Watches - 2nd page
not including Patek Philippe and Rolex.
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Mechanical craft ca 1800 Modern watches New watches OnlyWatch French time pieces Daniels Revolution and Empire
Chronology : 1810-1819
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
See also : Mechanical craft ca 1800 Modern watches New watches OnlyWatch French time pieces Daniels Revolution and Empire
Chronology : 1810-1819
1814 Complication Watch by Breguet
2012 SOLD for CHF 4.3M by Christie's
A watchmaker is primarily a physicist. Nothing is simple for reaching the extreme precision required for time measuring scientific instruments. They have to deal with gravity, thermal expansion, and also the irregularities of the sun's apparent motion.
The eighteenth century had highly important mechanics. Abraham-Louis Breguet, micro-mechanical genius, settled into pocket watches the most extraordinary complications of the clocks, and was the inventor of basic concepts such as the tourbillon and the wristwatch.
On May 14, 2012, Christie's sold a Breguet watch for CHF 4.3M from a lower estimate of CHF 800K, lot 230.
This complication piece sold in 1814 has two main dials. It integrates two similar and symmetrical complete mechanisms. The idea of the inventor was to compensate the mechanical resonance, a source of error that was a challenge for the watchmakers. This is the first of three watches made by Breguet on this principle. The other two has been provided to the kings of England and France.
The eighteenth century had highly important mechanics. Abraham-Louis Breguet, micro-mechanical genius, settled into pocket watches the most extraordinary complications of the clocks, and was the inventor of basic concepts such as the tourbillon and the wristwatch.
On May 14, 2012, Christie's sold a Breguet watch for CHF 4.3M from a lower estimate of CHF 800K, lot 230.
This complication piece sold in 1814 has two main dials. It integrates two similar and symmetrical complete mechanisms. The idea of the inventor was to compensate the mechanical resonance, a source of error that was a challenge for the watchmakers. This is the first of three watches made by Breguet on this principle. The other two has been provided to the kings of England and France.
George DANIELS
Intro
In the era of quartz watches, George Daniels managed to demonstrate that mechanical watches could still be fully competitive.
A repair craftsman of great skill, he became a specialist of Breguet and then made his own watches with an increasing complexity. In 1980, 157 years after the master's death, he is the first inventor to patent a basic innovation : his coaxial escapement reduces the friction to the point that mechanical watches no longer need a lubricant.
His dials, hands, cases, movements and assembly were hand made entirely by him from scratch in his workshop of the Isle of Man in the middle of the Irish sea. His understanding of mechanics was such that he made very few preliminary drawings for developing a new complication. The very design of the dials is in the aesthetic style of Breguet enhanced by guilloché.
His effectiveness was outstanding. The watches equipped with his coaxial escapement are reaching an accuracy below 1 second per month, better than any quartz watch in his time.
In 2006 Sotheby's devoted an exhibition to his work in London.
Daniels was a lover of any great mechanics. The exceptional Bentley Blower racing car sold for £ 5M by Bonhams in 2012 came from his collection.
A repair craftsman of great skill, he became a specialist of Breguet and then made his own watches with an increasing complexity. In 1980, 157 years after the master's death, he is the first inventor to patent a basic innovation : his coaxial escapement reduces the friction to the point that mechanical watches no longer need a lubricant.
His dials, hands, cases, movements and assembly were hand made entirely by him from scratch in his workshop of the Isle of Man in the middle of the Irish sea. His understanding of mechanics was such that he made very few preliminary drawings for developing a new complication. The very design of the dials is in the aesthetic style of Breguet enhanced by guilloché.
His effectiveness was outstanding. The watches equipped with his coaxial escapement are reaching an accuracy below 1 second per month, better than any quartz watch in his time.
In 2006 Sotheby's devoted an exhibition to his work in London.
Daniels was a lover of any great mechanics. The exceptional Bentley Blower racing car sold for £ 5M by Bonhams in 2012 came from his collection.
