Watches and Clocks
Palazzo Crivelli - Via Pontaccio 12, Milan
Viewing: 10, 11, 12 November 2017 (10/13 – 14.30/18.30)
Auction: 15 November 2017
Quality, variety and refinement: these are the elements that determined the selection of wristwatches, pocket watches and pendulum clocks that will be offered at auction on 15th November, to the delight of collectors and enthusiasts.
Among the most unusual lots, there is an ASPREY BOND STREET LONDON N° 586850 (lot no. 605). With an estimated value of €3,400-4,500. This watch, in the form of the globe, is surmounted by Kronos, who indicates the hours written in Arabic numerals on a leather band. Its uniqueness is not only due to the gravity-driven movement with daily wind, developed in Germany in the XVI-XVII century, but to the perfectly preserved fired enamel decorations.
For vintage Rolex collectors, the catalogue features a ROLEX SUBMARINER (lot no. 641) with red characters from the '70s, self-winding and with signed dial, movement and case. What makes this watch a highly coveted object, with an estimated value of €14,000 to €15,000, is the writing in red, which stands out more than the usual writing in white.
Among the small wristwatches, the 18-carat-gold Prior pocket watch (lot no. 542) that dates back to the early 19th century, with a dial signed in white enamel, Arabic numerals and key-wind movement. Particularly noteworthy, a singular function can be activated to sound an alarm bell on the hour and at a quarter to the hour, very likely one of the smallest ever made, given its reduced diameter (31 mm).
The auction is enriched by a collection of pocket watches, wristwatches and travel timepieces made precious not only by their mechanical quality, but also by the exquisite materials used and the elite international watchmaking houses whose names they bear, such as Patek Philippe, Rolex, Vacheron Constantin, Bulgari, Cartier, Omega, Jager Le Coultre; Longines and many more.