Tuesday’s auction of Important Watches & Clocks at Sotheby’s New York achieved CHF 8,832,572, selling a strong 85.9 per cent by lot and well within pre-sale expectations of CHF6.7-9.6 million.

This marks the highest-ever total for an ‘Important Watches & Clocks’ auction at Sotheby’s New York. In addition, 93% of the lots sold brought prices within or above their pre-sale estimates.

The sale was dominated by timepieces from Patek Philippe – nearly one-third of the total lots sold were by the legendary watchmaker, with marked interest in both time-only and complicated pieces.

The auction was led jointly by two wristwatches that each achieved CHF 482,500: An exceptionally rare and historically important 18-carat yellow gold world time wristwatch, 1937, Ref. 96 HU “Heure Universelle” that is one of the earliest and rarest world time watches known to exist (est. CHF 400-600,000*), and an exceptional and fine platinum tonneau automatic minute repeating perpetual calendar wristwatch with retrograde date and phases of the moon, 2004, Ref. 5013P that is one of the most complex wristwatches ever made by Patek Philippe, with a total of 515 parts (est. CHF 450-650,000). The CHF 482,500 price for the Ref. 96 HU marks a world record for a Patek Philippe world time in a Calatrava case.

*Estimates do not include buyer’s premium

www.sothebys.com