Auctions The New York Summer Auctions Are Here! These Are The Top Lots To Watch At Christie's, Phillips, And Sotheby's

Lead image, James K./@waitlisted

All three of the leading houses have put together deeply impressive catalogs of over 125 lots, each. And it's worth noting that although Christie's and Sotheby's have consistently hosted live auctions this month, they're joined for the first time by Phillips, who are hosting their inaugural New York summer sale this weekend. It's a sign that the New York auction scene is more prominent than ever.

Patek Philippe very recently showed us its latest development in the rattrapante genre with the release of the 5470P-0011. But it wasn't that long ago that the world was going crazy over Patek Philippe's initial forays in the production of in-house split-seconds chronographs, such as with this ref. 5950⁄1A-010, a 2010 release that followed the Patek ref. 5959, the firm's inaugural split-seconds chronograph from 2005. I love the classic look and feel of the 5950 – it wears a touch larger than the 5959 but carries over quite a bit of the the vintage charm of the early design. Lot 64 at Christie's features a blue dial with silver numerals, a combination that was produced in a run of just 10 pieces and carries an estimate of $300,000 to $500,000.

One of two fresh-to-market vintage Rolex Paul Newman Daytonas that will be available this week, lot 94 is a remarkable Rolex Daytona with a Paul Newman Oyster Sotto Mk-1 dial configuration. It comes from the family of the original owner, based in Canada, and is one of five known 6263 examples with this exact dial configuration. FYI – all five examples with this identical dial configuration were delivered to Canada originally. Christie's has the estimate currently set between $600,000 and one million dollars.

This extremely uncommon example of Patek Philippe's ref. 3448 perpetual calendar features an unexpected aperture between three and four o'clock that's filled with bright red enamel. The proverbial "red dot" seen here is an early example of a leap year indication at Patek Philippe; in fact, lot 111 is one of only two examples of the ref. 3448, in white gold to include a leap year indicator, some of the very first Patek Philippe perpetual calendars with the ability to do so. And yes, if you're wondering, the watch was modified by Patek Philippe almost immediately after it was created to include the interesting, integrated white-gold bracelet. 

This exact watch has been sold a few times at auction over the years, including at Christie's London in the 1990s, but from a pure historical perspective, I think it still has to be one of the year's top auction highlights so far. Christie's has given it an appropriate estimate to match that prestige, between $800,000 and $1,600,000.

This weekend, a few days after the Christie's sale wraps up, Phillips is auctioning off a number of watches owned by the actor James Garner, whose credits include The Great Escape, a 1964 World War II film that chronicles an attempted mass getaway by British Commonwealth POWs who were held hostage at the Nazi Germany Stalag Luft III camp. Although the James Garner watches are attractive and notable, there's still nothing like the real thing – which Christie's has in lot 120. 

This Rolex ref. 3525 "Monoblocco" chronograph was delivered to Royal Air Force Lieutenant Gerald Imeson while he was imprisoned and trying to escape from Stalag Luft III. It's a remarkable story of real-life resilience and intrigue, and the watch has an estimate of $200,000 to $400,000. You can read more about this exact watch in a 2013 HODINKEE article written by Eric Wind shortly before it sold for the very first time at Bourne End Auctions in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom. 

This Christie's auction has a whole lot of hidden gems, such as lot 52, a Patek Philippe ref. 5170G with a special-order sunburst blue dial complemented by Breguet numerals. Similarly, lot 65 is a Patek Philippe ref. 5004 that features the ultra-rare combination of a black dial paired with an 18k pink gold case. I'm a sucker for wood marquetry (and rodeos), so I can't help but shout-out the one-of-10 Patek Philippe ref. 5089G-070, released for the company's 2017 Grand Exhibition in New York. The "Double Red" and "Patent Pending" Rolex Sea-Dweller (lot 93) is also sure to catch some attention, as is the Tiffany-signed Rolex Daytona ref. 6263 (lot 95) in 14k yellow gold that still has its Tiffany inventory number visible on one of the lugs. 

