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Made in 1952 and sold four years later, the
Swiss luxury wristwatch is the star lot among 250 watches and
pocket watches on offer at Tuesday evening's sale.
"The watch is a perpetual calendar chronograph and is unique in
that it was retailed by the famous London retailer Asprey's,"
Sam Hines, global head of Sotheby's watch division, told
Reuters. "The watch is in pristine condition, it has never been
polished and it is the greatest quality you can find."
The original owner, whose initials, R.C., are engraved on the
back of the watch's yellow gold case, probably received it for
his 21st birthday, but has not been identified, the auction
house said.
"It is a reference 2499, which is the hottest and most
collectable reference of Patek Philippe," Hines said. "We have
been marketing at exhibitions in Asia and Dubai. I think it will
have a lot of Asian interest because most of our strongest
buyers today come from Asia."
The current owner bought it at auction in 2006 for 2.2 million
Swiss francs (now $2.21 million), a record for the reference at
the time, Sotheby's said. Worn on a brown leather strap, it
offers the day and date, a stop watch and phases of the moon.
Hines, asked about the Chinese luxury market cooling in an era
of less ostentation under a government anti-corruption drive,
said: "We do have clients in China. It is true with the sort of
need to be less ostentatious, tastes have become more
conservative. So vintage watches really do fit the new taste."
(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay, editing by Larry King)
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