Our final live auction of the spring 2024 season is here. The PHILLIPS New York Watch Auction: X takes place on June 8 and 9, at our New York headquarters. The auction includes more than 150 of the world's finest watches – the following are the top selections from members of our New York-based watch department.
Lot 12: A 1971 Universal Genève Compax 'Exotic' Ref. 885.107 in Stainless Steel
Estimate: USD $8,000 - 16,000
Isabella Proia, Head Of Sale, New York
Collecting is a lifelong journey, and for me it hasnt been a static one. Recently, I've been drawn towards color and chaos, something that makes me both happy and slightly uncomfortable. This UG Compax "Exotic" is my second-favorite configuration of the Compax and the first one I've seen coming from the family of the original owner.
When we received it, the crystal wats quite scratched but a light polish revealed a really amazing dial - vibrant and with very few flaws. It has lived a life, but at almost half a century, it is to be expected right?
Lot 95: A 1917 Charles Frodsham Minute Repeating Grand Sonnerie Pocket Watch with Tourbillon, Perpetual Calendar, and Moon-Phase
Estimate: USD $200,000 - 400,000
Doug Escribano, Senior International Specialist
In the 21st century, the pocket watch is all but forgotten as the original gentleman’s timepiece, however these mechanical marvels provided the foundation for what modern collectors today know and love in the wristwatch. Throughout the history of horology, English watchmakers made significant contributions, from Thomas Tompion’s balance spring regulator, to Thomas Mudge inventor of the lever escapement and John Harrison whose marine chronometer opened the world to new exploration. The prestigious London firm Charles Frodsham & Co. was and is known for their masterful workmanship and precision timepieces. Lot 95 in the New York June auction is a monument to horological excellence.
One of only two known made by the firm, the piece is a Minute Repeating Grand Sonnerie Clock Watch with Tourbillon, Perpetual Calendar, and Moon Phase. At an outstanding 75mm in diameter it is the equivalent of today’s “jumbo” wristwatches measuring 42mm. The skill and technical knowledge to create such a wonderful watch is unparalleled and a testament to Charles Frodsham who produced this work of art without a computer or AI design.
While a technical tour de force with its multiple complications, the clock watch is also beautifully designed and executed. The dial is perfection with engine-turned center, polished chapter ring and subsidiary dials highlighted by the copper hue rings, giving the watch a harmonious robust feel. Today, all collectors should look to the historical past in order to understand the present day, and this incomparable pocket watch is a time capsule for the history of horology.
Lot 4: A 2023 Cartier Crash Ref. WGCH0087 in 18k Yellow Gold, with Specially Customized Green Hour Markers, Possibly Unique
Estimate: USD $30,000 - 60,000
Erica Downs, Administrator, Watches
Cartier is a pristine example of heritage, creativity, and luxury. Founded in 1847 by Louis-Francois Cartier, the history of the brand’s growth has succeeded over decades.
The Cartier Crash model was introduced in 1967 under Jean-Jacques Cartier. It is notably known for its uniqueness – particularly its asymmetric shape that stemmed away from the brand’s distinctive style. Many have suggested the Crash’s inspiration derived from a literal car crash, or Salvador Dali’s pocket watches in his surrealist 1931 painting The Persistence of Memory, nevertheless the model’s design and shape was solely based on the reality of the 1960s in London – a counter-cultural movement.
The Crash’s perception does partake with inspiration from the Maxi Oval – Jean-Jaques worked diligently with designer Rubert Emmerson to manufacture a design that adjusted the classic look of the Maxi Oval with a flair, to create what has been known as the iconic Cartier Crash.
This particular model, reference WHCH0087, features a superb yellow gold case with unique special order green numerals on the dial. What drew me most to the Crash was that although it was initially considered controversial to Cartier’s brand image, it has now made a well-deserved name for itself as an extremely sought-after timepiece due to its uniqueness, creativity, and beautiful chaos. Not only is this timepiece a major collector’s item, but a global phenomenon as well as my personal favorite configuration from Cartier.
Lot 29: A 1915 Ulysse Nardin Split-Seconds Chronograph with Guillaume balance
Estimate: USD $40,000 - 80,000
Logan Baker, Senior Editorial Manager
A truly remarkable horological reemergence, the present oversized Ulysse Nardin split-seconds chronograph wristwatch, measuring an incredible 52mm in diameter, has been treasured in a private collection since its acquisition at auction in 1988. What's most notable is that the watch was not a converted pocket watch with soldered lugs, but a pocket watch movement cased as a wristwatch. It is the largest split-seconds chronograph wristwatch in existence.
Hidden beneath the hinged caseback lies an extremely high-grade, Ulysse Nardin-signed movement with Guillaume balance. A Guillaume balance with blued steel hairspring, which minimizes errors across temperatures, was the ultimate escapement for precision timekeepers and is extremely rare to find in any wristwatch. The extremely impressive downturned lugs are perfectly proportionate to the case, and the icing on the very large cake is a beautiful, well-preserved enamel dial with its serial number at 6 o'clock and bold black Breguet numerals.
According to the original cataloging from 1988, the present watch was made upon special request sometime between 1918 and 1925. Another example in steel is known, with a movement number only three digits away from the present example. One of the most important wristwatches ever made by Ulysse Nardin, it is a true treasure for the discerning connoisseur.
Lot 85: A Circa 2007 F.P. Journe Vagabondage III in Platinum, No. 60 of 69
Estimate: USD $120,000 - 240,000
Ben Kramer, Photographer
My pick is lot 85, the Vagabondage III by F.P. Journe. This exclusive watch is celebrated for many reasons, ranging from its unique technical features to its exceptional craftsmanship and design.
The standout feature of the Vagabondage III is its technical innovation. The watch boasts a complex mechanism that displays hours, minutes, and seconds through a digital jumping system, a rare and challenging complication in mechanical watches. It incorporates a remontoir d’égalité, a constant force mechanism that ensures consistent energy delivery to the escapement, enhancing accuracy. Powered by the manually-wound Caliber 1514, developed and manufactured in-house by F.P. Journe, the movement showcases the brand’s commitment to precision and innovation.
Aesthetic excellence is another hallmark of the Vagabondage III. It features a distinctive tonneau (barrel-shaped) case, which stands out from the more common round cases, giving it a unique presence on the wrist. The semi-transparent sapphire dial allows a view of the intricate mechanics underneath, blending technical beauty with visual appeal. The level of finishing on the movement and case is superb, reflecting F.P. Journe’s dedication to haute horlogerie standards.
All of Journe’s efforts reward the wearer with a mesmerizing display of jumping digits and elegant complications. While it’s difficult to pick a favorite model from the Vagabondage series, I find the jumping seconds on the Vagabondage III to be downright captivating and provocative. The final piece in the trilogy, the Vagabondage III is an uncommon masterpiece blending technical sophistication, aesthetic innovation, rarity, historical significance, and the impeccable craftsmanship associated with the F.P. Journe brand. It represents a pinnacle of modern watchmaking, appealing to both connoisseurs and collectors alike.
You can learn more, place a bid, and view the entire New York Watch Auction: X catalog right here.
About Phillips In Association With Bacs & Russo
The team of specialists at PHILLIPS Watches is dedicated to an uncompromised approach to quality, transparency, and client service. Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo holds the world record for the most successful watch auction, with its Geneva Watch Auction: XIV having realized $74.5 million in 2021. Over the course of 2021 and 2022, the company sold 100% of the watches offered, a first in the industry, resulting in the highest annual total in history across all the auction houses at $227 million.
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