When it comes to the annual auctions of Sotheby’s, the recently concluded “Gérald Genta: Icon of Time” themed auction held in three sessions is definitely a highlight of the auction house in 2022. Why is it so certain that this year’s time has not yet reached half? The reason is that the final session staged in Geneva, Switzerland recently set an amazing sales record for the AP Royal Oak, and the item auctioned was even one owned by the late Gérald Genta himself.
In this special auction, Sotheby’s held three separate sessions in Hong Kong, New York, and Geneva. In addition to presenting over a hundred original manuscripts by Gérald Genta in Hong Kong and New York earlier, the highlight of “Gérald Genta: Icon of Time” must be the auction in Geneva. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch, model 5402, owned by the late Gérald Genta himself, is definitely the most eye-catching historical piece in the watch industry this year.
From the live broadcast the other day, it can be seen that the Ref. 5402, estimated to be worth 300,000 to 500,000 Swiss francs, was auctioned off by the auctioneer after 6 minutes of intense bidding by 7 buyers, ultimately fetching 2,107,000 Swiss francs, which is 7 times higher than the lowest estimated value; converted to Hong Kong dollars, it is approximately $16.6 million Hong Kong dollars, instantly breaking the auction record for antique Royal Oak watches, which is quite astonishing.
Regarding this watch, in addition to being personally designed by Gérald Genta and released in 1978, it was also personally acquired by Gérald Genta himself on May 15 of the same year. It is the first watch owned by Gérald Genta to appear on the auction market. The watch features a stainless steel case paired with an 18K yellow gold bezel made by Gérald Genta’s studio, with a case diameter of 39mm and powered by a 2121 automatic movement. It is worth mentioning that this 5402 Royal Oak is the only one to appear on the auction market with a “gold steel” combination. While the Gérald Genta family confirms the origin of the bezel, it is interesting to note that this is not mentioned in Audemars Piguet’s official archive.
As a master watchmaker in the history of the watch industry, Gérald Genta rewrote the industry and ecosystem decades ago. When will the next appearance of this legendary figure’s iconic watch be? Will the most anticipated watch be another masterpiece like the Nautilus by Gérald Genta? Let’s wait patiently.
資料及圖片來源：Courtesy of Sotheby’s