1
1982 Space Traveller I
2019 SOLD for £ 3.6M by Sotheby's
Throughout his career George Daniels has imitated and improved the most daring complications of pocket watches, often taking Breguet as an example. For the sidereal hour, his model was George Margetts, a contemporary of Breguet who worked in London. Daniels however did not emulate another remarkable specialty of Margetts, the tidal dial.
The equation of time is the difference between the apparent time, which can also be read on a sundial, and the sidereal time which takes its reference in the position of the fixed stars. This difference is an annual cycle due to the obliquity of the Earth and the ellipticity of its orbit.
The first pocket watch in which Daniels included the equation of time is his ninth opus, Elsom II, in 1975.
George Daniels was known for his wit. In 1979 he states that the accuracy of measurement obtained by Margetts, 1.8 seconds per year, is not sufficient for the control of time by an astronaut on his way to Mars. An astronomer from Cambridge University calculates for him a ratio between the two escapement wheels that will reduce the variance to 0.4 seconds per year.
The first pocket watch incorporating these new data is George Daniels' fifteenth opus, the Space Traveller, which also offers the annual calendar and the phases of the Moon. In 1982, shortly after finishing his Space Traveller, Daniels sold it to a collector, probably to meet a prior commitment.
The Space Traveller I was sold for £ 3.6M from a lower estimate of £ 700K by Sotheby's on July 2, 2019, lot 143.
Frustrated that he had parted away from his Space Traveller I, George Daniels realized in 1983 the Space Traveller II, inspired from the I to which he added a chronograph and a thermometer. He did not let go this specimen.
Based on a different denting of the two wheels, Daniels had been able to realize a watch compensating at the will of the user the difference of 3.555 minutes per day between solar and sidereal times.
Well aware that it was a sensational horological feat, Dr Daniels exhibited it sometimes at events as a dress watch, stating that it was the suitable instrument to control the time in a long telephone conversation during a trip to Mars.
The Space Traveller II was sold by Sotheby's for £ 3.2M on September 19, 2017, lot 121.
The equation of time is the difference between the apparent time, which can also be read on a sundial, and the sidereal time which takes its reference in the position of the fixed stars. This difference is an annual cycle due to the obliquity of the Earth and the ellipticity of its orbit.
The first pocket watch in which Daniels included the equation of time is his ninth opus, Elsom II, in 1975.
George Daniels was known for his wit. In 1979 he states that the accuracy of measurement obtained by Margetts, 1.8 seconds per year, is not sufficient for the control of time by an astronaut on his way to Mars. An astronomer from Cambridge University calculates for him a ratio between the two escapement wheels that will reduce the variance to 0.4 seconds per year.
The first pocket watch incorporating these new data is George Daniels' fifteenth opus, the Space Traveller, which also offers the annual calendar and the phases of the Moon. In 1982, shortly after finishing his Space Traveller, Daniels sold it to a collector, probably to meet a prior commitment.
The Space Traveller I was sold for £ 3.6M from a lower estimate of £ 700K by Sotheby's on July 2, 2019, lot 143.
Frustrated that he had parted away from his Space Traveller I, George Daniels realized in 1983 the Space Traveller II, inspired from the I to which he added a chronograph and a thermometer. He did not let go this specimen.
Based on a different denting of the two wheels, Daniels had been able to realize a watch compensating at the will of the user the difference of 3.555 minutes per day between solar and sidereal times.
Well aware that it was a sensational horological feat, Dr Daniels exhibited it sometimes at events as a dress watch, stating that it was the suitable instrument to control the time in a long telephone conversation during a trip to Mars.
The Space Traveller II was sold by Sotheby's for £ 3.2M on September 19, 2017, lot 121.
2
1992 Spring Case Tourbillon
2022 SOLD for CHF 4.1M by Phillips
Going further into miniaturization, George Daniels inserted for the first time his co-axial in a wristwatch in 1991. This watch named the Four Minute Tourbillon was sold on November 6, 2012 by Sotheby's for £ 385K, lot 13. The slim escapement was mounted in a steel four-minute tourbillon carriage. This piece also incorporated Daniels's compact chronograph mechanism.
