Language: IT
ANTIQUORUM AUCTIONEERS
Michelle Halpern
Tel +41(0) 22 909 28 54
press@antiquorum.com.

For Immediate Release
High definition images can be downloaded at www.antiquorum.com

Antiquorum presents its upcoming summer auction in Hong Kong

Geneva, 10 June, 2009 - Antiquorum, the world's leading watch auctioneer, is pleased to announce its upcoming "Important Collector's Wristwatches, Pocket Watches and Clocks" sale on June 27th, 2009 at the Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong. The auction, featuring 479 lots, brings together a remarkable selection of the finest timepieces by world-renowned watchmakers.

Highlights of this summer auction include two very rare Patek Philippe watches respectively Ref. 3974, an 18K yellow gold minute-repeating gentleman's wristwatch with black dial, perpetual calendar, leap year indications and moon phases, estimated between 2,000,000 and 2,700,000 HKD (300,000 and 400,000 Sfr), as well as a Ref. 3450, an 18K yellow gold wristwatch, made in 1982, with perpetual calendar, moon phases and a red dot for the leap year indication, estimated between 1,350,000 and 1,700,000 HKD (200,000 and 250,000 Sfr).

An extremely fine and innovative Tourbillon with 7-day power reserve, Horological Machine No.1", No. 15, part of a limited edition made in 2006 by Maximilian Busser & Friends, is also included in the Hong Kong auction. This 18K pink gold wristwatch is characterised by its oversized, eight-shaped case with visible one-minute tourbillon regulator. It is estimated between 400,000 and 550,000 HKD (60,000 and 75,000 Sfr).

Another exceptional timepiece offered is the Grande and Petite Sonnerie, Minute Repeater - Perpetual Calendar made in 1997 by Franck Muller. It is a unique, fine and rare platinum and diamond-set wristwatch with grande and petite sonnerie minute-repeating complications as well as perpetual calendar, equation of time, moon phases and 24 hour display. It is estimated between 1,750,000 and 2,500,000 HKD (260,000 and 360,000 Sfr).

The Antiquorum Summer Auction in Hong Kong will also feature very fine and exceptional lady's wristwatches including the Piaget Diamond & Sapphire Rocaille, Ref. 3259, made in the 1960s. This is an extremely fine and elegant 18K yellow gold diamond and sapphire-set lady's wristwatch with a diamond and sapphire-set textured rocaille bracelet, estimated between 60,000 and 87'000 HKD (9,000 and 13'000 CHF). The Vacheron Constantin Platinum, sapphires and diamonds, made in 1923, is another magnificent lady's timepiece offered at auction and is estimated between 55,000 and 85,000 HKD (9,000 and 13'000 CHF).

A further highlight of the auction, are extremely fine and rare pocket watches from the 19th Century: the 18K gold pocket watch the Mirror Image Pair "Farewell to the Beloved", made for the Chinese market circa 1830. This exceptional bears a mirror-image pair painted on enamel and has pearl-set center seconds, musical and quarter-repeating functions, thus playing music on the hour or at will. It is estimated between 900,000 and 1,200,000 HKD (140,000 and 180,000 Sfr); as well as The Swan Pool, pocket watch with five automaton actions, in 18K gold attributed to François Achard, Geneva, made circa 1795, estimated between 270,000 and 330,000 HKD (40,000 - 50,000 Sfr).

Another extraordinary timepiece presented during the auction is the Audemars Piguet Dress Watch with 10 Complications, No. 33980, in 18K yellow gold, made in 1963 and estimated between 400,000 and 530,000 HKD (60,000 and 80,000 Sfr). The main complications include perpetual calendar, split-second chronograph, minute-repeater, leap year indications and moon phases.

     

 

  

Lot 479

Ref. 3974 Black Dial. Patek Philippe, Genève, Ref. 3974. Made in 1990. Sold on October 11th, 1990. Extremely fine and rare, astronomic, minute-repeating, self-winding, 18K yellow gold wristwatch with perpetual calendar, leap year indication and moon phases.

Estimate: 2,000,000 HKD - 2,700,000 HKD
     
 

Lot 360

Ref. 3450, First Series, Red Leap Year Indicator Patek Philippe, Genève, Ref. 3450. Made in 1982, sold on May 13th, 1982. Very fine and very rare, self-winding, 18K yellow gold wristwatch with perpetual calendar, moon phases and red dot for the leap year indication.

Estimate: 1,350,000 HKD - 1,700,000 HKD
     

 

Lot 110

Tourbillon with 7-Day Power-Reserve Maximilian Busser & Friends, "Horological Machine No.1", Ref. 10.TR41. Made in a limited number, circa 2006. Extremely fine and innovative, oversized, self-winding and manual, water-resistant, 18K pink gold wristwatch in the form of an eight, with four mainspring barrels providing 7-day power-reserve and visible one-minute tourbillon regulator.

Estimate: 400,000 HKD - 550,000 HKD
     

 

Lot 272

Caliber 97, Grande et Petite Sonnerie Minute-Repeater, Perpetual Calendar Franck Muller, Geneve, "Grande et Petite Sonnerie, Minute-Repeater - Perpetual Calendar." Made in 1997. Unique, fine and rare, astronomic, grande et petite sonnerie minute-repeating, platinum and diamond-set wristwatch with retrograde perpetual calendar, equation of time, moon phases and 24 hour display.

