Highlight of the sale is undoubtedly lot number 39, a George Daniels Millenium. Any piece made by the most legendary watchmaker of the 20th century is spectacular, and having one at auction is an event. The 37mm gold case, the classic looking gold dial with subsidiary date dial at 6, the co-axial escapement and the engravements makes this what you would expect from the Master. The watch comes with an original box and handwritten letters by Daniels. The estimate is set at a realistic UKP 300 to 400,000.
Another piece worth your attention is the Maxi Oval lady’s watch by Cartier. It comes from Cartiers’ former London atelier and is signed 1969. The looks are very reminiscent of the Crash, and given the growing popularity of Cartier as a watch brand in general and the Crash in particular it will be no surprise that this is a very collectable piece. The estimate is UKP 80-100,000, comfortably below vintage Crash levels.
Of course Rolex is well represented in the sale, and almost half of the 52 lots come from the brand with the crown. One of the more spectacular and historically interesting pieces is this 1957 “Burford” Submariner. At the very beginning of the Submariners career the model was a pure tool watch, usually ordered by the military for professional use. In the early 1960’s one became aware of the dangerous effects of radium, used in the luminous effects in the dial, and at one point the British navy ordered alterative replacement dials by British dialmaker Burford. The 36mm piece is one of that batch, and will be offered to the collectors at UKP 40 to 60,000.
My 4th pick this week is a rare piece from the watchmakers’ watchmaker, Jaeger-LeCoultre. This Geophysic Chronometre dates back to the mid-1950’s and was produced only for 1 year to celebrate the brands’ 125th anniversary. Very cool and understated, and it is estimated at 15 to 20,000 pounds.
Please check the Bonhams website for a full overview of the auction pieces. Next week I will pick another 4 highlights.
