A bespoke example dated Janvier 2009 on the case was sold for CHF 3.05M by Christie's on November 6, 2022, lot 2111. The petrol blue color of its dial is a possibly unique technical feat requiring multiple applications of lacquer layers by hand plus the mirror polishing of each layer.
This example was built by F.P. Journe SA for a close friend whose name is engraved on the case back beside Julius Caesar's motto Ab Imo Pectore and the ambitious technical aphorism Ars Longa, Vita Brevis. The FIA 7th Constructors’ Formula One World Champions logo also designates that first owner. This man, whose name is not disclosed in the catalogue for legal reasons, retired from operations a few months later to become the President of the FIA.
His first model is the tourbillon souverain wristwatch with remontoir d'égalité. The use of a tourbillon is a tribute to Breguet. The remontoir d'égalité from the invention by John Harrison for his marine chronometer had never been embedded before in a wristwatch. This component provides an equal amount of energy whatever the winding level of the main spring. The combination of tourbillon and remontoir improves the accuracy.
Journe launched his business by a subscription for 20 units of that first model, available for selected customers with a 20 % discount on the expected retail price and a 50 % advance payment. The serial model in the souscription is inscribed on the the dial.
He later managed a similar financing process for his next four models, reserving for the same patron the serial number originally attributed in the starting operation. By that way a clever collector had the Number Ones of the five models of precision wristwatches created by the brand. He kept them in a single wood box and consigned them separately for sale by Phillips on November 7, 2021.
The lot 138 had been the very first item released by the brand, in 1999. This platinum tourbillon souverain wristwatch with remontoir d'égalité was sold for CHF 3.54M from a lower estimate of CHF 300K.
The lot 140 was the first from the 2000 model Chronomètre à Résonance, in platinum and pink gold. It was sold for CHF 3.9M from a lower estimate of CHF 200K. The resonance is a tribute to Breguet's resonating escapements. It is achieved by two interacting mechanisms.
The other three were the 2003 Octa Réserve de Marche with a record setting 120 hour power reserve, sold for CHF 550K at lot 139, the 2004 Octa Chronographe, sold for CHF 960K at lot 141, and the 2003 Octa Calendrier, sold for CHF 940K at lot 142. The Journe Souscription wooden box where the five wristwatches had been housed was sold for CHF 100K as a charity lot for the Association Monégasque contre les Myopathies, lot 143.
The number 2/20 in the souscription of the first Journe model, the 1999 platinum tourbillon souverain wristwatch with remontoir d'égalité, was sold for CHF 2.7M by Christie's on May 12, 2023, lot 2039.
The first ever wristwatch combining the grande and petite sonnerie was made in 1992 by Dufour.
François-Paul Journe released in 2006 his Sonnerie Souveraine model with both strikes, for which he received ten patents. Four units were built each year until 2018. The case was made in stainless steel for a better sound. The mechanism is using 582 components.
The development had lasted six years, with the amusing target that it could be used without failing by an eight year old child. The challenge was to create a low tension movement to activate the grand strike of the quarter hours in a wristwatch with a 24 hour autonomy without a loss in the accuracy nor in the chime. The petite sonnerie is the minute repeater.
A bespoke example dated Janvier 2009 on the case was sold for CHF 3.05M by Christie's on November 6, 2022, lot 2111. The petrol blue color of its dial is a possibly unique technical feat requiring multiple applications of lacquer layers by hand plus the mirror polishing of each layer.
This example was built by F.P. Journe SA for a close friend whose name is engraved on the case back beside Julius Caesar's motto Ab Imo Pectore and the ambitious technical aphorism Ars Longa, Vita Brevis. The FIA 7th Constructors’ Formula One World Champions logo also designates that first owner. This man, whose name is not disclosed in the catalogue for legal reasons, retired from operations a few months later to become the President of the FIA.
2012 Patek Philippe 5002
2023 SOLD for HK$ 32M by Christie's
The dream of men to calculate the configuration of the sky with a handheld tool had been achieved for many centuries : it was the astrolabe. Since the late 1980s Patek Philippe offers increasingly subtle complications to the lovers of the astronomical time.
