Antiquorum is proud to announce its next auction, taking place in the Principality of Monaco, on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, at the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel on Thursday January 19th, 2023.
Gathering 226 lots, the impressive collection at auction demonstrates Antiquorum’s unparalleled dedication to exceptional variety, the auction house’s ambition since its inception in 1974. Connoisseurs looking for the master piece of their collection will appreciate LOT 216, a Rolex Daytona “Paul Newman” in exquisite condition. Amateurs eager to join the game will surely find interest in pieces such as LOT 201, one of the first ever produced Rolex Submariner “Comex” models, or even LOT 167, the contemporary Patek Philippe Ref. 5711 with green dial.
Avid collectors who appreciate more exceptional finds conveying legendary stories, or testifying to remarkable watchmaking savoir-faire, will be taken by LOT 210, a Rolex Date Date with a coral dial, believed to be unique, or LOT 94, a Rebellion Re-Volt Prototype worn by Formula 1 driver Valtteri Bottas.
“Antiquorum has had a very successful 2022, despite the difficult context of the auction market,” says Romain Réa, CEO of Antiquorum. “2023 will mark two important anniversaries: the 70th anniversary the Rolex Submariner, of which Antiquorum is proud to hold all the world records for the Rolex Submariner COMEX references sold at auction, and the 60th anniversary of the Rolex Daytona Ref. 6239 with ‘Paul Newman’ dial.”
Marking the end of one celebratory year and the start of another year sure to be doubly successful, please find below a carefully curated selection of top lots from Antiquorum experts.
Top Lots
Royal Oak Royalty
Most know the name Gerald Genta—Swiss watch designer behind modern watchmaking’s most recognizable watches, such as Patek Philippe’s Nautilus and Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak, the latter perhaps being the brand’s most sought-after model on the both the commercial and vintage watch market today.
LOT 56, a self-winding Royal Oak in stainless steel, holds several points of distinction.
Highly attractive and extremely rare, stainless steel, self-winding, “tonneau”-shaped, gentleman’s wristwatch, water-resistant with caseback.
Estimation:
EUR | USD | CHF:
50,000 – 80,000
HKD: 403,600 – 645,700
First, this timepiece is considered “fresh to the market”—the previous owner bought it in 1975 and has kept it since, which is made evident through records as well as the timepiece’s pristine condition. Secondly, this reference is an “A-Series”, as made evident through the “No. A 1826” engraving on its solid caseback, meaning it was produced somewhere in the early 1970s in the original A-series batch made by the brand after they first introduced the Royal Oak in 1971. Between 1972 and 1989, only 1,937 “A-Series” Royal Oak models were produced.
A historic reference, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak also manages to hold a cultural provenance uncommon for most modern watches—few can hold a place in traditional watchmaking history while still being quoted in Jay-Z’s lyrics.
Rolex Reigns Supreme
As mentioned earlier by Romain Réa, 2023 will be a significant year for the Rolex Submariner: 70 years of utter dominance on the dive watch market. The Rolex Submariner COMEX Ref. 5514 is a rare Submariner reference, created specifically by the Crown for the Compagnie Maritime d’Expertise, that was delivered straight to the COMEX and never sold commercially. A beloved reference and recognizable even to those who don’t know watches, the Rolex Submariner COMEX is often considered a grail watch by many collectors, such as singer and known watch collector John Mayer.
Very fine and extremely rare, stainless steel, selfwinding, diver’s wristwatch, with black dial, helium escape valve, made for the Comex.
Estimation:
EUR | USD | CHF: 60,000 – 120,000
HKD: 484,300 – 968,500
The reference featured an improved helium escape valve and is considered by experts to be one of the rarest of its kind, produced only from 1974 to 1977 for a total roughly 750 pieces. LOT 201 dates back to 1974—making this rarity one of the first ever Rolex Submariner COMEX watches ever produced.
Currently the world record holder for the most expensive Rolex Submariner COMEX references ever sold at auction, Antiquorum is no stranger to the Submariner COMEX. This piece will surely draw great attention from watch aficionados as the piece is fresh to the market, consigned by the original owner who used to work for COMEX.
Rolex has no shortage of 70s icons, including the Rolex Daytona, which will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2023. Considered one of the most iconic vintage Rolex models, LOT 216, a Rolex Daytona Ref. 6263 is easily recognizable thanks to its screwed-in pusher, black bakelite bezel and “exotic” panda dial, made famous by Hollywood superstar Paul Newman. LOT 216, the ultimate Daytona “Paul Newman Panda”, is not only in superb condition but perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the Daytona Paul Newman—Hollywood glamour in a tool watch.
A very attractive and extremely rare, stainless steel, manual-winding, “tonneau”-shaped, gentleman’s wristwatch.
Estimation:
EUR | USD | CHF: 300,000 – 500,000
HKD: 2,421,300 – 4,035,400
Two more Rolex pieces that stand out from Antiquorum’s fine selection of lots for its Monaco auction is LOT 210, a Day-Date in platinum with a rare stone coral dial, and LOT 226, a Rolex Ref. 6236 called “Jean-Claude Killy”, which remains to this day one of the Crown’s most complicated watches ever produced.
Extremely rare and fine platinum self-winding wristwatch with a coral dial. president platinum bracelet.
Estimation:
EUR | USD | CHF: 150 000 – 250 000
HKD: 1 210 700 – 2 017 700
A rare piece indeed, LOT 210 is a Day-Date made in platinum (exceedingly rare for Rolex) with a stone coral dial. Considered one of the more flamboyant Rolex models, the brand is known for its savoir-faire with stone dials, which break easily during the production and assembly process. This piece, due to its rare platinum case and President bracelet and rare dial, is considered by experts to be a unique piece on the market today.
A fine and extremely rare, stainless steel, manual-winding, “tonneau”-shaped, gentleman’s chronograph.
Estimation:
EUR | USD | CHF: 300,000 – 600,000
HKD: 2,421,300 – 4,482,500
The timepiece is popularly referred as the “Jean-Claude Killy”, after the famous French alpine skier who wore this reference and later went on to, in addition to winning three Olympic gold medals, become an ambassador for the brand and even sat on the board of Rolex.
This Rolex Ref. 6236 Chronograph is another example of Rolex’s prowess in great watchmaking and savoir-faire. This reference with a triple-date chronograph movement, is the brand’s most complicated movement and remains the only triple-date chronograph caliber ever produced by the Crown, due to the movement’s complexity.
With an incredibly successful 2022 with their numerous online and physical auctions, Antiquorum is pleased to start off the new year with such a unique selection of lots in Monaco, sure to achieve exciting results.
ABOUT ANTIQUORUM
Antiquorum, The World”s Premier Auctioneers of Modern and Vintage Timepieces, established in Geneva in 1974, has carved its own unparalleled niche in the auction world by cultivating a thriving collector”s market for timepieces worldwide and consistently obtains the highest prices for timepieces, auctions timepieces with exceptional provenance and rarity and has set many world records.
Resolutely avant-garde, Antiquorum was the first auction house to offer full online service with the possibility to place absentee bids or register to bid in real time during the auction.
Antiquorum holds auctions in Geneva, Hong Kong and Monaco with previews held in major cities worldwide. With its internationally recognized staff of watch experts providing unsurpassed expertise and services and its dedicated pursuit of innovative auction methods, Antiquorum continues, more than ever before, to make history in time.
For more information, please visit https://www.antiquorum.swiss