One Million Dollars(plus a lil bit more) For A Steel Chronograph Sports Watch... Rolex Daytona Paul Newman Sets a New Record at Christies 11 Nov 2013
No prizes for guessing what was on my wrist today(wristshot below :) but I had to use 2 hands to lift my jaw off the ground when I heard about the hammer for Lot 23 at the Christie's auction I posted about yesterday... 1million dollars(in my best Dr Evil impersonation) for a steel chronograph watch leaves me dumbfounded. so the terms tossed around a bit are 'irrational' 'over exuberance' 'crazy' and rightly so because a million for 1 steel chrono watch is simply amazing...
From Christie's: Surpassing all expectations, ROLEX DAYTONA "LESSON ONE" –a prestigious single-themed evening auction featuring 50 exceptional examples of the world's most celebrated chronograph wristwatch, totalled SFr.12,032,850 /$13,248,167, selling 100% by lot and by value, at Christie's Geneva.
Created by Aurel Bacs to mark the 50thanniversary of Rolex most iconic model, this unique sale presented only the best and most mythical Daytona wristwatches ever produced.
The top lot of the evening was an extremely important stainless steel chronograph wristwatch, ref. 6263/6239, Paul Newman model, manufactured in 1969, which sold for $1,088,889
Aurel Bacs, International Head of Christie's Watch Department, commented: “Christie's first ever evening auction dedicated to wristwatches proved an unprecedented success. With four hundred people in the saleroom and plenty more queuing outside, I rarely experienced a similar rock concert atmosphere from the rostrum. Possibly the most rigorously curated watch auction ever staged, each lot was selected by Christie's watch department in partnership with Mr. Pucci Papaleo according to a disciplined approach to originality, condition and provenance. Setting 50 world records for 50 watches as well as achieving an absolute record price for any Rolex Daytona ever sold at auction, Rolex Daytona "Lesson One" will be remembered as an historical event”.
Lot 23: 6263/6239 Steel (Estimate: CHF200-400) Realised CHF989K model. The dial reads "Rolex Cosmograph Oyster" instead of the normal "Rolex Oyster Cosmograph"
Another noteworthy feature is the different font used for the Rolex designation on this dial. Compared to all other Paul Newman dials, except for a few rare dials made for ref. 6262 and 6264, the R is bigger and the serifs more accentuated. Beyond its graphical appeal, this feature enhances the value and desirability of this timepiece
Lot 8: 6239 18K YG (Estimate: CHF80-160) Realised CHF497K
Lot 14: 6262 Steel (Estimate: CHF60-120) Realised CHF395K
Lot 36: 16520 (Estimate: CHF10-20) Realised CHF56,250 - the piece that looks the most like what I have... pretty strong realised price but nowhere close to the self winding Daytonas... but may be in time... we'll see :)
Check out the rest of the auction results here... LINK
and my wristshot for today :)
From Christie's: Surpassing all expectations, ROLEX DAYTONA "LESSON ONE" –a prestigious single-themed evening auction featuring 50 exceptional examples of the world's most celebrated chronograph wristwatch, totalled SFr.12,032,850 /$13,248,167, selling 100% by lot and by value, at Christie's Geneva.
Created by Aurel Bacs to mark the 50thanniversary of Rolex most iconic model, this unique sale presented only the best and most mythical Daytona wristwatches ever produced.
The top lot of the evening was an extremely important stainless steel chronograph wristwatch, ref. 6263/6239, Paul Newman model, manufactured in 1969, which sold for $1,088,889
Aurel Bacs, International Head of Christie's Watch Department, commented: “Christie's first ever evening auction dedicated to wristwatches proved an unprecedented success. With four hundred people in the saleroom and plenty more queuing outside, I rarely experienced a similar rock concert atmosphere from the rostrum. Possibly the most rigorously curated watch auction ever staged, each lot was selected by Christie's watch department in partnership with Mr. Pucci Papaleo according to a disciplined approach to originality, condition and provenance. Setting 50 world records for 50 watches as well as achieving an absolute record price for any Rolex Daytona ever sold at auction, Rolex Daytona "Lesson One" will be remembered as an historical event”.
1 comment:
Great watches, but I think things have gone a bit crazy. Dunno what kind of koolaid they're serving at these auctions, but some people are getting way too excited bidding for these watches.
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