Estimate: 1,750,000 HKD - 2,500,000 HKD
     

 

Lot 173

Diamond & Sapphire Rocaille Piaget, Ref. 3259. Made in the 1960's. Extremely fine, rare and elegant, 18K yellow gold, diamond and sapphire-set lady's bracelet watch with an integral 18K yellow gold, diamond.

Estimate: 60,000 HKD - 87,000 HKD
 

Lot 290

Platinum, Sapphires and Diamonds Vacheron & Constantin, movement. Made in 1923. Very fine and rare, sapphire and diamond-set platinum lady's wristwatch.

Estimate: 55,000 HKD - 85,000 HKD
 
   
 

Lot 379

Mirror Image Pair - Farewell to the Beloved Swiss, Geneva. Made for the Chinese market circa 1830, and attributed to the Frères Oltramare. Extremely fine and very rare, mirror-image pair of 18K gold and painted on enamel, pearl-set center seconds, musical, quarterrepeating pocket watches playing music on the hour or at will.

Estimate: 900,000 HKD - 1,200,000 HKD
     
 

Lot 340

Watch with 10 Complications Audemars Piguet. Made in 1963. Very elegant, important, and extremely rare, 18K yellow gold, slim, minute-repeating, keyless, astronomic dress watch, with phases and age of the moon, perpetual calendar, split second chronograph and 30-minute progressive register.

Estimate: 400,000 HKD - 530,000 HKD
     


Prior to the auction on June 27, the watches will be shown in the following locations:

TOKYO
Antiquorum Tokyo
Aspa Nihonbashi, 2-1-1 Nihonbashi Hongoku-cho,
Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 103-0021, Japan
Tel.+ 81 3 3516 2357
Wednesday, June 17: 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

BEIJING
XANADU
East 3rd Ring Road, Beijing, China
Tel. + 86 21 6335 1268
Friday June 19 & Saturday June 20:
10:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

SHANGHAI
Antiquorum Shanghai
Room 4106B,
Bund Centre Office Tower,
222 Yan An Road East,
Shanghai 200002, China
Tel.+86 21 6335 1268
Monday, June 22 & Tuesday, June 23:
11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

HONG KONG
Antiquorum Hong Kong
Suite 1405b, 5 Queen's Road Central
Central, Hong Kong
Tel. + 852 2522 4168
Thursday, June 25 & Friday, June 26:
11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

AUCTION
Saturday June 27, 2009
MANDARIN ORIENTAL HONG KONG
2nd Floor, Victoria & Chater Room, 5 Connaught Road,
Central, Hong Kong
Tel. + 852 2522 0111 Fax + 852 2810 6190
Antiquorum Auctioneers (Hong Kong) Ltd.
Suite 1405, 9 Queen's Road, Central, Hong Kong
Tel. + 852 25 22 41 68 Fax. + 852 25 22 41 38

Session 1: lots 1 - 110, at 11 a.m.
Session 2: lots 111 - 479, at 2 p.m.

About Antiquorum

Established in Geneva in 1974, with the addition of its New York affiliate Antiquorum USA in 1994, Antiquorum has carved its own unparalleled niche in the auction world by cultivating a thriving collector's market for timepieces worldwide.

An impressive 49 of the 79 watches sold publicly by major auction houses for over SFr. 1,000,000 were sold by Antiquorum. In 2002, Antiquorum set the all-time world record for a wristwatch at auction, selling a unique 1939 platinum Patek Philippe World Time Ref. 1415 for US$ 4,026,524 (SFr. 6,603,500) - more than double the previous world record. Another record price for a modern watch was achieved in 2004, the unique white gold Calibre 89, also by Patek Philippe, was sold for SFr. 6,603,500 (US$ 5,002,652). Among the world records in 2005, the "Tour de l'Ile", at US$ 1,564,000 (SFr. 1,876,250), set a world record for a contemporary wristwatch and the "King Fouad I", at US$ 2,755,000 (SFr. 3,306,250), achieved the highest price ever paid for a Vacheron Constantin. Another record was achieved in 2009, when Gandhi's pocket watch, sandals, glasses, bowl and thali, sold for an astounding $2,096,000.

Antiquorum holds ten auctions a year, in Geneva, New York, and Hong Kong, with previews held in major cities worldwide. In addition to its auction centers in Geneva, New York, and Hong Kong, Antiquorum maintains offices and agents in Paris, Milan, London, Munich, Shanghai, Tokyo, and Moscow.


Online catalogue - Auction catalogues will be posted online at www.antiquorum.com approximately two weeks prior to the sale. New and returning clients may register for online bidding at that time. After receiving a paddle and a pin number, clients have the option of placing absentee bids directly on the site, or bidding interactively on auction day. For those collectors, who are simply interested in following the auction as it progresses, a live internet broadcast will take place on the same site, for which no registration is required. Sale results for the traditional auction will be posted online after the sale.