Exceptional results with diverse new records spark the expectation of a new era to dawn on collectible watches. Just four Daytonas achieved combined sales of over € 40 m during a charity sale in London on September 26th. Will watches soon be elevated into the same league as art? Four unique Rolex Cosmograph Daytonas, that achieved BP 37,5 m during a charity auction of Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo in September. It was the first time Rolex created and donated uniqu

I created around 4.400 new millionaires was one of the comments Elon Musk made around the initial listing of his SpaceX on June 16th of this year. This was referring to his employees that he paid with shares in the company. Tech, Defense and Energy continue their rally and the party that went with it continues. While many lament high gas and coffee prices, others bemoan long waiting lists of perks from limited watches, handbags or automobiles. Musk’s new millionaires add to t

Spring Vibes? There was no true flow of late. The second blockade of a major trade route in a decade affects the so far dynamic regions of Asia on top of China that had been sluggish for a while. Not just a few admirers of collectible watches reside in the conflict areas, so this market is not spared. Still, Monaco Legend Group managed to sell over 98% of their catalogue two weeks ago in Monaco, thereby grossing respectable € 26,5 m. Apart from other outstanding results, they

‘Scholars’ have been studying the online catalogue of Monaco Legend Groups’ (MLG) Exclusive Timepieces sale for weeks. The auction happens against the backdrop of the Grand Prix Historique de Monaco. A nice match with the watches, however one, that sent the room rates sky rocketing too. In my previous essay, I already reported on the unique Rolex Oyster Perpetual (lot 189) in platinum. The other title lots are one of only four known Zenith Daytonas in platinum (lot 78) and a

Lot 189 in the spring sale of Monaco Legend Group in April Monaco Legend Group (MLG) is again offering a never seen before early Platinum Rolex Oyster Perpetual No Date during the upcoming spring sale on April 25 th and 26 th in Monaco. ‘What’s so special about a platinum Rolex?’ you may ask, given they are a frequent sight these days, everywhere people are able to afford. Let me try to explain what is so exciting about the timepiece! ‘Contemporaries’ in platinum: Rolex Oys

It is rare to be able to repeat nice experiences and so I was a little hesitant to go to Paris last week. A year ago, I went in and out in just a day to join the ‘Time on Show’ at the annual ‘Retromobile’ classic car fair. Back then I got swept away by the abundance of everything small and big boys love alike and was still able to catch up on memories of when I lived and worked in this amazing city. This time, I did not get beyond the fair but it was still well worth going. A

At year end, Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo achieved an unprecedented $ 44 million in a momentous sale on their Park Avenue premises last weekend. In an overall soft collector’s market, this extraordinary result was driven by high end timepieces, created by key figures of the independent movement. 16 FP Journe and 2 Philippe Dufour lots accounted for 67% of the overall result alone, in a catalog made up of 147 lots in total. Here’s the story! After an intense 11-mi

Compared to the latest export figures for Swiss watches, there was decidedly more positive to report from the collector’s market of late. The overall sell through of the over 1.400 hundred lots between Monaco and Geneva was strong with 95% of lots sold and there were some remarkable results including new world’s records. Already in October, Monaco Legend Group (MLG) confirmed the highest ever price for an automatic Rolex with calendar and phases of the moon set by the famous

After some intense bidding in Monaco, the fairs’ moving on to Geneva this coming weekend. It has been 10 years then, since the memorable day that Aurel Bacs started swinging the hammer for Phillips instead of Christies’. Few of us who managed to fetch a seat back then will forget the event. From today’s perspective, it feels like the turn of a new era. Many things have changed since and it is no exaggeration to say that the curated catalogs of Phillips in Association with Ba