Press Release London

For Immediate Release

London | +44 (0)20 7293 6000 | Matthew Weigman | Matthew.Weigman@sothebys.com

Mitzi Mina| mitzi.mina@sothebys.com

HistoricalTimepiecesTakeCentreStageinSothebys
SaleofImportantWatchesinGenevathisMay

THEKINGFAROUKSHEPERDESS

AnexceptionalThreeColourGold,EnamelandSplitPearlShieldFormAutomaton,
madefortheChineseMarket,c.180510,Est.CHF400,000500,000*

SOTHEBYSforthcomingsaleofImportantWatches,totakeplaceattheHotelBeauRivageinGeneva
onSunday,May9,2010,willbringtogetherawiderangeoftimepieceseverythingfromhistorical
piecestomodernexamples,frompocketwatchestodeskclocksthattogethercharttheevolutionof
thisfascinatingfieldfromthe1650stothepresentday.

GeoffroyAder,EuropeanHeadofWatchesatSothebys,summarizestheforthcomingsale:Thissale
issettocatchtheimaginationandinterestofcollectorsacrosstheglobe.Thereissomethinghereforeverytaste
andforeverytypeofcollector,butmostofall,therearepieceswhoseprovenanceandhistorycombinedwith
theirinnatequalitymakethemveryspecialindeed.Inrecentyearswehaveseenparticipationinoursalesfrom

an everincreasing number of new collectors, many of them from Asia (where a penchant for modern
wristwatchesandenamelwatchesiscurrentlyverypronounced).Ilookforwardtowelcomingthesecollectors,
togetherwithmanymorenottomentionouroldfriendsbackintoourroomsonMay9th.

HistoricalTimepieces

An exceptional Three Colour Gold, Enamel and Split Pearl Shield Form Automaton, made for the Chinese
Market,c.180510(illustratedonpreviouspage).

Highlighting the exceptional group of historical pieces is a small, shieldshaped pocket watch that
ranks among the most impressive pieces ever made by the legendary watchmakers Isaac Daniel
Piguet and Henri Capt. Made some time between 1805 and 1810, this beautifully crafted watch
features an automata of astonishing complexity, showing a shepherdess tending two sheep near a
waterfall. The extraordinary craftsmanship behind this piece is matched by its exceptional
provenance: it once belonged to the notoriously extravagant King Farouk last King of Egypt.
Farouks collection was legendary, spanning everything from silver to stamps and coins, from
watchesandautomatatoobjectsofvirtue.Hisforcedabdicationin1952wasswiftlyfollowedbythe
sale at Sothebys in 1954 of his vast and dazzling collection. Now, over half a century after its
appearance in that landmark sale, the Shepherdess watch returns to auction with an estimate of
CHF400,000500,000.

AnhistoricalsilvergiltdiamonddesktimepiecepresentedtoGeneraldeGaulleatthelaunchofthetransatlantic
linerFranceonMay11,1960.
Enjoying a similarly illustrious provenance is lot 156 a silver gilt
diamond desk clock (est: CHF30,00050,000, illustrated left), made by
Boucheron and presented to the French President Charles de Gaulle to
celebrate the launch, some fifty years ago, of the great transatlantic liner
France then the largest liner in the world. The launch of the France,
whichtookplaceon11thMay1960,wasaneventofnationalsignificance
theentireFrenchshipbuildingindustryhadbeeninvolvedinthebuilding
of this extraordinary liner lavishly decorated, it also represented the
heightofinnovationandtechnicalprogress.

Arareandhistorical18Kyellowgoldanddiamondsetautomaticwristwatchwithdateandblackdial,circa
1950,ref6305,Oysterperpetual.

Among the other historical pieces in the sale is watch of extraordinary

rarity.FittedwithoneoftherarestdialsRolexhaseverproduced,lot155,
ayellowgoldanddiamondsetautomaticwristwatch,formerlybelonged
tohisHighnessMohammedLamineBey,lastBeyofTunisaportraitof
whom adorns the stunning lacquered and gilt dial, which is also and
highlyunusuallysetwithsixdiamonds(mostRolexmodelsofthistype
are set with five diamonds). Recently exhibited at the Patek Philippe
Museum,thisextremelyrarewatchcomestoauctionwithanestimateof
CHF50,00060,000(illustratedright).

Pocketwatches

Pocket watches the subject of increasingly fierce competition in recent

Sothebys sales feature strongly in Mays auction. Among them is a rare
pair cased gilt brass and enamel watch, bearing the arms and miniature
portrait of Joahann Willem II, Elector of the Palatinate (16581716). Made
circa 1700 by Simon Mayr, watchmaker to the Royal court, this beautifully
craftedwatch(lot68,illustratedleft)isestimatedatCHF35,00045,000.

Followingtheenormoussuccess,inSothebysNovember2009sale,ofagroupofpocketwatchesfrom
aprivateEuropeanestate(thatgroupmadeCHF630,500againstanestimateofCHF248,000342,000),
Mays sale brings to the market 20 further watches from the same source/estate (lots 6989). With
estimates ranging from CHF2,000 to CHF12,000, the group to be offered consists predominately of
pieces from the late 18th century, many of them beautifully enamelled. Among them is a fine three
colourgoldandenamelhalfhuntingcasedvergewatchmadeinSwitzerlandfortheTurkishmarket
(lot89),estimatedatCHF8,00012,000.

