The Christie's champion watches with their eyes
On 14 November at Christie `s auction the watch company Patek Philippe has once again been recognized as the creator of one of the most expensive auction models. For example, last year the total receipts of all Christie `s watch auctions were 91 million dollars. And in the ten most expensive watches, providing this amount includes only masterpieces by Patek Philippe. But it is difficult to judge about the auction and the proceeds from the vector images, and not a real photo of sold watches. But the real auction watches often bear the imprints of time in the form of scratches on the case, or spots on the dial.
At the last Christie `s auction 409 lots in the amount of $ 29 million were sold. Nine of the ten most expensive watches belong to Patek Philippe and one to well-known company Rolex.
The most expensive model turned out the watch Patek Philippe ref. 3448 with scratches mottled pink-gold case. It was sold for $ 2 million. The model is a two-button watch with dual-aperture day and month at the "12 o'clock" position and the hand pointer of the lunar indicator inside the small dial at the «6 o'clock". The dial is white. The watch ref. 3448 was released in a limited edition of 585 instances in 1962. It has a vintage brown leather strap.
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The other most expensive watch of auction was Patek Philippe ref. 1579, sold just a couple of million dollars. Its case is made of platinum. At the periphery of the dial is located a tachometer scale, two counters are located at the chronological markers 3 and 9 o'clock. The control chronograph buttons are integrated into the case in the direction of "2 and 4 o’clock." Hands and hour markers 6 and 12 are made of gold. Patek Philippe ref. 1579 was established in 1946 in the amount of only three items. To tell the truth, ref. 1579 is a unique model in the constellation of chronographs by Patek Philippe.
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The most expensive watch of the auction not belonging to the brand Patek Philippe became issued in 1949 by the legendary Rolex ref. 8382. Despite its age, this watch is simply preserved in pristine condition. Rolex ref. 8382 has the gold case and dial in the center of which is an enamel image of the sea god Neptune, who is rushing through the waves in a chariot drawn by two horses. Otherwise, watch ref. 8382 is a "usual" three-hand chronograph on a brown alligator strap.
Rolex ref. 8382 by the way did not take the last, but the7th place in the list of the most expensive models, sold at auction Christie `s. Its price was $671,742.
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