PHILLIPS: Highlights from Decade One (2015-2025) 10th Anniversary Auction in Geneva

This November, Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo will celebrate a decade of watch auctions with the Decade One (2015-2025) thematic auction at the Hôtel Président in Geneva. This landmark sale celebrates the department’s first decade – defined by remarkable watches, record-setting results, and groundbreaking scholarship – while presenting an extraordinary group of timepieces that illustrate the very best of collecting today.

Alexandre Ghotbi, Head of Watches, Europe & Middle East, and Tiffany To, Head of Sale, jointly said, “Over the past ten years, our thematic sales have taken many forms – dedicated to brands, models, or entire eras – but our goal has always been the same: to present the finest timepieces with scholarship, passion, and perspective. Decade One is our way of honoring that journey. This auction is not only a reflection of Phillips’ first decade in watches, but also a celebration of the art of watchmaking itself and of the collectors whose trust and passion have made everything possible.”

Patek Philippe

Headlining the November sale is the legendary Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Ref. 1518 in stainless steel (Lot 23 – Estimate in excess of CHF 8,000,000), the first steel 1518 ever made and one of only four known. When last offered by Phillips in 2016, it realized CHF 11,002,000, becoming the most expensive wristwatch ever sold at auction at the time and the first to surpass the eight-figure threshold. For the first time in auction history, it will be offered alongside two of its siblings: an 18k yellow gold 1518 (Lot 40 – CHF 200,000 – 400,000) and an ultra-rare “pink-on-pink” example (Lot 144 – CHF 1,200,000 – 2,400,000) combining a pink-gold case with a salmon pink-toned dial, one of approximately 15 known. Another milestone Patek Philippe in the catalogue is a coveted first-series Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Ref. 2499 in yellow gold (Lot 213 – CHF 750,000 – 1,500,000), considered the rarest of the four series.

Rolex Highlights

Rolex is represented at Decade One by exceptional rarities with Omani provenance, including a fresh-to-market “Rainbow” Day-Date Ref. 18059 made for His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said (Lot 32 – CHF 700,000 – 1,400,000). One of just three known “Rainbow” Day-Dates with a Khanjar caseback, it is the only example of the three fitted with a diamond-set Jubilee bracelet and a red Khanjar. A diamond-set Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 6269 “Red Khanjar” (Lot 123 – CHF 500,000 – 1,000,000) will also be offered, one of only two known with the emblem. Collectors will also encounter the 18k yellow-gold “Paul Newman” Daytona Ref. 6239, nicknamed the “Golden Pagoda” (Lot 34 – CHF 500,000 – 1,000,000), among the best-preserved champagne-dial Paul Newman examples known.

Independent Watchmaking

Independent watchmaking takes center stage with the F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance “Souscription, 2/20” (Lot 182 – CHF 450,000 – 900,000), the second example produced in Journe’s original 2000 Souscription series, offered by its original owner. The sale also marks the auction debut of the F.P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain TN “Régence Circulaire” in 18k pink gold with matching pink-gold engraved dial (Lot 97 – CHF 320,000 – 600,000), alongside Hajime Asaoka’s prototype Tsunami “Art Deco” No. 00 (Lot 72 – CHF 40,000 – 80,000), unveiled in 2024.

Clocks, Marine Chronometers and Pocket Watches

Among historic highlights are two treasures from the J.P. Morgan dynasty: the very first Cartier Mystery Clock, delivered to J.P. Morgan, Jr. in 1913 (Lot 134 – CHF 300,000 – 600,000), and a 1922 Charles Frodsham Split-Seconds Minute-Repeating Tourbillon Pocket Watch (Lot 135 – CHF 70,000 – 140,000). The Louis Berthoud Marine Chronometer No. 52 (Lot 7 – CHF 60,000 – 120,000), sold circa 1801 to Premier Consul Napoleon Bonaparte (before he was crowned Emperor) and later presented to Vice Admiral Denis Decrès in recognition of his valor during the aftermath of the Battle of the Nile, stands as the only surviving Louis Berthoud timepiece with its original lever escapement.

Equally compelling is an extraordinary 1907 J. Player & Son “Hyper-Complication” pocket watch (Lot 39 – CHF 400,000 – 800,000), among the most complicated vintage pocket watches ever created, combining a three-train carillon minute repeater, grande and petite sonnerie, split-seconds chronograph, tourbillon, equation of time, alarm, power reserve, and thermometer.

The Ernst Schuster Collection

The Decade One catalogue is further enriched by 16 Patek Philippes from the Ernst Schuster Collection. One of the earliest, most influential, and prominent figures in modern watch collecting, Schuster has spent decades assembling only the rarest and most exceptional timepieces. His collection stands as a testament not only to connoisseurship at the highest level but also to his role as a true ambassador for the culture of watch collecting. Highlights include a Ref. 1436 Split-Seconds Chronograph in yellow gold with Tiffany & Co.-signed dial (Lot 106 – CHF 150,000 – 300,000), a fourth-series Ref. 2499 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph in yellow gold with Gübelin-signed dial (Lot 105 – CHF 400,000 – 800,000), and a platinum and diamond-set Ref. 3424/1 “Gilbert Albert” (Lot 18 – CHF 100,000 – 200,000).

The Phillips Decade One (2015-2025) watch auction will take place on 8–9 November 2025 at the Hôtel Président in Geneva. This once-in-a-generation sale offers collectors an unparalleled opportunity to acquire watches that not only shaped Phillips’ first decade but also stand as landmarks in the broader history of watchmaking.

GLOBAL HIGHLIGHTS TOUR
LONDON | 23 – 25 September | Phillips, 30 Berkeley Square, London W1J 6EX
DUBAI | 26 – 28 September | MB&F M.A.D Gallery, First Floor, Unit FF, 290 – 269 Financial Center Rd, Downtown Dubai, Dubai UAE
RIYADH | 7 – 8 October | Centria Mall (Ground Floor)
SINGAPORE | 10 – 11 October | The St. Regis Singapore, 29 Tanglin Rd, Singapore 247911
NEW YORK | 15 – 17 October | Phillips, 432 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022
HONG KONG | 23 – 25 October | Phillips Perpetual, 503 Pedder Arcade, Pedder Building, 12 Pedder St, Central, Hong Kong
 
Auction: 8 & 9 November 2025
Auction viewing: 5 – 9 November 2025
Location: Hotel President, 407 Quai Wilson, Geneva, Switzerland, 1201