He built during his career 23 pocket watches and 2 wristwatches. Two additional prototype wristwatches and two commercial series of wristwatches, the Millennium from 1998 and Anniversary from 2010, were crafted under his guidance for his brand by his partner Roger Smith.
Daniels's second prototype wristwatch, named the Spring Case Tourbillon, was completed in 1992 and used by him as his personal wristwatch for a decade. He parted from it in the early 2000s. It resurfaced two decades later and was sold by Phillips for CHF 4.1M from a lower estimate of CHF 1M on November 5, 2022, lot 27. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The case is split into an outer smooth shell and an inner round element that contains the entirety of the dial and movement. A simple curved spring lines the bottom of the inner element and a hinge is attached to the external side. When a small button on the outside of the case is engaged, the inner element immediately jumps up and opens to reveal the reverse dial without requiring the watch to be taken off the wrist. The calendar and the visible one minute tourbillon are displayed on the reverse dial.
Built in 2019 by Smith with the movement number 00, a platinum Anniversary was sold for $ 2.4M by Phillips on June 11, 2022, lot 12.
He built during his career 23 pocket watches and 2 wristwatches. Two additional prototype wristwatches and two commercial series of wristwatches, the Millennium from 1998 and Anniversary from 2010, were crafted under his guidance for his brand by his partner Roger Smith.
Daniels's second prototype wristwatch, named the Spring Case Tourbillon, was completed in 1992 and used by him as his personal wristwatch for a decade. He parted from it in the early 2000s. It resurfaced two decades later and was sold by Phillips for CHF 4.1M from a lower estimate of CHF 1M on November 5, 2022, lot 27. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The case is split into an outer smooth shell and an inner round element that contains the entirety of the dial and movement. A simple curved spring lines the bottom of the inner element and a hinge is attached to the external side. When a small button on the outside of the case is engaged, the inner element immediately jumps up and opens to reveal the reverse dial without requiring the watch to be taken off the wrist. The calendar and the visible one minute tourbillon are displayed on the reverse dial.
Built in 2019 by Smith with the movement number 00, a platinum Anniversary was sold for $ 2.4M by Phillips on June 11, 2022, lot 12.
from 1983 Swatch
1
Blum Collection
2011 SOLD for HK$ 51M by Phillips
Swatch is a great Swiss success story that enabled the reconquest of the market of cheap watches against an overwhelming dominance of the Japanese industry. This brand was launched in 1983 after three years of development.
The idea of the founders was to reduce as much as possible the number of components in order to minimize the production costs. The technical challenge was to maintain in these conditions the accuracy of the instrument while ensuring an acceptable operating duration.
The marketing has been very innovative, promoting fun illustrations and even unprecedented uses. The user can pin his Swatch watch on his jacket or tie with it her ponytail. In 1985, some limited editions are illustrated by artists. Swatch collaborated with Kiki Picasso and Keith Haring, without neglecting the popular themes such as movies and sports competitions.
On November 24, 2011, Phillips sold the Blum collection as a single lot for HK $ 51M. Composed of a total of 4,370 pieces, this set included 795 prototypes, some of them predating the 1983 original release.
The idea of the founders was to reduce as much as possible the number of components in order to minimize the production costs. The technical challenge was to maintain in these conditions the accuracy of the instrument while ensuring an acceptable operating duration.
The marketing has been very innovative, promoting fun illustrations and even unprecedented uses. The user can pin his Swatch watch on his jacket or tie with it her ponytail. In 1985, some limited editions are illustrated by artists. Swatch collaborated with Kiki Picasso and Keith Haring, without neglecting the popular themes such as movies and sports competitions.
On November 24, 2011, Phillips sold the Blum collection as a single lot for HK $ 51M. Composed of a total of 4,370 pieces, this set included 795 prototypes, some of them predating the 1983 original release.
