2005 - The thematic auction of the century generates a flurry of world records


The auction held on April 3rd in Geneva and dedicated to the quarter millenniumof Vacheron Constantin will go down in the history books. This event coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the Geneva-based House was organised and run by Antiquorum which, under the auction hammer of Osvaldo Patrizzi, totalled almost SFr 19 million for an array of 250 lots, thereby establishing a record for thematic auctions.

Collectors from around the world were well aware of the importance of the occasion: the rooms of the Hôtel du Rhône were full to capacity on Sunday April 3rd, and there was non-stop distance bidding by phone and over the internet.

Among the many emblematic results achieved during this auction, Antiquorum sold a contemporary watch, the Tour de l'Ile model created to mark the 250th anniversary, for almost 1.9 million Swiss francs, making it the world's most sought-after modern wristwatch. Meanwhile, a Geneva-based agent acquired for a client the King Fouad 1st pocket-watch for the sum of over 3.3 million francs, a world record giving it 5th ranking among the world's most coveted pocket-watches. The same buyer also snapped up L'Esprit des Cabinotiers, a mysterious clock created for the brand's 250th anniversary: it went for 2.206 million francs, another world record in its category.

In all, this auction was followed by 1,000 people and the global result testifies to the undeniable status of Vacheron Constantin among international collectors and informed connoisseurs of high-end horology: a brand offering creations embodying one of the most reliable and attractive values in theworld of Haute Horlogerie collections.

Highlights of the sale
Among the pocket-watches, the most noteworthy and theuncontested star of the sale was Lot 182, the King Fouad I pocket-watch:


Lot 182 - King Fouad I pocket-watch - a world record
The King Fouad I pocket-watch sold for a record SFr 3,306,250, making it the most sought-after pocket-watch in this sale and the 5th most sought-after pocket-watch in the world.
This superb piece was presented as a gift in July 1929 by the colony of Swiss people living in Egypt to mark the visit to Switzerland of King Fouad I. This remarkable 18K gold timepiece features a silver dial graced with 12 complications: a split-seconds chronograph with 30-minute register, a perpetual calendar, displays of the date, day, month, leap-year and moon phase, as well as a minute repeater striking three gongs on demand, grande sonnerie striking the hours and quarters on three gongs, and petite sonnerie striking the quarter hours on three gongs. The striking mechanism possesses its own winding train distinct from that of the 46-jewel movement.


Lot 132 - "A la Breguet" estimated at SFr 20,000 - 30,000
The "A la Breguet" sold for SFr 132,250 which was five times its original estimate. It belonged to the early timepieces in the sale. This elegant and rare 18K gold jumping hour watch with date was produced in 1827. Featuring an "Empire" case and silver dial with delicate guilloché work, it has an eccentric minute chapter with concentric seconds chapter, date ring at 6 o'clock, jumping-hour aperture at the top of the dial, and a signed cuvette.


Lot 141 - Rare medical chronograph, estimated at SFr. 40,000 - 60,000
Elegant and rare "multi-scale medical chronograph" sold for SFr 121,900. This 18-carat pink gold men's wristwatch has a square button chronograph, register, tachometer and pulsometer and asthmometer. It was created in 1943.


Lot 169 -"Le Griffon" - estimation : SFr. 15'000- 20'000, un record mondial
Rare montre carrée en or 18 carats, à émaux noirs champlevés, sans clé a atteint SFr 102,350 - établissant un record du monde pour une montre Vacheron Constantin en émail.


Lot 250 - L'Esprit des Cabinotiers - a world record for this mysterious clock
This mysterious clock encompasses the Manufacture's finest accomplishments over the past quarter millennium and all that it continues to offer at the highest level in the field of Haute Horlogerie and of art. Its name, which refers to the Geneva master-craftsmen who used to work under the rooftops of the city, eloquently embodies this unrelenting quest for technical and artistic perfection, inextricably entwined with the historical and geographical origins of the Manufacture. This exceptional and majestic object testifies to perfect harmony with the traditions of 18th century timepieces crafted in limited series and of desk clocks driven by sophisticated mechanisms and clothed in superbly refined exteriors.


Lot 249 - La Tour de l'Ile - a world record for a modern wristwatch
This unique double-faced astronomic wristwatch with its broad black dial (47 mm in diameter) and visible tourbillon, sold for SFr 1,876,250 - a world record for a modern wristwatch. This record makes it the world's most sought-after modern wristwatch.
Created to mark the Quarter Millennium of Vacheron Constantin in 2005, this exceptional and unique men's minute-repeater astronomic and astrological double-faced wristwatch in 18-carat (5N) pink gold features guilloché black dials displaying the perpetual calendar with leap years, the celestial calendar, a visible one-minute tourbillon regulator, sunrise and sunset indications, perpetual equation of time, phases and age of the moon, 58-hour power reserve, time-zone, day/night indicator and striking-mechanism torque.