With the Star Caliber 2000, Patek Philippe put the sky in the pockets of their customers. This watch 73 mm in diameter and 32 mm high incorporates 21 complications including the night sky map that rotates counterclockwise. Its complications have been specially selected for their difficult compatibilities. A Star Calibre 2000 was sold for HK $ 25M by Christie's on November 28, 2012, lot 2952.
In March 2001, Patek Philippe launched the most complicated wristwatch, the 5002 Sky Moon Tourbillon, taking advantage of technologies developed for the Star Caliber 2000.
After the Star Caliber 2000, the mechanism has been further miniaturized. In the 5002, 686 components activate 12 complications in a case of 44 mm in diameter and 16 mm high. The price announced in 2001 was CHF 950K in yellow gold and CHF 990K in platinum.
To avoid a too tight display the 5002 is the first wristwatch with double dial made by Patek Philippe. The progress is not just about astronomy : the new cathedral minute repeating chime, prolonged and more musical, is made in a specially developed alloy. The model also incorporates the tourbillon and the perpetual calendar with retrograde date.
The front dial is classic, but the reverse dial displays the sky chart directly inspired by the Star Caliber 2000. The mobile sky map of the northern hemisphere is accompanied with the sidereal time, the phases of the Moon and the passages of Sirius selected as the brightest star. A variant with the sky of the southern hemisphere could be prepared on request.
The extreme complexity for the assembly of the 5002 limited its production to about ten pieces per year until it was discontinued in 2012. It had been only available by invitation and interview to Patek Philippe’s hand picked wealthy clients.
The 18K pink gold model is the 5002R where the R stands for (Or) Rose. An example delivered in 2008 to a special order was sold for CHF 1.2M by Antiquorum on May 12, 2013 just after the model was discontinued. Another one in superb condition made ca 2010 was sold for HK $ 24.5M by Christie's on May 24, 2022, lot 2273.
Known as a unique example made in 2012, the version 5002R-014 has a bespoke black dial adorned with diamond indexes set in rose gold chatons. Consigned by its original owner, it was sold for HK $ 32M from a lower estimate of HK $ 24M by Christie's on May 26, 2023, lot 2360.
The platinum version is the 5002P. A watch assembled ca 2010 was sold for HK $ 12.5M by Sotheby's on October 5, 2022, lot 2257.
A very rare 5002G-010 in white gold, assembled in 2012, was sold by Phillips on November 25, 2019 for HK $ 18M, lot 845.
A yellow gold 5002 assembled in 2011 was sold by Sotheby's on October 8, 2019 for HK $ 11M.
One of the very last examples, made in platinum and delivered in February 2013, was sold by Antiquorum on May 13, 2018 for CHF 1.05M, lot 200.
A 5002P-001 purchased in 2004 was sold for $ 1.6M by Christie's on April 8, 2021, lot 1.
The 6002 reference launched in 2013 is a deluxe dressing for the Sky Moon Tourbillon.
With the Star Caliber 2000, Patek Philippe put the sky in the pockets of their customers. This watch 73 mm in diameter and 32 mm high incorporates 21 complications including the night sky map that rotates counterclockwise. Its complications have been specially selected for their difficult compatibilities. A Star Calibre 2000 was sold for HK $ 25M by Christie's on November 28, 2012, lot 2952.
In March 2001, Patek Philippe launched the most complicated wristwatch, the 5002 Sky Moon Tourbillon, taking advantage of technologies developed for the Star Caliber 2000.
After the Star Caliber 2000, the mechanism has been further miniaturized. In the 5002, 686 components activate 12 complications in a case of 44 mm in diameter and 16 mm high. The price announced in 2001 was CHF 950K in yellow gold and CHF 990K in platinum.
To avoid a too tight display the 5002 is the first wristwatch with double dial made by Patek Philippe. The progress is not just about astronomy : the new cathedral minute repeating chime, prolonged and more musical, is made in a specially developed alloy. The model also incorporates the tourbillon and the perpetual calendar with retrograde date.
