To celebrate Christie’s 40th anniversary year in Asia, we have brought together 40 exceptional horological masterpieces, both vintage and contemporary, chosen for their rarity, beauty, exclusivity, condition, and world-class excellence. Each of these 40 timepieces is very special, some for their incredible complications, some for their extreme rarity, some are the first of their kind to be seen at auction, others are examples of watches that have become great icons of design and style. Some of the timepieces included in the following pages are made by brands that were already long established 40 years ago; Patek Philippe, Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Cartier. Others brands and independents such as Richard Mille and F.P. Journe have emerged more recently, yet have changed the face of watchmaking completely by introducing extraordinary new technical expertise and the use of state-of-the-art materials that were previously unheard of in watchmaking.
The watches of Patek Philippe have inspired awe and veneration for generations. For this unique Christie’s 40th anniversary in Asia watch auction we are thrilled to present some of the extraordinary Grande Complication and remarkable vintage and contemporary timepieces that set Patek Philippe apart as a brand; the ‘Sky Moon Tourbillon’ reference 6002G with 12 complications can be said to represent the culmination and ultimate realization of over 400 years of watchmaking knowledge, perfectly capturing the enduring relationship between humans, the Earth and the Universe. Another contemporary marvel is the platinum Grande Complication Tourbillon Minute Repeater reference 5217P set with 56 baguette diamonds, and the formidable reference 5207P Perpetual Calendar Minute Repeating Tourbillon – at the time of its release in 2008, it was one of the top three most complicated wristwatches ever made by Patek Philippe. We are very excited to have the opportunity to present the first ever example at auction of the stratospherically desirable reference 5213G-012 Minute Repeater Retrograde Date Grande Complication, made in only 10 examples for the London ‘Saatchi’ exhibition in 2015, it was only available to a select group of Patek Philippe’s most loyal and exalted clients who were personally known to Mr. Stern. Also created for the London ‘Saatchi’ exhibition is the 5070G-014 white gold chronograph with ravishingly attractive salmon dial of which only 5 pieces are thought to have been made.
A tremendous further selection of important Patek Philippe Grande Complications individually chosen for this 40th anniversary auction includes some of the company’s greatest models and awe-inspiring rarities including the stunning pink gold reference 3990R Perpetual Calendar Chronograph with pink dial and glittering baguette diamond-set bezel. Another gem-set beauty is the spectacular platinum reference 5271/13P-001 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph which is set with 80 perfectly matched baguette-cut emeralds.
Patek Philippe is renowned for its mastery of the minute repeating watch, their tone and acoustic clarity is remarkable, each piece being personally tested by Mr. Stern before being released to the client. Striking and repeating mechanisms are some of the most challenging and expensive for modern watchmakers to create, when the slide is activated on the side of the case of a minute repeater, it strikes the hours, quarter-hours and minutes on at least two expertly tuned coiled gongs. We are very proud to present three extraordinary classic minute repeaters here; the Minute Repeater Tourbillon reference 5539G, discontinued in 2019; Reference 5178G-012 Minute Repeater with ultra-luxury Rare Handcrafts translucent blue grand feu flinqué enamel dial; and a possibly unique reference 3979G with Breguet numerals, Patek’s first automatic minute repeater launched for the company’s 150th anniversary in 1989.
The vintage Patek Philippe especially selected for this auction are a collectors’ dream, a rollcall of some of the great references of the company’s ‘golden age’. Some of these exceptional pieces have been in the possession of their present owners for many years and are now offered here from several important collections just for this exciting one-off 40th Anniversary sale. The ancestor of all Patek Philippe perpetual calendar chronographs is the quite remarkable reference 1518. Launched in 1942 at the height of World War II, it provided the blueprint for all subsequent models. We are honoured to offer here a pink gold version of which only about 58 examples are known in pink gold.
An undoubted treat for collectors is a pink gold 1526R, Patek Philippe’s first serial produced perpetual calendar wristwatch, only a tiny fraction of the 210 known examples to exist in pink gold. Reference 1579A is one of the rarest vintage chronographs in the world, with only around 7 pieces known; a wonderful reference 2497J second series is one of the rarest complicated vintage Patek Philippe, the superb specimen included in this auction was last seen at auction back in 2009.
Richard Mille’s RM27-02 is one of the lightest tourbillons ever produced, made from layered Carbon TPT and Quartz TPT, it has extreme strength, its prototype tested by Rafael Nadal himself during the French open of 2015, only 50 pieces were ever produced and we are delighted to offer one of them for this 40th anniversary auction. The watches of François Paul Journe, regarded as the greatest living watchmaker, are in a class of their own, beyond desirable, we are thrilled to present here some awe-inspiring models including a Centigraphe from the Black Label Collection, regarded as the most beautiful and exclusive versions, Black Label Collection editions are almost impossible to obtain being reserved for only F.P. Journe boutiques most loyal customers, each watch being personally approved by Mr. Journe himself. A rarity of the highest level and magnificence is unquestionably the platinum Tourbillon Souverain with ruby dial, only 20 pieces were made of this most visually remarkable and incredibly rare version of F.P. Journe’s second-generation Tourbillon Souverain. F.P. Journe’s Chronomètre à Résonance is one of the great icons of the brand, we are delighted to offer here a full-set platinum example with pink gold dial and the much sought after 38mm diameter case. From Rolex is one of the hottest contemporary chronographs, the ultra-luxury and very limited production white gold ‘Rainbow’ Daytona set with 56 colour-graded baguette sapphires. More amazing and vibrantly coloured wristwatch rarities are Audemars Piguet’s highly distinctive John Shaeffer ‘Star Wheel’ in platinum with purple dial, made in a series of only 10 pieces, and two stunning and ultra-rare examples of Cartier’s truly iconic ‘Crash’ – one in pink gold with a black dial, and one with sapphire-set bezel.
Many of these watches represent the ultimate ownership goal of collectors worldwide, some are the first examples of their type ever to be presented for sale publicly, having remained in private collections and unknown to the market. This auction will truly be a privileged experience for the connoisseur and the perfect opportunity to obtain some spectacular rarities that are, in some instances, otherwise unobtainable.
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