One of the watches I missed entirely my first few times going through the Christie's catalog is the Heuer Autavia "Siffert" ref. 1163, lot 114, which was gifted by Steve McQueen to a man named Ray Summers during the filming of Le Mans in 1970. Summers worked in the costume and wardrobe department on the film and was a close friend of McQueen. The watch is consigned by Summers' widow, and the watch comes with a number of images and a letter from Summers' wife that details the friendship between Summers and McQueen.

Christie's, Important Watches of Exceptional Provenance, Featuring The Kairos Collection Part III, takes place on June 8-9, 2022, starting at 6:00 PM ET on both days, at 20 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY, 10020. You can explore the rest of the 137-lot catalog and register to bid online. 

We all know the significance of George Daniels (if you don't, here's a brief refresher), and we all know just how rare a wristwatch bearing his name is. He only crafted a pair of wristwatches by his own hand through his lifetime. But, you might be thinking, aren't there more than two George Daniels-signed wristwatches out there? There are. Two separate batches of wristwatches were produced under the guidance of Daniels and completed by his protégé, Roger Smith. The George Daniels Millennium was launched in 1998 in a series of 50 pieces, and the George Daniels Anniversary was announced in 2010, the same year of Daniels' death. Lot 12 at Phillips this weekend is an example of the latter. Out of 47 Anniversary pieces produced, only four were crafted out of platinum, and this example is the very first, bearing serial number 00 on the movement. It carries an estimate of $500,000 to $1,000,000.

Coincidentally, the same year the George Daniels Anniversary watch was announced, F.P. Journe gifted Daniels with a watch of his own. This unique Chronomètre Souverain is engraved "FP to George Daniels my mentor 2010" on the movement and comes with a signed letter from Francois-Paul Journe to George Daniels. 

The watch first sold in 2012, in an estate sale two years after Daniels' death. It since came to auction once again just last year at Christie's Hong Kong, when it sold for HKD 3,250,000, or approximately $414,602 USD. There's more visibility than ever on the auction scene, so I think it's fair to expect a bit more from lot 115 at Phillips this weekend, although it currently has an estimate of $250,000 to $500,000.

The name Forrest Bird might not mean much to you, but I promise you that his invention means a whole lot to countless individuals around the world. Bird was a biomedical engineer who developed and invented the world's first, reliable mass-produced mechanical respirator, an invention that has saved innumerable lives since it debuted in 1965. Lot 29 at Phillips is Bird's personal Rolex GMT-Master ref. 1675, a watch he wore throughout his life and career. It has an estimate of $40,000 to $80,000.

The second fresh-to-market Paul Newman Daytona up for grabs in New York this week that I'm highlighting here is lot 111, a special 18k yellow gold example with a "Lemon" dial and a "Hecho in Mexico" bracelet. More than one collector has described this watch to me as the "best" vintage Rolex watch available this auction season, due to its originality and condition. The watch comes from the family of its original owner and has an estimate of $600,000 to $1,200,000.

It's well-known that Arnold Schwarzenegger was one of the first celebrities to collaborate with a watch brand on a specific watch, after helping design and develop a special-edition Royal Oak Offshore that he wore while filming 1999's End Of Days. The unique black-and-yellow Offshore eventually inspired a production run of 500 pieces, and I think it would be fair to describe the watch as having served as the basis for nearly every celebrity/watch brand relationship since. Phillips sourced the original example worn by Schwarzenegger in the movie for its New York sale. Lot 125 is a worthy grail for anyone intrigued by the intersection of watch and celebrity culture. It has an estimate of $25,000 to $50,000.

Don't miss lot 11, the open-dial Roger Smith Series 2 – those hands are to die for. The jade F.P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain in platinum (Lot 10) is also rarely seen and worth a prolonged look. It might be hard to believe, but it's true: lot 88 is only the third-ever Gübelin-signed Patek Philippe Nautilus ref. 3700/1 in 18k yellow gold to appear at auction. 

American actor James Garner's Cartier Baignoire (lot 23) and custom-dial Heuer Carrera (lot 24) can both be yours, but make sure to read our previous coverage on Garner's Carrera, from 2017, right here. And I don't know about you, but I can hardly keep my eyes off the black-polished tourbillon bridge on the one-of-20 Lange 1 Tourbillon Handwerkskunst (lot 49).

