– Logan Baker
Click here to read a Japanese translation of this story.
The culture of watch collecting has long had a home in Japan.
The country’s domestic watchmakers, whether large and small, are beloved internationally, while European watch companies have regularly courted local collectors with dedicated releases. For instance, it’s said that more than half of Philippe Dufour’s Simplicity were first sold to Japanese collectors.
Japan’s thriving watch culture is being recognized today with the announcement of "TOKI (刻)” by Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo, the first-ever thematic live auction dedicated to the Japanese watch collecting world. Taking place in Hong Kong this November, the sale will be held at Phillips’ Asia headquarters in the West Kowloon Cultural District alongside the Hong Kong Watch Auction XIX.
The “TOKI (刻)” thematic sale will feature important watches by leading global brands made exclusively for the Japanese market, as well as timepieces previously owned by Japanese collectors and unique pieces created by Japanese independent watchmakers.
Early highlights from the sale include an Omega Speedmaster Apollo XI 25th Anniversary originally sold in Japan and featuring the stamp of luxury department store Takashimaya, as well as a never-worn Rolex Cosmograph Daytona retailed by Matsuzakaya, a well-known chain of domestic department stores.
These highlights will be showcased in touring exhibitions and appraisal sessions held throughout July in Tokyo (July 2-5), Nagoya (July 18), and Osaka (July 19-20).
"I've worked about 20 years in the watch auction industry, and in that time I've seen a dramatic change in the watch market," says Kaz Fujimoto, Phillips Watches' Japan-based representative. "Today we see a lot of good quality, full-set watches coming out of Japan that achieve very strong results at auction. We've also seen a large growth in international popularity for Japanese brands, like Seiko, and Japanese independent watchmakers, such as Hajime Asaoka and Naoya Hida. We came up with the idea for this sale last November while celebrating the results of the Hong Kong Watch Auction: XVII; I then spoke with a number of different collectors in Japan who all agreed it was a good idea."
If interested in consigning to the sale, please contact Kaz Fujimoto at kfujimoto@phillips.com.