When speaking of the highlights of this superb sale it is difficult to know where to begin especially as the pocket watches and the new pieces made such an impact.

Among the pocket watches, the most noteworthy has to be - the star of the sale Lot 182 - 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 Vacheron Constantin pocket watch and the 5 th most sought-after pocket watch in the world.

This superb piece was given, in July 1929, by the colony of Swiss people living in Egypt, to King Fouad I of Egypt, to mark the occasion of his visit to Switzerland. A remarkable 18K gold timepiece with silver dial, it boasts a comprehensive array of 12 complications. A split-second chronograph with 30-minute register it has a perpetual calendar, displays the date, day, month and year with full leap year cycle, moon phases, minute repeater that strikes on demand on three-gongs, grande sonnerie that strikes the hours and quarters on three-gongs and petite sonnerie which strikes the quarter hours on three-gongs.

The elaborate striking mechanism even possesses its own winding train distinct from that of the impressive 46-jewel movement. The case back displays the Egyptian royal family's coat of arms in traditional Geneva enamel, and the inside case back is inscribed, marking the homage of the Swiss colony in Egypt. Not surprisingly the watch took three-and-a-half years to make and, even in 1929, it cost a small fortune.

Lot 132 - "A la Breguet" sold for SFr 132,250 which was five times the original estimate. Representative of the early pieces in the sale, this elegant and rare 18K gold jump hour watch with date, was produced in 1827. With an "Empire" case and silver dial with delicate guillochis, it has an eccentric minute chapter with concentric seconds chapter, date ring at 6 and a jump hour aperture at the top and cuvette signed.  

Lot 94 - a rare 1817 multicolored 18K gold pocket watch profusely decorated with applied yellow, green and rose gold floral and foliate motifs and set with garnets made an exceptional SFr 32,200, more than five times its original estimate.

Lot 69 - A rare and extremely large "Imperator" pocket watch, made in 1912, achieved an impressive SFr 69,000.

Of the wristwatches in the sale:

Lot 129 - The Hermes, a superb, unique Vacheron Constantin 18K white gold, rectangular, astronomical, triple-calendar, moon-face, gentleman's wristwatch retailed and signed by Hermès, produced in 1930, achieved SFr 446,249.

Lot 141 - a beautiful and rare, "Multi-scale Medical Chronograph" achieved SFr 121,900. This 18K pink gold gentleman's wristwatch with square button chronograph, register, tachometer, pulsometer and asthmometer was made in 1943.

Lot 169 - "The Griffon" - a world record

A rare square 18K gold, ramolayé and black champlevé enamel , keyless dress-watch achieved SFr 102,350 - making it a world record Vacheron Constantin enameled timepiece.

Lot 33 - "Cupid at the Altar of Love"

A unique early platinum and diamond lady's rectangular wristwatch with canted corners, cameo concealing the dial and matching platinum and diamond expandable bracelet achieved an exceptional SFr 92,000.

Of the new pieces in the sale especially made by Vacheron Constantin to mark this 250 th anniversary two made world records:

Lot 249 - The Tour de l'Ile - a world record for a modern wristwatch

A unique, black dial, large (47mm diameter), double-faced, astronomic wristwatch with visible tourbillon, made SFr 1,876,250 - a world record for modern wristwatches - making it currently the most sought-after modern wristwatch in the world.

The Tour de l'Ile is an astronomic, minute-repeating tourbillon wristwatch and the most complicated short-series wristwatch in the world. Double faced, it has been made in a limited edition of 7 examples (of which this unique piece with its black dial is No 1), in 18K pink gold, all individually numbered and each with its own characteristic guilloché dial decoration. The complete movement contains 834 pieces and took more than 10,000 hours to develop.

In 18K pink gold, one side bears, apart from the hours, minutes and seconds: a second time zone indicator, double minute repeater,   58-hour power reserve, phases and ages of the moon, visible tourbillon, and repeat activated by a revolving bezel.   The other side bears: annual bissextiles, equation of time, sunrise/sunset indication,   position of the stars with the zodiac constellations and an annual calendar indicator. The manually winding movement of 38 jewels has the Geneva Quality Hallmark, and an escapement with 18,000 vibrations per hour.

Lot 250 - Cabinotier 250- a world record for a Vacheron Constantin clock

This Masterpiece clock was created in the form of a sphere, and opens like a lotus flower to reveal the multi complicated timekeeper with its myriad symbolic representations in the form of the Circle, the Sphere, Gold, Secrets, the Lotus flower, the figure Eight and Crystal, which like time itself harks back to mythology and forward to eternity.     

The base: is octagonal and made from onyx, lapis lazuli and gold. It is engraved with the names of the planets in 18K pink gold and supported on four 18K pink gold balls. The mechanism that operates the sphere is hidden inside the base of this incredible timekeeper.

The Sphere: Entirely handmade in 18K pink gold, the sphere is hand engraved with the constellations and their representations. The sphere divides and opens into 8 lotus flower petals revealing the superb timekeeper inside.

The Timekeeper: With a crystal case, which allows one to clearly see the movement, the timekeeper's dial is made in 18K pink gold with guillochis of '250 th' . Enameled around the outer edge of the dial are the 12 signs of the zodiac in 18K pink gold. The hours, minutes and seconds hands are also in 18K pink gold.