2
Dunkel Collection
2015 SOLD for HK$ 47M by Sotheby's
On April 7, 2015, Sotheby's sold for HK $ 47M the Dunkel collection, lot 2189. This super lot consists of 5,800 pieces including 45 prototypes, mainly from 1983 to 2008.
Grande et Petite Sonnerie by Philippe DUFOUR
1
1992 yellow gold
2023 SOLD for CHF 5.1M by Christie's
Philippe Dufour is beside George Daniels one of the most skilled independent watchmakers. While working for a major brand, he executed from 1982 to 1988 the very first five Grande Sonnerie movements integrated in a pocket watch. Five units were assembled.
A Grande Sonnerie chimes the hours on every hour plus every quarter while a Petite Sonnerie only chimes the quarters.
Dufour continued his career by creating his own company and brand.
A unique and number 1 Philippe Dufour 60 mm in diameter pocket watch made in yellow gold in 1989 with minute repeating and grande et petite sonneries was sold for CHF 2.33M by Phillips on November 7, 2021, lot 145.
The inventor went further into the miniaturization and was able to integrate the same set of complications into wristwatches. His movement number 1 is integrated in 1992 in a 41 mm yellow gold watch. It integrates a two train minute repeating grande and petite sonnerie. Two and a half years were necessary for its completion.
On November 5, 2021 in the first session of the same Phillips sale as above, it was sold for CHF 4.75M from a lower estimate of CHF 1M, lot 14. It was sold for CHF 5.1M by Christie's on November 6, 2023, lot 2096.
A Grande Sonnerie chimes the hours on every hour plus every quarter while a Petite Sonnerie only chimes the quarters.
Dufour continued his career by creating his own company and brand.
A unique and number 1 Philippe Dufour 60 mm in diameter pocket watch made in yellow gold in 1989 with minute repeating and grande et petite sonneries was sold for CHF 2.33M by Phillips on November 7, 2021, lot 145.
The inventor went further into the miniaturization and was able to integrate the same set of complications into wristwatches. His movement number 1 is integrated in 1992 in a 41 mm yellow gold watch. It integrates a two train minute repeating grande and petite sonnerie. Two and a half years were necessary for its completion.
On November 5, 2021 in the first session of the same Phillips sale as above, it was sold for CHF 4.75M from a lower estimate of CHF 1M, lot 14. It was sold for CHF 5.1M by Christie's on November 6, 2023, lot 2096.
2
1995 pink gold
2021 SOLD for $ 7.6M by A Collected Man
Only four examples of the Grande et Petite Sonnerie wristwatch had been made with an enamel dial.
The No. 1 is the yellow gold, narrated above. The No. 2, manufactured in 1995, is the white gold, sold for CHF 460K by Christie's on May 12, 2008, lot 328. The No. 3, the pink gold, also completed in 1995, was delivered new to the Sultan of Brunei. It was sold for $ 7.6M on August 16, 2021 by A Collected Man. The ultimate example is in platinum. About four replicas were made with an openwork dial.
After incorporating the Sonneries, Philippe Dufour made his hand to limited series with other features.
Made in 1996, Duality is the first wristwatch incorporating a double escapement. 9 pieces were made. A platinum Duality numbered 00 was sold for $ 915K by Phillips on October 26, 2017, lot 47. A pink gold Duality was sold for CHF 3.66M by Phillips on November 7, 2021, lot 190. It is the last specimen, bearing the number 8.
Simplicity was developed in 2000 with about 200 planned to be produced. This hand finished small model 37 mm in diameter may be considered as a culmination of Swiss traditional watchmaking.
A Simplicity assembled in 2004 in platinum with guilloché dial was sold for CHF 760K by Phillips on November 5, 2021, lot 115. A pink gold Simplicity from the 2020 20th Anniversary sub-series was sold for CHF 1.36M by Phillips on November 8, 2020, lot 206.
No other model than the examples above was released with the Philippe Dufour brand name.