The front dial is classic, but the reverse dial displays the sky chart directly inspired by the Star Caliber 2000. The mobile sky map of the northern hemisphere is accompanied with the sidereal time, the phases of the Moon and the passages of Sirius selected as the brightest star. A variant with the sky of the southern hemisphere could be prepared on request.
The extreme complexity for the assembly of the 5002 limited its production to about ten pieces per year until it was discontinued in 2012. It had been only available by invitation and interview to Patek Philippe’s hand picked wealthy clients.
The 18K pink gold model is the 5002R where the R stands for (Or) Rose. An example delivered in 2008 to a special order was sold for CHF 1.2M by Antiquorum on May 12, 2013 just after the model was discontinued. Another one in superb condition made ca 2010 was sold for HK $ 24.5M by Christie's on May 24, 2022, lot 2273.
Known as a unique example made in 2012, the version 5002R-014 has a bespoke black dial adorned with diamond indexes set in rose gold chatons. Consigned by its original owner, it was sold for HK $ 32M from a lower estimate of HK $ 24M by Christie's on May 26, 2023, lot 2360.
The platinum version is the 5002P. A watch assembled ca 2010 was sold for HK $ 12.5M by Sotheby's on October 5, 2022, lot 2257.
A very rare 5002G-010 in white gold, assembled in 2012, was sold by Phillips on November 25, 2019 for HK $ 18M, lot 845.
A yellow gold 5002 assembled in 2011 was sold by Sotheby's on October 8, 2019 for HK $ 11M.
One of the very last examples, made in platinum and delivered in February 2013, was sold by Antiquorum on May 13, 2018 for CHF 1.05M, lot 200.
A 5002P-001 purchased in 2004 was sold for $ 1.6M by Christie's on April 8, 2021, lot 1.
The 6002 reference launched in 2013 is a deluxe dressing for the Sky Moon Tourbillon.
2013 Richard Mille RM 56-01
2022 SOLD for CHF 3.65M by Christie's
The Richard Mille company offers wristwatches of very high performance, often associating with its models the sponsorship of a sports champion. Advanced technologies bring weightlessness, transparency and robustness against severe environment.
The release in 2012 of the RM 056 - Felipe Massa in a limited edition of five was an event in terms of watchmaking innovation. Its price was about $ 1.7M. The three elements that make up the case of this split-seconds chronograph watch are transparent with an absolute clarity, allowing the user to see from any angle the movement of the tourbillon through the skeletonized lower part of the dial.
The transparent material is a sapphire crystal, resistant to any scratch. The machining and polishing of a sapphire piece takes several hundred hours. The use of titanium is extended to all mechanical components and to the baseplate. The case is water resistant to 50 meters.
Evolution still goes forward. The RM 56-01 has its baseplate and its third hand in sapphire. RM 27-01 - Rafael Nadal and RM 56-02 incorporate a further improvement in the suspension of the movement on the baseplate. At its release in 2014 the price of the RM 56-02 was about $ 2M.
On June 21, 2017, Christie's sold for $ 1.2M the prototype No. 2 of the RM 056, made in 2012, lot 228. The number of prototypes realized for that model before the production run has not been disclosed.
An RM 056-01 made in 2013 was sold for CHF 3.65M from a lower estimate of CHF 2.5M by Christie's on November 6, 2022, lot 2096. Its transparent dial has a titanium minute ring and luminous hour indexes.
The release in 2012 of the RM 056 - Felipe Massa in a limited edition of five was an event in terms of watchmaking innovation. Its price was about $ 1.7M. The three elements that make up the case of this split-seconds chronograph watch are transparent with an absolute clarity, allowing the user to see from any angle the movement of the tourbillon through the skeletonized lower part of the dial.
The transparent material is a sapphire crystal, resistant to any scratch. The machining and polishing of a sapphire piece takes several hundred hours. The use of titanium is extended to all mechanical components and to the baseplate. The case is water resistant to 50 meters.
