DALLAS – Competitive bidding drove a unique circa-1992 Cartier Pendule Quatre Faces clock to $212,500 to lead Heritage Auctions’ November 17, 2021 Watches & Fine Timepieces Auction to $3,323,023. The event attracted 1,374 global visitors, and produced a sell-through rate of 96.6% by lots sold.
“We knew going in that the market was exceptionally hot at the moment, but the results in this sale exceeded even our most optimistic hopes,” Heritage Auctions Watches & Fine Timepieces Jim Wolf said. “Demand for elite Rolexes is surging, and we saw strong performances by modern Tourbillon watches, an indication that collectors are now focusing on some of the newer, highly complicated specialty watches.”
The top lot sits on an 18K octagonal base in gold and diamonds above lavrikite, central pedestal in abalone and diamond set gold that ratchets to change positions of each of the four sides. Each face on the upper cube, which measures three inches in each direction, includes a frame set with diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires. The top includes cabochon gemstones and a diamond and emerald finial topped by a carved emerald falcon, seven inches high.
Multiple bids drove a Ferdinand Berthoud Chronometre certified COSC, constant force regulation with fusee and chain transmission and tourbillon, Ref. FB 1R.6-1, limited edition No. 02/20 past pre-auction estimates when it sold for $200,000. Housed in a 44mm carburized octagonal stainless steel case, the rhodium-plated nickel silver dial includes a recessed polished steel power reserve mechanism, a curved aperture for the hours with Arabic numerals, a silver minute ring with blued steel hand, gold center seconds, outer second divisions on a silver band, and the legend “Chronometre Val-de-Travers” at the base. The watch is signed: Ferdinand Berthoud No. 02/20.
More than a dozen bids came in for a Maitres du Temps, Chapter One rose gold wristwatch, round transparence tourbillon mono-push chronograph with complications including retrograde date, GMT, day of the week, moon phase, Ref. C1R.55.2E.60-2 until it finished at $78,125. This horological tour de force, the result of the collaboration skills of renowned watchmakers Christophe Claret, Roger Dubuis and Peter Speake-Marin, includes a massive (50 by 62 mm) 18K rose gold case, engraved “One of 11,” as well as a transparent laser-cut sapphire dial with applied luminous indexes, minute track on the flange ring, independently set retrograde GMT display and days of the month, 60-minute register, luminous gold tapered hands and a red center seconds hand. The watch is signed Maitres du Temp, Chapter One.
[av_button label=’Click to view the auction catalog complete with prices realized’ icon_select=’no’ icon=’ue800′ font=’entypo-fontello’ link=’manually,https://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/222866_watches-and-fine-timepieces-5526/?keyword=&page=1′ link_target=’_blank’ size=’small’ position=’center’ label_display=” title_attr=” color_options=” color=’theme-color’ custom_bg=’#444444′ custom_font=’#ffffff’ btn_color_bg=’theme-color’ btn_custom_bg=’#444444′ btn_color_bg_hover=’theme-color-highlight’ btn_custom_bg_hover=’#444444′ btn_color_font=’theme-color’ btn_custom_font=’#ffffff’ id=” custom_class=” av_uid=’av-5f63htf’ admin_preview_bg=”]
View top auction results on LiveAuctioneers here: https://www.liveauctioneers.com/pages/recent-auction-sales/
