Watches Soar to New Heights at Christie’s Exceeding $126 Million for 2012

December 14 Sale Totals $12.2 Million

The Gordon Bethune Collection of Fifty Exceptional Vintage Wristwatches Fetches $5.7 Million, With $2 Million Dedicated for Charities

Multiple New Records Achieved For Rare Rolex, Panerai and Patek Philippe References


Christie’s New York saw a superb finale to the 2012 watch auction season on December 14, with a stellar 341-lot sale of Important Watches, featuring the highly-anticipated Gordon Bethune Collection of Fifty Exceptional Vintage Wristwatches. The day-long sale realized a total of US$12,202,625 (£7,565,628/ €9,273,995) with solid sell-through rates of 94% by lot and 96% by value. This exceptional result, combined with robust results achieved in Christie’s New York watches auction in June, brings the 2012 New York watches total to over US$20.7 million. The global annual watches total for 2012 is expected to exceed US$126 million, marking Christie’s seventh consecutive year as leader of the watch auction market.

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