Article | Specialists Picks The Phillips Watches Geneva Sessions Fall 2026 Online Auction

Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo is pleased to present The Geneva Sessions, Fall 2026, an online auction running from 4–11 September. Featuring more than 90 exceptional luxury timepieces from leading makers including A. Lange & Söhne, Audemars Piguet, F.P. Journe, and Patek Philippe, the sale includes all four watches featured in this story.

For our latest round of Specialists’ Picks, we asked four members of the Phillips Watches team to venture off the beaten track in The Geneva Sessions, Fall 2026, Online Auction and select the watches that spoke to them personally.

Their choices are anything but obvious – four watches with unexpected stories, intriguing details, and plenty to reward a closer look.

Lot 8: Vacheron Constantin Historiques American 1921 “Collection Excellence Platine” in platinum

Estimate: CHF 20,000–40,000

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Aurel Bacs, Senior Consultant

Normally, when we do our Specialists’ Picks at Phillips, there is a watch sitting in front of us. This time, for the first time, there isn’t one. And do you know why? Because it is on my wrist. The reason is simple. If you want to look at a conventional wristwatch straight on, you have to turn your arm toward your body. And how uncomfortable is that?!

During the Roaring ’20s, some clever people realized there was another way of doing things. Position the dial at 45 degrees, and suddenly reading the time while holding a steering wheel becomes much more natural.

That brings us to my pick: the Vacheron Constantin Historiques American 1921. Go back to the early decades of the 20th century, and motorized vehicles – automobiles, notably, but also airplanes – were changing the way people lived.

Watchmakers were thinking about how watches could adapt to the needs of this modern society. The American 1921 addressed that question by positioning 12 o’clock at approximately 45 degrees, allowing the wearer to read the time without making that rather uncomfortable movement of the wrist.

Many decades later, Vacheron Constantin brought back this wonderful cushion-shaped design, and the example here is a particularly special version.

Part of the 100-piece “Collection Excellence Platine” limited edition, it has not only a platinum case, but also a beautifully textured platinum dial, complete with the discreet “Pt950” inscription. It features applied Breguet numerals, and even the stitching of the alligator strap uses platinum thread.

I have a confession to make: the American 1921 has been on my shopping list for many years, and this is the first time I have handled this particular platinum edition. There are different sizes and metals, and I have never quite decided which version is best. But for me, this is definitely the king of the classic American 1921 line.

Lot 45: Marc Brogsitter Minute Repeater in platinum

Estimate: CHF 50,000–100,000

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Alexandre Ghotbi, Deputy Chairman, Head of Watches, Europe & Middle East

Let me start by telling you a story. It was at Basel Fair, around 2005 or 2006. I was at the AHCI booth when Philippe Dufour came up, grabbed me by the hand, and said: “Come, I have to show you something.”

He introduced me to Marc Brogsitter, who was wearing two absolutely phenomenal rectangular watches. One was a tourbillon, and the other had a constant-force escapement. When Philippe Dufour tells you to look at something, you definitely pay attention. And he was right.

Those two watches were among the founding pieces of Brogsitter’s company, but unfortunately, after making only around a dozen watches, he stopped.

For the past 20 years, we thought Brogsitter had made only rectangular watches featuring either a tourbillon or constant-force mechanism. Imagine our surprise, then, when we discovered this round minute repeater.

We don’t know whether it was a special commission or part of a project Brogsitter was working on, but it has everything we have come to appreciate about his work: inspiration drawn from the great watches of the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s, adapted for modern times.

The platinum case is a rather contained 36mm, the dial is beautifully guilloché, and inside is a vintage minute repeater movement.

The case itself is made by none other than Jean-Pierre Hagmann, considered to be one of the greatest casemakers of the past 50 or 60 years.

He made cases for some of Patek Philippe’s most important minute repeaters and, later in his life, for Rexhep Rexhepi. Hagmann’s stamp can be found between the lugs, as well as on the second caseback that accompanies the watch.

We were delighted to discover what I think is a scholarship-changing piece. It is one of only two Brogsitter minute repeaters we have identified – this round example and another in a tonneau-shaped case – but that is another story!

Lot 61: A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 Limited Edition for Dubail Paris in white gold

Estimate: CHF 35,000–70,000

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Tiffany To, Head of Sale, Senior International Specialist

When we were asked to choose our Specialists’ Picks for the online sale, I thought: what better opportunity to share the virtues of the Lange 1?

The watch here, however, is not just any Lange 1. It is a 38.5mm white-gold version made for Dubail Paris, with a beautiful blue mother-of-pearl dial, and it is No. 19 of a limited edition of just 25 pieces.

For me, it offers almost everything you could want from a watch. It could even be the one watch in your collection. You have the looks, of course, but you also have the very artisanal approach to watchmaking that I think is so important today, and that collectors increasingly appreciate.

Turn the watch over, and you see the beautifully hand-finished movement. There is a care and finesse to the execution that one might almost associate with an independent watchmaker. Turn it back over, and that blue mother-of-pearl dial constantly changes with the light and the angle from which you view it.

Then there is the size. At 38.5mm, it wears beautifully on the wrist. You have the design, the craftsmanship, the finishing, and a rare and unusual dial – everything I would look for in a watch!

Lot 32: Patek Philippe Ref. 3491/3 in yellow gold

Estimate: CHF 8,000–16,000

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Marcello de Marco, Senior International Specialist

My pick is something extremely special, and with an estimate starting at CHF 8,000, it has everything – and more – that a collector could want.

Let’s start with the aesthetics. This is Patek Philippe in 1969, and you can immediately see the flair of the late 1960s and early ’70s. There is the square case, the textured dial and bracelet, the vertically brushed elements running down either side of the case, and the contrasting polished square bezel. It is absolutely fantastic.

Then you have the condition and completeness. The watch retains its original sales tag and comes with its original box and papers. And for the nerds among us, there is even more to discover. The integrated bracelet was made by Jean-Pierre Ecoffey, one of the important bracelet makers of the period, while the case was produced by Ateliers Réunis, the case-making company that Patek Philippe would later bring in-house.

For the historian, meanwhile, there is a fascinating engraving on the back: “To Professor Gibson, Jenny, 20 November 1969, many thanks.” The accompanying papers connect the watch to Professor Gibson and Mr. and Mrs. Shang Rai Ziang. A little research led us to a prominent medical professor working in Hong Kong at the time.

We can only speculate about why he received such an important gift, but that unanswered question only adds to the intrigue. Even the original envelope bears the watch’s serial number, while the certificate is dated October 1969, just before the date of the engraving.

It is a wonderfully complete, beautifully preserved, and genuinely fascinating timepiece – exactly the sort of watch I love discovering in a Phillips sale.

You can learn more, place a bid, and view the entire Geneva Sessions, Fall 2026, catalog here.