I don’t like getting up at 5am in the morning. I try and avoid that if possible. I also don’t appreciate flying.

But when Phillips offered me the opportunity (on my insistence I should add) to see the watches being auctioned in May before they leave to HK on global tour, I didn’t think twice about booking a 7am flight.

What you are about to see is special in a few ways.

---

First the watches are indeed incredible.

But what makes this report especially cool is that I was able to take many pictures right next to a window with the sun peeking right through. Why is that absolutely awesome and rare? Because usually auction houses have previews in rooms with no sunlight what so ever. All the light is artificial.

In this report the light is natural shining right through the window (luckily it was partially sunny). And trust me it makes a big difference when viewing watches. It also makes a big difference taking pictures. The watches you are going to see are exactly how they look. No filter. No photoshop. But just plain perfect natural sunlight. I don’t think this has ever been done before. And the lighting was just perfect. I think the weather gods like watches because the lighting was just exceptional!

One more thing: I am not showing many watches that are great and included in the sale. I am only showing watches that I like and that I would buy for myself. So rather than this being about all the important watches at Phillips coming up – it is more about watches that I found beautiful. 

I first present my top picks and then show you some other incredible nice watches included in the sale starting with the chronograph steel only sale. The top picks are based on my taste solely and not on importance or rarity. My top picks are in no particular order. This is part I.

In part 2 I am going to show you the Phillips Auction 3 sale  – so the general sale highlights. 

(Before we start another housekeeping point: Considering the catalogue was in print at the time of my auction visit – I had to take some educated guesses on a few models and cannot provide as much information as I would like to. Please keep this in mind. Also I did not come armed with UV light or radium detector etc. so my opinions on the watches are done purely on an aesthetic basis. Please look at the watches carefully and make your own judgements).

---

Top pick Nr 1: We start off with beautiful Movado. I don’t know much about early Movado’s except that Movado for me was more known for Alarm and desk clocks (of which I have a few at home from the 1960s and 70s). But Movado also made some killer chronographs in the 1950s and 1960s with their own in-house movement (long before Rolex or Patek would do so).

This watch is a M90 with an own in-house caliber. Notice the beautiful full glossy dial with gilt printing and unusual hands. Doing some research I found out that the unusual hands on the right sub dial is quite typical of Movado chronographs from the 1950s and 1960s.

How does it look on the wrist? Not bad. Matches my glossy and shiny JM Weston shoes at least. I really like this watch even though am not that familiar with Movado as I should be.

Top pick Nr 2: We move on to another dream chronograph.

This 6234 pre-daytona captured my heart. The dial was just perfect. Every single lume dot was in place. The dial perfect glossy and beautiful gilt writing with tachymeter and telemeter scale on the dial. 

Just one comment on the hands on the sub dial. The hands are darker than on other 6234 watches I have seen (for example on a collectors watch and in the Goldberger book page 126). Other than that – this watch is superb and I would go so far as to say that the dial is absolutely flawless. 

Lets see how it looks on the wrist? Stunning. Again matching my JM Weston shiny shoes. I would buy this in a heartbeat. Estimate is from my memory  CHF 120-220K.

Lets look at this dream chronograph one more time up close. Notice how the luminous has turned to a warm light brown tone- contrasting with the black dial perfectly.

Do you guys finally understand why I prefer pre-daytona over any Daytona – Paul Newman included? A similar model can be found in Goldbergers book 100 Superlative Rolex watches page 126.

Top pick Nr 3: Talking about Paul Newman I would make an exception for owning this one. Look at this Panda with dark brown outer minute track. This watch is sensational.

I inspected this dial up close and the white dial is pristine. Flawless. Many collectors say the Panda 6263 is the ultimate grail PN Daytona. Masculine, powerful and extremely attractive and simple. I tend to agree. This watch is so timeless and will look awesome 50 years time.

I repeat the dial is flawless. The bezel insert is in perfect condition.

The lume plots all in-tact. This watch is very handsome. I think the estimate is $3-600K. It is a lot and would set a new world record for a Panda if it fell even in the mid-way of this estimate.

It might achieve it though.

Top pick Nr 4: We move on to another superb chronograph. I have to admit I fell absolutely in love with this watch too. A rare Ulysse Nardin – I assume its from the 1940s. Lets wait for more info from Phillips.

Few collectors know (l admit I didn’t either) but Ulysse Nardin was one of the first companies to introduce a split seconds chronograph in a watch already in the 1930s (according to their website). So the company has a long track in regards to chronographs. The watch below with its superb black glossy dial is just mind-blowing. Look how clean and black this dial is.

Notice the unusual hour hand, often found also in military pocket watches, Jaeger watches and Jaeger car watches of the 1940s, 1950s,  (like on this rare 1950s Ferrari).

