The recent Spring-Summer 2022 watch auction season confirmed the reputation of Christie’s Geneva as the prime selling venue for Rolex timepieces, when the Cosmograph Ref. 6269 ‘Jack of Diamonds’ sold for CHF1,614,000, and the Paul Newman Tropical Lemon Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 6264 achieved CHF1,071,000. The auction totalled just under CHF24 million and was 100% sold by lot. Upcoming, on 7th of November, and following the recent successes, the excellently curated Rare Watches auction will offer a selection of the most coveted timepieces made by Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet and others. Among these treasures, the Rolex Ref. 6298 which Swiss mountain guide, chemist and oxygen specialist Jürg Marmet wore on his successful ascent of the Mount Everest on 23 May 1956; and the No. 1 of Royal Oak reference 5420SA – the first ever stainless steel and gold Royal Oak produced in 1977.
When a watch becomes part of History
Lot 128 – A fascinating treasure: the ‘pre-Explorer’ Rolex Jürg Marmet Ref. 6298. The present watch was worn during not one, but two well documented and significant expeditions, including accompanying its then owner, the Swiss mountain guide, chemist and oxygen specialist Jürg Marmet on his successful ascent of Mount Everest as part of the official “Schweizerische Mount Everest-Expedition 1956”.
It is fascinating to think that Jürg Marmet, wearing this very watch, was only the third human ever to reach the summit of Everest on that 23rd of May 1956. Jürg Marmet’s Ref. 6298. is therefore of incalculable historic value. Treasured and cared for as a trusted companion by Jürg Marmet and subsequently his family, it has remained in wonderfully unrestored condition.
The early 1950s was a period of great technological advances that allowed explorers to venture to more extreme and uncharted areas of the globe than ever before. Rolex was often at the forefront of such adventures, always intent on testing the limits to deliver on the promise of excellence. To this end, the company supplied watches to the team members of some of the great land and sea explorations of the 20th century. Time and again, Rolex watches performed beyond expectations under extreme conditions, becoming legendary in their own right.
The story of the Rolex No. 929’708 – Baffin Island 1953, the second ascent of Mount Everest (8850 m) 23 May 1956, first ascent of Lhotse (8501 m) May 1956.
Watch number 929’708 was issued to Jürg Marmet and the back of the case is engraved “Baffinland 1953 Jürg Marmet”.Swiss mountaineer Jürg MarmetIn 1956, Jürg Marmet was one of the team chosen to take part in the third Swiss attempt to conquer Everest. Naturally, the Rolex wristwatch that had been given to him for the earlier Baffin Island expedition would be his companion on this next and most challenging endeavour, too. The Swiss expedition was a huge undertaking that lasted 6 months, the ascent and descent alone taking 40 days. Part of the route that the team chose to climb Everest that year enabled them to simultaneously conquer the world’s fourth-highest mountain, Lhotse, for the first time. The Swiss Everest team consisted of 11 members; Jürg Marmet, then aged 29 and Ernst Schmied, aged 32, were the third and fourth human beings respectively to stand on the summit of Everest.
(Est: CHF20,000-40,000)
Himalayan expedition 1956: Jürg Marmet 3rd from left
Lot 110 – The very first example of the rarest Audemars Piguet ‘Royal Oak’ Ref. 5402SA, from circa 1977.
Any No. 1 wristwatch by Audemars Piguet immediately receives the full attention of collectors worldwide. And when that No. 1 is a 1970s Royal Oak, it is not only a collector’s dream but also of significant historical importance. The present watch is the No. 1 Royal Oak reference 5420SA – the first ever stainless steel and gold Royal Oak made in 1977.
The Royal Oak 5402SA was made in fewer examples than the much-appreciated steel 5402 ‘A Series’ and is therewith much rarer. The design remained unchanged – with a slate grey dial and yellow gold hour markers – during the entire production run from 1977 to 1985. Reference 5402SA were numbered from 1 to 951 of which 876 watches were sold.
A bold move when it was released, by the early 1980s two-tone watches or ‘bicolour’ as they were known at the time, soon became the height of fashion and indeed came to symbolize the – then quite daring – sport chic style of the 1980s. Now the 5402SA is incredibly desirable as an early Royal Oak with collectors fully appreciating the model’s rarity and its importance in Audemars Piguet’s history.
(Est: CHF200,000-400,000)
Lot 69 – A superb example of the Cartier ‘Paris Crash’ 1991 series from the family of the original owner.
Very few of Cartier’s 1991 Paris-made ‘Crash’ watches have ever appeared at auction, and this has been consigned by the family of the original owner. Produced in such small numbers, the Crash watch has from the outset been almost impossible to obtain, its quasi-mythical status as an instantly recognizable yet highly exclusive design icon assures its eternal appeal.
For such an extraordinary creation as Cartier’s Crash watch, it is quite surprising that the story of its origins were, until recently, shrouded in mystery. The absence of any official information led to some wonderfully romantic myths surrounding the source of Jean-Jacques Cartier’s inspiration for the Crash’s design. Some claimed the idea was ignited by Salvador Dali’s painting La Persistance de la Mémoire de Dali, others believed that its form came from a melted Cartier Maxi Baignoire Allongée. It was also rumoured that one of Cartier’s founders was in a car crash in the late 1960s and the resulting misshapen watch served as the influence for the watch.
However, the true full story is now confirmed by Francesca Cartier Brickell, Jean-Jacques Cartier’s granddaughter, whose recent book ‘The Cartiers: The Untold Story of the Family Behind the Jewellery Empire’ was published in 2019.
1960s London was an exciting place to be and Jean-Jacques Cartier, who had instigated the making of Cartier watches in London, wanted to create a wristwatch that was truly a response to the spirit of the age. In fact, the Crash watch was the idea of Jean-Jacques Cartier and designer Rupert Emmerson, who together, after many attempts, eventually came up with a final design. The appearance of the resulting watch, named the ‘Crash’ was in complete contrast to the straight lines of the traditional Tank and oval.
(Est: CHF120,000-180,000)
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Christie’s auctions span more than 80 art and luxury categories, at price points ranging from $200 to over $100 million. In recent years, Christie’s has achieved the world record price for an artwork at auction (Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, 2017), for a 20th century artwork (Andy Warhol’s Shot Sage Blue Marilyn, 2022) and for a work by a living artist (Jeff Koons’ Rabbit, 2019). Christie’s is also recognised as a reference for prestigious single owner collections, having auctioned 8 of the 10 most important collections in history.
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*Please note when quoting estimates above that other fees will apply in addition to the hammer price – see Section D of the Conditions of Sale at the back of the sale catalogue.
*Estimates do not include buyer’s premium. Sales totals are hammer price plus buyer’s premium and are reported net of applicable fees.