The No. 1 is the yellow gold, narrated above. The No. 2, manufactured in 1995, is the white gold, sold for CHF 460K by Christie's on May 12, 2008, lot 328. The No. 3, the pink gold, also completed in 1995, was delivered new to the Sultan of Brunei. It was sold for $ 7.6M on August 16, 2021 by A Collected Man. The ultimate example is in platinum. About four replicas were made with an openwork dial.
After incorporating the Sonneries, Philippe Dufour made his hand to limited series with other features.
Made in 1996, Duality is the first wristwatch incorporating a double escapement. 9 pieces were made. A platinum Duality numbered 00 was sold for $ 915K by Phillips on October 26, 2017, lot 47. A pink gold Duality was sold for CHF 3.66M by Phillips on November 7, 2021, lot 190. It is the last specimen, bearing the number 8.
Simplicity was developed in 2000 with about 200 planned to be produced. This hand finished small model 37 mm in diameter may be considered as a culmination of Swiss traditional watchmaking.
A Simplicity assembled in 2004 in platinum with guilloché dial was sold for CHF 760K by Phillips on November 5, 2021, lot 115. A pink gold Simplicity from the 2020 20th Anniversary sub-series was sold for CHF 1.36M by Phillips on November 8, 2020, lot 206.
No other model than the examples above was released with the Philippe Dufour brand name.
1998 Pocket Watch by R.W. Smith
2023 SOLD for $ 4.9M by Phillips
While Roger W. Smith was a student at the Manchester School of Horology, George Daniels visited as a guest speaker. From that day, he resolved to make watches by hand.
Using Daniels' book ‘Watchmaking’, Smith began making his first pocket watch in his spare time. In 1990, aged 22, after 18 months of preparation, he took the finished watch to Daniels, who rejected it, inviting him to start again. No. 1 was a tourbillon pocket watch with spring detent escapement and twin barrels. It has been disassembled.
Undeterred, Smith spent five years, 1991 to 1996, making by hand and continuously improving the workmanship of his Pocket Watch No. 2, meanwhile reaching the thirty two skills required to design and make a watch known as the ‘The Daniels Method’. He obtained Daniels' approval with that watch.
No. 2 is a gold watch fitted with perpetual calendar, tourbillon, moon phase, leap year indicator and spring detent escapement, an exceptional feat for a mere student. The case has the British assay marks for Birmingham and 1998. The design of the dial is inspired from Breguet. In a virtually unused condition, it was sold for $ 4.9M from a lower estimate of $ 1M by Phillips on May 10, 2023, lot 12.
Although George Daniels had never trained apprentices, he was so impressed by Smith that he invited him to move to the Isle of Man and work with him on the Millennium series.
Using Daniels' book ‘Watchmaking’, Smith began making his first pocket watch in his spare time. In 1990, aged 22, after 18 months of preparation, he took the finished watch to Daniels, who rejected it, inviting him to start again. No. 1 was a tourbillon pocket watch with spring detent escapement and twin barrels. It has been disassembled.
Undeterred, Smith spent five years, 1991 to 1996, making by hand and continuously improving the workmanship of his Pocket Watch No. 2, meanwhile reaching the thirty two skills required to design and make a watch known as the ‘The Daniels Method’. He obtained Daniels' approval with that watch.
No. 2 is a gold watch fitted with perpetual calendar, tourbillon, moon phase, leap year indicator and spring detent escapement, an exceptional feat for a mere student. The case has the British assay marks for Birmingham and 1998. The design of the dial is inspired from Breguet. In a virtually unused condition, it was sold for $ 4.9M from a lower estimate of $ 1M by Phillips on May 10, 2023, lot 12.
Although George Daniels had never trained apprentices, he was so impressed by Smith that he invited him to move to the Isle of Man and work with him on the Millennium series.
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 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 by Christie's on November 6, 2022, lot 2096. Its transparent dial has a titanium minute ring and luminous hour indexes.The 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 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 by Christie's on November 6, 2022, lot 2096. Its transparent dial has a titanium minute ring and luminous hour indexes.The 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.