Evolution still goes forward. The RM 56-01 has its baseplate and its third hand in sapphire. RM 27-01 - Rafael Nadal and RM 56-02 incorporate a further improvement in the suspension of the movement on the baseplate. At its release in 2014 the price of the RM 56-02 was about $ 2M.
On June 21, 2017, Christie's sold for $ 1.2M the prototype No. 2 of the RM 056, made in 2012, lot 228. The number of prototypes realized for that model before the production run has not been disclosed.
An RM 056-01 made in 2013 was sold for CHF 3.65M from a lower estimate of CHF 2.5M by Christie's on November 6, 2022, lot 2096. Its transparent dial has a titanium minute ring and luminous hour indexes.
2015 Patek Philippe 5016A-010
2015 SOLD for CHF 7.3M by Phillips for OnlyWatch
Patek Philippe responds most often to the OnlyWatch rules of uniqueness with a high-end model in a refractory metal unusual in its similar productions : titanium in 2007 and 2013, steel in 2011 and 2015.
The Patek Philippe 5016A-010 sold by Phillips on November 7, 2015 fetched CHF 7.3M.
The Patek Philippe 5016A-010 sold by Phillips on November 7, 2015 fetched CHF 7.3M.
2017 Patek Philippe 5208T-010
2017 SOLD for CHF 6.2M by Christie's for OnlyWatch
The 2017 OnlyWatch event was entrusted to Christie's on November 11.
Patek Philippe regularly offers a high-end model in a refractory metal unusual in its similar productions. The titanium reappeared in 2017 with the unique Patek Philippe 5208T-010, lot 12 sold for CHF 6.2M.
Released in 2011 with a platinum 5208P version, the 5208 is a triple complication watch : minute repeater, mono-pusher chronograph and perpetual calendar with apertures and phases of the moon taking into account the leap year. It is resistant to moisture and dust but not to water. Its removable back case can be replaced by a transparent back in sapphire crystal providing visibility onto the inside. It is assembled with more than 700 parts.
In the ever-improving range of the Patek Philippe complication watches, the 5208 is the first wristwatch whose triple complication includes a chronograph, unlike the 5207 released in 2008 with a tourbillon.
Patek Philippe regularly offers a high-end model in a refractory metal unusual in its similar productions. The titanium reappeared in 2017 with the unique Patek Philippe 5208T-010, lot 12 sold for CHF 6.2M.
Released in 2011 with a platinum 5208P version, the 5208 is a triple complication watch : minute repeater, mono-pusher chronograph and perpetual calendar with apertures and phases of the moon taking into account the leap year. It is resistant to moisture and dust but not to water. Its removable back case can be replaced by a transparent back in sapphire crystal providing visibility onto the inside. It is assembled with more than 700 parts.
In the ever-improving range of the Patek Philippe complication watches, the 5208 is the first wristwatch whose triple complication includes a chronograph, unlike the 5207 released in 2008 with a tourbillon.
2019 Patek Philippe 6300A-010
2019 SOLD for CHF 31M by Christie's for OnlyWatch
In 2014, for celebrating the 175th anniversary of the brand, Patek Philippe release their first Grandmaster Chime wristwatch under the reference 5175 edited in seven units. Its 20 functions required 1,366 components for the movement and 215 components for the case, surpassing the 6200 Sky Moon Tourbillon. It is the achievement of 60,000 hours of development over seven years.
The 5175 is 48 mm in diameter and 16 mm in height with 11 pushers and buttons. Its central mechanism activates in parallel the visual reading on two dials including the perpetual calendar, the chimes of hours, quarters, minutes and day, and the acoustic alarm preselected with an accuracy of a quarter of an hour. The running time of the mechanical winding is 72 hours in silent mode and 30 hours in grande sonnerie.
Two of these applications are unprecedented : the insertion of an alarm in a wristwatch, and the audible indication of the day in the month in two digits covering 1 to 31 by the tens and units. The watch also strikes on demand the current hour and minute. A security prevents the user from operating two mechanisms at the same time if they are not compatible.
