Entering July, Phillips Asia announces two online auctions – “Hong Kong Watches: Online Auction I” and “Jewelry: Online Auction”, bringing together a carefully curated collection of precious timepieces and exquisite jewelry. The watch department will showcase masterpieces from various watch brands such as Patek Philippe, Rolex, A. Lange & Söhne, and the highlight of this auction is an iconic Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch, with the auction house hoping to celebrate the 50th anniversary of this groundbreaking timepiece.
As the first Hong Kong watch online auction of the year, “Hong Kong Watches: Online Auction” will present up to 113 important and rare timepieces in this special event, with the auction starting at 8:00 pm Hong Kong time on July 21 and ending one by one until 6:00 pm on July 27.
As for the series of top watch collections mentioned above, the leading lot is the Audemars Piguet black ceramic “Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar” automatic perpetual calendar automatic bracelet watch, which is highly sought after by collectors and luxury sports watch enthusiasts. This masterpiece, produced in 2017, with complex functions such as moon phase, leap year, and week display, is one of the most popular models on the market, and has been favored by many celebrities, watch collectors, including several superstars who have established a deep relationship with the brand, such as Jay Z, Kevin Hart, and Ed Sheeran. Moreover, this model, Ref. 26579CE.OO.1225CE.01, is hailed as the cornerstone of Audemars Piguet’s all-ceramic series.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Royal Oak’s debut, and I believe the appearance of this watch will once again demonstrate the brand’s amazing global influence. Phillips revealed that this watch will be featured in the online auction, with an estimated value of HK$1,150,000 to HK$1,950,000.
It is worth noting that the Fuyi Arts watch department has achieved an unprecedented record of maintaining 100% full sales for 18 consecutive months in the past year and a half, leading the way in online bidding participation. This is all thanks to the efforts of the auction house experts in sourcing masterpieces from various brands. Therefore, in addition to the black ceramic Royal Oak perpetual calendar introduced above, this special event also features several other highly collectible watch collections.
Highlights worth noting include a platinum tourbillon wristwatch “Lange 1 Tourbillon” produced in 2000 by A.Lange & Söhne, a masterpiece limited to only 150 pieces at the time. The most special feature is the exquisite tourbillon cage layout, famous in the watch industry, fully revealed in a large window at the 6 o’clock position, showcasing the craftsmanship of Lange.
Another noteworthy piece is the Patek Philippe “Aquanaut Travel Time” 5164A-001 stainless steel automatic dual time zone watch. This top-tier collectible, valued at HK$400,000 to HK$800,000, was jointly released in 2018 by the brand and the century-old American jeweler Tiffany & Co. The dual branding at 12 o’clock on the dial speaks to its rarity.
In addition, this event also features works by Rolex. The auction will present an extremely rare “GMT-Master II”, model 116748SA. This dual time zone watch, made of gold, is unique in that the bezel is set with rectangular diamonds, including rare sapphires and white diamonds not commonly seen in the series. This version is one of the few that has appeared on the market to date, unlike the more “common” colored diamond versions. It is truly a rare opportunity for collectors. According to the watch department, the watch is estimated to be worth HK$320,000 to HK$480,000.
This special event is taking place in the midst of the scorching summer, so Phillips has specially selected some fashion items that echo the refreshing summer style theme. Among them is a limited edition white ceramic ZENITH Defy 21 Chroma 1/100 second watch, with a semi-skeletonized dial showcasing a movement structure and scale details designed in colorful red tones, estimated to be worth between HK$65,000 and HK$95,000. Additionally, a chronograph watch from the iconic Overseas series by Vacheron Constantin will also make an appearance, priced between HK$90,000 and HK$160,000. Made in 2016, this watch is crafted from stainless steel and titanium, belonging to a limited edition within the same series.
On the other hand, Phillips has also curated a series of exquisite jewelry for this online auction, ranging from colored gemstones, colored diamonds, white diamonds, cultured pearls, to a variety of branded and designer signature jewelry, with estimated prices ranging from HK$4,000 to HK$300,000, providing a diverse selection for luxury collectors and fashion enthusiasts to illuminate this summer’s fashion with exquisite pieces. The highlight of the event must be a approximately 2.39-carat “Colombian” natural untreated emerald ring. In terms of design, the emerald is surrounded by a circle of colored diamonds, showcasing an elegant and noble temperament.
資料及圖片來源：Courtesy of Phillips Watches
