GENEVA – 27 APRIL 2026 – On 9 & 10 May, Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo will host its first live watch auction of 2026, the Geneva Watch Auction: XXIII. The sale will present more than 200 exceptional timepieces spanning over three centuries of watchmaking, including six extraordinary watches featuring calendar and astronomical complications.
From triple calendars and moon-phases to perpetual calendars and celestial displays, these wristwatches represent some of the most intellectually compelling and technically demanding achievements in watchmaking.
Calendar watches offer a unique combination of mechanical sophistication and visual poetry, transforming the wristwatch into an instrument capable of tracking days, months, lunar cycles, and even the motion of the stars. The group assembled at the Phillips Geneva Watch Auction: XXIII spans across decades of watchmaking history and includes rare examples from some of the most revered names in Swiss horology.
Estimate CHF 2,000,000–4,000,000
The most technically ambitious of the group is a 2018 Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon Ref. 6002G-010. One of the most complicated wristwatches ever created by Patek Philippe, the Sky Moon Tourbillon houses 12 complications within an elaborately hand-engraved 18k white gold case.
Its front dial displays mean solar time alongside a perpetual calendar with retrograde date and moon-phase, while the reverse reveals a celestial chart of the northern sky, sidereal time, and the moon-phase and orbit. The present example is among the very few produced with a black enamel dial and marks only the second appearance of such a configuration at international auction.
Estimate CHF 500,000–1,000,000
Equally fascinating is a Rolex Ref. 6062 in stainless steel, launched in 1950 as the first automatic Rolex wristwatch combining a triple calendar and moon-phase within a waterproof Oyster case.
Produced in extremely small numbers, the model stands as one of the most complicated vintage Rolex references ever created. The present example is especially remarkable for its exceptional preservation, featuring a beautifully balanced two-tone dial and a case retaining its original factory proportions.
Estimate CHF 500,000–1,000,000
Another landmark Rolex calendar complication appears in the form of the Rolex “Datocompax Killy” Ref. 6036 in 18k yellow gold.
Introduced in 1951, the Ref. 6036 combines a triple calendar with a chronograph – one of only five such references ever produced by Rolex. Collectors regard these watches as the technical apex of the brand’s vintage production, and the present example is notable not only for its rarity in 18k yellow gold but also for its extraordinary state of preservation
Estimate CHF 400,000–800,000
Vintage collectors will also appreciate the 1942 Audemars Piguet Ref. 5503, an exceedingly rare triple-calendar chronograph produced during the early 1940s in only a handful of examples.
Cased in stainless steel with 14k pink-gold accents – likely a reflection of wartime material restrictions – the watch features elegant teardrop lugs and a beautifully balanced calendar chronograph dial. Its production numbers are vanishingly small, with only five examples known.
Estimate CHF 250,000–500,000
From the golden age of mid-century design comes the 1958 Vacheron Constantin “Cioccolatone” Ref. 4764, an oversized square wristwatch combining a triple calendar and moon-phase within the brand’s iconic curved “Cioccolatone” case.
Produced in only 47 examples across all metals, the reference is celebrated for its sculptural form and bold mid-century aesthetic. The present example, cased in rare 18k pink gold, is among the finest preserved known.
Estimate CHF 350,000–650,000
Completing the group is one of the most celebrated perpetual calendar chronographs ever made: the Patek Philippe Ref. 2499/100.
Produced from 1951 to 1985 in only 349 examples, the Ref. 2499 succeeded the legendary Ref. 1518 and remains one of the most desirable watches in collecting today. The present fourth-series example, dating to 1984, features a sapphire crystal and beautifully preserved dial and 18k yellow gold case.
The Phillips Geneva Watch Auction: XXIII will take place on 9 & 10 May 2026 at the Hôtel Président Wilson in Geneva, offering collectors an exceptional selection of historically important and rare timepieces.
GLOBAL HIGHLIGHTS TOUR
NEW YORK | 25 – 27 March | Phillips, 432 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022
MILAN | 31 March – 1 April | Verga 1947, Via Vincenzo Capelli, 4 20124 Milano, MI, Italy
SINGAPORE | 10 – 11 April | The St. Regis Singapore 29 Tanglin Rd, Singapore 247911
LONDON | 16 – 17 April | Phillips, 30 Berkeley Square, London W1J 6EX
RIYADH | 22 – 23 April | Crown & Compass QJ8R+64Q, Metro Blvd, Al Aqiq, Riyadh 13519, Saudi Arabia
HONG KONG | 23 – 25 April | Phillips Perpetual, 503 Pedder Arcade, Pedder Building 12 Pedder St, Central, Hong Kong
AUCTION DETAILS
Auction: 9 & 10 May 2026
Auction Viewing: 6 – 10 May 2026
Location: Hotel President, 407 Quai Wilson, Geneva, Switzerland, 1201