The reference 6300G in gray gold launched in 2016 is similar to the 5175 except that the references to the celebration have been removed.
The 2019 OnlyWatch auction was managed by Christie's in Geneva on November 9.
According to the rules applicable to this operation, each manufacturer offers a watch for which it guarantees that it is and will remain a one-off. On that year Patek Philippe supplies the unique copy of Grandmaster Chime in stainless steel, reference 6300A-010, lot 28. The steel improves the sound. It is inscribed "The Only One" on one of the dials. It was sold for CHF 31M.
The lot includes a one-day private tour of the workshops and museum for two people and a lunch with Thierry Stern, president of Patek Philippe.
The 5175 is 48 mm in diameter and 16 mm in height with 11 pushers and buttons. Its central mechanism activates in parallel the visual reading on two dials including the perpetual calendar, the chimes of hours, quarters, minutes and day, and the acoustic alarm preselected with an accuracy of a quarter of an hour. The running time of the mechanical winding is 72 hours in silent mode and 30 hours in grande sonnerie.
Two of these applications are unprecedented : the insertion of an alarm in a wristwatch, and the audible indication of the day in the month in two digits covering 1 to 31 by the tens and units. The watch also strikes on demand the current hour and minute. A security prevents the user from operating two mechanisms at the same time if they are not compatible.
The reference 6300G in gray gold launched in 2016 is similar to the 5175 except that the references to the celebration have been removed.
The 2019 OnlyWatch auction was managed by Christie's in Geneva on November 9.
According to the rules applicable to this operation, each manufacturer offers a watch for which it guarantees that it is and will remain a one-off. On that year Patek Philippe supplies the unique copy of Grandmaster Chime in stainless steel, reference 6300A-010, lot 28. The steel improves the sound. It is inscribed "The Only One" on one of the dials. It was sold for CHF 31M.
The lot includes a one-day private tour of the workshops and museum for two people and a lunch with Thierry Stern, president of Patek Philippe.
2021 Patek Philippe Nautilus
1
2021 SOLD for $ 6.5M by Phillips
The stainless steel 5711/1A Nautilus self winding waterproof wristwatch by Patek Philippe, launched in 2006, had become a symbol of sport chic for the watch lovers, with its elegantly simple dial design offered in a textured dark blue in the variant 010.
Its huge success with a reported 10 year waiting list had possibly been unexpected for the brand. With an argument of not encouraging speculation, they announced its termination in January 2021. Three months after this astonishing announcement, they relaunched a winning strategy by the release of the 5711/1A-014 with an olive green dial.
The new final steel version of the Nautilus 5711 is now the 5711/1A-018 scheduled to be produced in 170 pieces for celebrating the 170 years of the partnership across the Atlantic between Patek Philippe and Tiffany. The new dial color is the signature Tiffany robin egg blue. The markers and hands are in blackened white gold.
The 170 watches will be retailed by Tiffany, with the exception of the very first released example which was sold for $ 6.5M by Phillips on December 11, 2021, lot 1T, as a charity lot for the benefit of The Nature Conservancy environmental nonprofit. Please play the video shared by the auction house.
The Nautilus is also available in pink gold under the reference 5711/1R.
Its huge success with a reported 10 year waiting list had possibly been unexpected for the brand. With an argument of not encouraging speculation, they announced its termination in January 2021. Three months after this astonishing announcement, they relaunched a winning strategy by the release of the 5711/1A-014 with an olive green dial.
The new final steel version of the Nautilus 5711 is now the 5711/1A-018 scheduled to be produced in 170 pieces for celebrating the 170 years of the partnership across the Atlantic between Patek Philippe and Tiffany. The new dial color is the signature Tiffany robin egg blue. The markers and hands are in blackened white gold.
The 170 watches will be retailed by Tiffany, with the exception of the very first released example which was sold for $ 6.5M by Phillips on December 11, 2021, lot 1T, as a charity lot for the benefit of The Nature Conservancy environmental nonprofit. Please play the video shared by the auction house.