TechnicalWatches

Among a number of important technical watches in the sale is an

important and rare yellow gold openfaced keyless tourbillion
watch with Guillaume balance, made by Vacheron Constantin in
1932 (MVT 416563, Case 258498). Estimated at CHF60,00080,000,
this recently rediscovered watch is one of the most important
manufactured by the celebrated Genevabased watchmaker. Not
onlydidthiswatch(lot186,illustratedleft)winthehighlycoveted
firstprizeintheprestigiouschronometercompetitionattheGenevaObservatoryin1931,itisalso
very unusually housed in its original period case. (Of the small number of tourbillons made by
Vacheron, very few appear to have been cased and completed during the period in which the
movementsweremade.)
Enjoying the kind of provenance that is soughtafter in todays market, a
yellowgoldhuntingcasedquarterrepeatingkeylessleverwatch(190921,
MTV 156698, case 281669) comes to sale direct from the descendents of
AdrianPhilippe,oneofthefoundingfathersofoneofthemostcelebrated
watchmakersintheindustryPatekPhilippe.Lot194inthesale,thisfine
exampleofPatekPhilippecraftsmanshipisestimatedatCHF18,00025,000
(illustratedright).

Patek Philippes legendary craftsmanship is represented elsewhere

inthesale:inlot207,arareandlarge18Kyellowgoldchronograph
wristwatchwithregisterandtachometer,retailedbyGbelin(1953,
Ref 1579, MVT 868528, Case 679665) and estimated at CHF60,000
80,000;inlot210,arare1942stainlesssteelchronographwristwatch
withregister,mostprobablyorderedasaleavinggiftforadirectorat
Caran dAche pencils of Switzerland (with the coveted 1463A
reference,MTV863089,case625767)andestimatedatCHF200,000220,000(illustratedleft);andinlot
222,afineandrare198218Kyellowgoldperpetualcalendarwristwatchwithmoonphasesandred

dot Arabic leap year indication (ref 3450J, MVT 1119616, case 2788640), estimated at CHF200,000
250,000.

The sale also includes a group of some 46 modern complicated wrist watches by Patek Philippe
variously comprising perpetual calendars, moonphases, automatic world time, and many other
features.EstimatesrangefromCHF6,00085,000.

Withthesameillustriousprovenancethatcharacterisessomanywatchesby
the legendary watchmaker Breguet, a yellow gold quarter repeating open
facedwatch,circa1800,oncebelongedtothe4thDukeofNewcastle,towhom
it was sold on March 20th 1806 for the then princely sum of 1,440FR. The
same watch (lot 180, illustrated left) now carries an estimate of CHF15,000
20,000.

Twoenchantingminiaturewatchesmakeforaninterestingadditiontothesale.
Thefirstofthese(lot166,illustratedright)isanextremelyraregoldandenamel
prehair spring verge watch, made in around 1650 by Pascal Hubert (est:
CHF30,00050,000). The second (lot 176) ranks among the smallest calibre
minuterepeatingpocketwatcheseverproducedbyAudemarsPiguet.Theuse
ofplatinuminthis1914example(ref14937,est:CHF30,00050,000),rendersthe
pieceevenrarer:smallminuterepeatingpocketwatchesarealmostexclusively
producedingold,platinumbeingmorecostlyanddifficulttowork.

Among the modern limited edition timepieces in the sale is an

oversizedPilotEditionAntoinedeSaintExuprywatchbyIWC(lot
45, illustrated left). The entire proceeds from the sale of this piece
(which is estimated at CHF50,00070,000) will be donated to charity
byIWCSchaffhausen.Othermodernlimitededitionwatchesinclude
an oversized alacrite and titanium tourbillon wristwatch by
AudemarsPiguet(lot58)estimatedatCHF80,000120,000.

Aside from the France mentioned earlier, Mays sale will also include
anotherimportantdeskclockaCartierYellowGold,Platinum,RockCrystal,
Onyx, Mother of Peal and Diamond Mystery Clock, from 1928 (lot 162,
illustrated left). Estimated at CHF280,000350,000 this example of the
legendary mystery clock design (thus named because of the inquisitive
mindsetneededtodecodeitscomplexity)featuresrotatingrockcrystaldiscs
to indicate the hours and minutes. This mechanism is invisibly powered by
gearshiddenintheframe,whiletheonyxbasecontainstheclocksmovement.

Finally, the sale includes a watch that epitomizes the longestablished and
glamorousconnectionsbetweenwatchesandfastcars.EstimatedatCHF6,000
8,000,aMonacomodelHeuerautomaticchronographwristwatch,withfull
racing credentials, is set to generate much excitement (lot 100, illustrated
right).ThisisthemodelthatwaswornbySteveMcQueeninthe1971racing
film Le Mans. Fittingly, this particular example was given to the current
consignor by none other than the Swiss racing legend Gianclaudio Clay
Regazzoni,whowonfiveGrandsPrixbetween1970and1980.

*Estimatesdonotincludebuyerspremium