Rolex & Other Prestige Watches

As auctioneers and valuers it is a real privilege to be invited into a home to inspect items for possible sale. In this modern age, and perhaps more than ever in the current global crisis, enquiries come through to us via email, WhatsApp and facebook. It was a simple facebook question in early 2019, “do you sell wristwatches”, that led us to our most recent horde of wonderful vintage wristwatches which we had the pleasure of selling throughout last year.

The collection, which had been inherited, consisted of 6 vintage Rolex sports watches, 3 Cartier examples, a Brietling Navitimer and Superocean. Whilst lacking in paperwork and boxes these examples were all authentic and importantly were fresh-to-market.

The collection was split into two auctions and realised over £100,000. Below are some highlights from the collection:

The exotic colourway of this vintage sports watch certainly catches the eye and although production took place from 1959-1980, examples seldom appear at auction. Against an estimate of £4000-6000, buyers scrambled to add it to their collection eventually realising just above the top estimate. It may not be to everyone’s liking but the wristwatches we wear are a personal choice and certainly reveal a little about the individual wearing them. It is a statement piece straight out of the 70’s that is sure to turn some heads.

My personal favourite from the single-owner collection had to be the gorgeous GMT-Master ‘Fuchsia’. Boasting all original components, apart from a later bracelet, interest pre-sale was understandably high. Over the previous five decades the metallic insert had remained extremely vibrant but had changed colour from red to a consistent fuchsia with the opposing deep blue mellowing. This combination is highly prized by collectors and with telephone and internet interest competing, the watch eventually hammered at a strong £13,000 + BP to a room bidder.

Perhaps the Cosmograph Daytona was always going to be the star of the show and quite rightly so. Launched in 1963 and named after the Daytona speedway in Florida, these chronographs were designed to meet the demands of professional racing drivers. It is arguably the most coveted and iconic of all collectable wristwatches, certainly the holy grail for cosmograph collectors. Understated and timeless, it is a design that is certain to continue to be in high demand in the future and was a pleasure to handle on behalf of the vendor.

As mentioned, none of these watches appeared with any original paperwork, boxes or service history. They were fresh to market and achieved very healthy results following extensive exposure by our team.

Below is a selection of prestige wristwatches we have sold at our salerooms in recent years with prices noted.

Watches can be valued free of charge without obligation