And the glossy black dial combined with the gilt writing is to die for. I was strongly attracted to the large numbers and evenly coloured lume on them. This watch is 100% my taste. Exceptional steel chronograph.

Top pick Nr 5: We move on to another beautiful chronograph. I also fell in love with this watch. A split seconds Grana. From my understanding Grana was also a supplier of military watches to the British army and RAF (Royal Air Force) during the Second World War. This watch is from 1938.

This watch is beautiful also for its mirror glossy dial with black and gilt writing.

It is so strikingly beautiful. How does it look on the wrist? Yes please. Split seconds is a rare complication and combined with this superb large black dial and gilt writing is a no brainer. Estimate from my memory is 20-40’ooo CHF.

Top pick Nr 6: I find this Longines extremely elegant. As you all know Longines made some of the worlds best chronographs in the 1940s and 1950s.

This is a Longines 5009 from 1942 originally delivered to Italy. The square pushers make this watch very masculine. Also look at the two tone dial with black hands. A superb chronograph from Longines that is timeless in my view.

Here are some of the other chronographs that are literally to die for. They range a stunning bi color Omega – to a dream split seconds Rolex to a unusual Zenith to the ultimate rare Daytona – the ‘Sotto’ with brown dial. Ready for some hard core chronographs? 

First up a Ref 4113 a well known and only split seconds model from Rolex. Only twelve were made. It is extremely large (a whopping 45 mm). It is not the most beautiful watch but of course it is extremely important.

Lets look at this watch from another angle. The dial as you can see is not perfect but its rarity, complication and oversize case will compensate.

Already back in 2011 a similar or this watch sold for over CHF 1m. Unless there is a major issue unknown with this watch – it should fetch well in excess of that amount today.

Staying with Rolex we have king of all Daytona. The elusive Oyster Sotto.

Italians have nicknamed this watch so due to the Oyster designation being below the Cosmograph writing (Sotto meaning below in Italian). Notice the dial color in this picture. Black right? Well not quite.

This is beauty of Rolex, better said vintage Rolex.

Depending on the light – the color changes completely. Have a look again at the same watch. Different light. Yes – the dial is brown. As far as I know – the only brown oyster Sotto in the world. I think we are looking at another $1m plus for a Rolex.

The watch is superb – the only comment / issue I have is that the bezel insert is perhaps not as good as the dial. Look at the ‘Units per hour’ part of the bezel. But for this watch the value is 99% in the dial anyway. And no arguing – this dial is superb!

Lets move on to another superb Rolex chronograph – look at this dial.

The gilt writing is incredible. This is a 2508 probably made in the late 1930s early 1940s. What a sensational dial. Also notice the odd looking pushers that is absolutely correct for a 2508. Look at the strong case of this watch.

This watch has clearly never seen much polishing. The model number as well as the case number are still very visible on the back.

A similar model is in Goldberger’s book 100 Superlative Rolex watches page 64.

We move on to Omega that used to build their own in-house movement from my understanding.

The dial of this Omega is just mind blowing (it seems that there is a large circular piece of luminous going around the dial). When I think of a vintage chronograph with patina – this is what would come up in my image bank. Lets wait for Phillips to provide more information on this model.

My experience and instinct tells me that there will be many collectors drawn to this watch and bidding will be intense just judging from the aesthetics of this piece.

I know Zenith built some awesome watches a while ago (and now they are on the right track again). Look at this unusual Chronograph. Notice also the two crowns. Presumably this is a chronograph with not only minute and hour function but also for more than 24hrs timing (that is presumably the two crown function).

That is my guess – let us wait for the explanation from Phillips. A beautiful watch with the black glossy dial.

Lets go back to Rolex. Another Paul Newman model I do like (besides the Panda) is the ‘tre colori’ or three color 6264.

It is beautiful with the red minute outer track. This example is a fine one. The bezel insert might have taken a small dent at 11/12 mark but other than that the watch is superb! Multo bello. Sehr schön!

The next Rolex is perhaps not aesthetically the most beautiful but it is without a doubt one of the most important. The zerograph from Rolex. 

A similar watch sold at Christies in 2013 for almost CHF 390’000! According to Christies only four are known to exist in the world. I do like the California type dial (also found on early Panerai/ Rolex models).

We finish with Patek. A highly attractive 130 sector dial.

Many collectors are drawn to sector dials (I am not yet one of them) and some new manufactures (like Laurent Ferrier) are supplying their watches with these dials. Notice here the two-tone dial and attractive patina. I assume because of the long signature that this watch is also from the 1940s and not later. Lets wait for more info from Phillips.

Please see part II of the Phillips Auction 3 personal highlights here.