Phillips New York Watch Auction: SIX takes place on June 11-12, 2022, starting at 10:00 AM ET on both days, at 432 Park Ave, New York, NY, 10022. You can explore the rest of the 163-lot catalog and register to bid online.

Although the Sotheby's catalog is heavy on contemporary pieces, one of my highlights is lot 49, a stainless-steel Patek "Tasti Tondi" ref. 1463. Less than 180 examples of the 1463 chronograph in steel are believed to have been made in the 1940s and '50s. But what makes this example even rarer is the use of applied Breguet numerals for all 12 hour markers – a combination that's appeared fewer than 20 times over the years. This example is in attractive condition and was originally sold in the United States in 1949; it has an estimate of $250,000 to $500,000.

I hesitated to include any additional Royal Oaks in this round-up outside the End Of Days Offshore simply due to the absolute saturation of examples that have emerged since the Geneva sales in May. But I think lot 73 at Sotheby's is too special to skip. Manufactured in 2020 on the special request of an AP client, this is a unique-piece Royal Oak Grand Complication produced in black ceramic. It's hard to think of a Royal Oak that better encapsulates Audemars Piguet today than this watch – it's the classic Royal Oak, pushed to the limit. It carries an estimate of $200,000 to $400,000.

It almost feels like an endless amount of interesting F.P. Journe wristwatches from the late 1990s and early 2000s have come to market over the past two years, but that doesn't make lot 75 any less special. This example of F.P. Journe's Tourbillon Souverain à Remontoir d'Egalite comes from the model's inaugural production year of 1999 and features the characteristic brass movement, but it dates to the third "generation" of pieces produced that year. In other words, no, it's not a Souscription piece, but it is a fresh-to-market example of one of the most important Journe timepieces ever produced, which is why Sotheby's has given it an estimate of $500,000 to $1,000,000. (Although I should mention that Phillips does have a second-generation 1999 Tourbillon Souverain à Remontoir d'Egalite, lot 116, that's also fresh to market and is available this weekend; it has a slightly lower estimate of $300,000 - $600,000.)

Similar to lot 75, this Octa Chronographe (lot 164) is an extremely early example with a brass movement. It comes from the original owner, who purchased the watch through La Pendulerie in Paris in 2001, the year the watch was announced. La Pendulerie was F.P. Journe's sole retailer in France at the time, and Sotheby's believes there's a good chance lot 164 was the first watch delivered in the country. What makes this watch even more unique compared to other early Octa Chronographes is the dial, which the owner had adjusted by Journe during a service early in the watch's life to include a clous de Paris finish and an elevated relief crosshatched decoration on parts of the dial. The watch has an estimate of $250,000 to $400,000.

One of just five pieces, the Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Chronograph ref. 3970P "London Edition" was originally made for the 2015 Patek Philippe Watch Art Grand Exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in London. It features a platinum case, a black dial, a moonphase display, and a Breguet-style 12 o'clock numeral. Lot 179 is only the second example of the five produced to come to market, just in time for Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee this year. It has an estimate of $200,000 to $400,000.

Remember how engrossed I was by the unique-piece Royal Oak and Urwerk models made for Marcus (of London) Margulies and that sold at Phillips in early May? Well, we have another special Royal Oak designed by – and for – Marcus: Lot 119 is a Grand Complication with a skeleton dial that's highlighted by bright red accents and placed in a PVD-coated titanium case. Oh, and earlier in the sale, you'll find the sweep of four Tiffany-stamped 5270s, in four different metals, starting at lot 53.

I'd also love to see the gem-set Rolex Day-Date, lot 76, perform strongly after Sotheby's set the record for a Day-Date at auction earlier this year. Additionally, the sale includes an early F.P. Journe Resonance, a Rolex Daytona ref. 6239 "Solo," a white-gold Royal Oak Grand Complication with a bright blue "Yves Klein" dial, and a Tiffany-signed Patek Philippe ref. 1463 that are all worth looking over before next week's auction. 

Sotheby's New York Important Watches takes place on June 15, 2022, starting at 10:00 AM ET, at 1334 York Ave, New York, NY, 10021. You can explore the rest of the 180-lot catalog and register to bid online.