The Nautilus is also available in pink gold under the reference 5711/1R.
2
2022 SOLD for CHF 3.2M by Christie's
A Patek Philippe Nautilus reference 5711/1A-018 with the Tiffany blue dial and the Tiffany-Patek Philippe 1851-2021 170th anniversary partnership mark was sold for CHF 3.2M from a lower estimate of CHF 1.5M by Christie's on November 7, 2022, lot 34.
A Nautilus reference 5711 in brand new condition from the same commemorative edition of 170 units was sold for HK $ 20.4M by Sotheby's on April 5, 2023, lot 84. The video is shared by the auction house.
A Nautilus reference 5711 in brand new condition from the same commemorative edition of 170 units was sold for HK $ 20.4M by Sotheby's on April 5, 2023, lot 84. The video is shared by the auction house.
2021 FFC by Journe
2021 SOLD for CHF 4.5M by Christie's for OnlyWatch
The entry by FP Journe for the 2021 OnlyWatch sale was a wristwatch based on the 20 years old Octa Calibre 1300. The hours are displayed by the appearance of the mobile fingers of a blue human hand while the minutes are driven by a rotating disk.
This instrument referred as the FFC Blue is unique, as required by the OnlyWatch rules. The tantalum case has been specially designed for this charity operation.
It is inscribed with references to Ambroise Paré and Francis Ford Coppola.
Ambroise Paré, the 16th century father of modern surgery and prosthetics, had invented a mechanical hand and artificial limbs operated by multiple catches and springs which simulated the joints.
During a dinner in 2012 at Francis Ford Coppola’s house in the Napa Valley, the filmmaker challenged François-Paul Journe to tell time with a human hand in a watch. He later supplied the sketches for the positions of the automaton to display twelve hours with the five fingers. The development of this unprecedented time instrument spanned seven years from 2014 onward.
That Journe FFC prototype was sold by Christie's on November 6, 2021 for CHF 4.5M, lot 22.
This instrument referred as the FFC Blue is unique, as required by the OnlyWatch rules. The tantalum case has been specially designed for this charity operation.
It is inscribed with references to Ambroise Paré and Francis Ford Coppola.
Ambroise Paré, the 16th century father of modern surgery and prosthetics, had invented a mechanical hand and artificial limbs operated by multiple catches and springs which simulated the joints.
During a dinner in 2012 at Francis Ford Coppola’s house in the Napa Valley, the filmmaker challenged François-Paul Journe to tell time with a human hand in a watch. He later supplied the sketches for the positions of the automaton to display twelve hours with the five fingers. The development of this unprecedented time instrument spanned seven years from 2014 onward.
That Journe FFC prototype was sold by Christie's on November 6, 2021 for CHF 4.5M, lot 22.
2022 Richard Mille RM 56-02
2023 SOLD for HK$ 35.5M by Sotheby's
The Richard Mille company is looking for weightless and transparency. The model RM 56-02 Tourbillon Sapphire wristwatch released in 2020 is their ultimate engineering feat.
The bezel, tonneau case and case back are all crafted out of a single block of sapphire crystal with a sophisticated skeletonization of the dial. The movement is suspended inside the case by braided cables 0.27 mm in diameter, improving the shock absorption to more than 5 Kg.
Due to the complexity of production of the case requiring more than 1000 hours of workmanship, this reference will be limited to 10 units. One of them made ca 2022 was sold for HK $ 35.5M from a lower estimate of HK $ 16M by Sotheby's on October 7, 2023, lot 2304.
The bezel, tonneau case and case back are all crafted out of a single block of sapphire crystal with a sophisticated skeletonization of the dial. The movement is suspended inside the case by braided cables 0.27 mm in diameter, improving the shock absorption to more than 5 Kg.
Due to the complexity of production of the case requiring more than 1000 hours of workmanship, this reference will be limited to 10 units. One of them made ca 2022 was sold for HK $ 35.5M from a lower estimate of HK $ 16M by Sotheby's on October 7, 2023, lot 2304.
