You wouldn’t know it from his slightly graying hair on the sides, but Julien Schaerer, main auctioneer at Antiquorum is only 37.
We have known and dealt with Julien since about five years and while we have not always agreed on everything there is something quite likable about him as a person. His career path has been very impressive so far.
First Phillips de Pury then Bonhams, and in 2005 he joined Antiquorum as a watch expert in New York. Within seven years he has risen to become Managing Director and probably the most important watch expert within Antiquorum. Traveling between NY, HK and Geneva, he leads most of the 10 auctions Antiquorum does a year. Antiquorum leads the other auction houses in terms of number of auctions but also in terms of breadth of offering.
This is because Antiquorum does only one thing- specialize in watches.
Christies and Sothebys have many other departments to manage besides watches and we think concentrating only on watches gives Antiquorum a slight edge in terms of their breadth and on offering even novice collectors-some very cool watches.
We sat down with Julien who was passing by Zurich on his way to NY to discuss-what else – watches.
LME: How do you see the market holding up in 2013?
Schaerer: The recent sale of the Paul Newman Daytona, which sold for three times the low estimate, the world record price of the Lange & Söhne ‘Pour Le Merite’ and the 1831 Daydate in Platinum by Rolex all show one thing: Prices for exceptional pieces continue to set new records! The best of the best will continue to do well while the watches below will perform average. This concerns me though because some collectors will be discouraged by this development. If you only have a moderate budget- you will be discouraged on bidding in this environment. There is currently little room for a collector willing to compromise on quality in order to enter the market at a reasonable price.
Will Patek and Rolex continue to lead in terms of collecting desirability?
Schaerer: I see no reason for that to change. Both brands have an exceptional and rich history and this is what counts for collectors. There is nobody who is stronger in vintage watches than Rolex and Patek.
You have been at Antiquorum since 7 years. Since then China has come from nowhere to lead the market higher. Will this continue?
Schaerer: Yes, its crazy, a lot has changed in these seven years. When I started mainland China accounted perhaps for 5% of the sales, today it is 45%! This is perhaps exaggerated because don’t forget the European and the American collector market have declined percentage wise due to the economic problems they are facing. I am confident that the US & European collector market will rebound.
The Italians have been big collectors of Rolex historically. Are they still active?
Schaerer: Yes they are active but not like before. Of course they still present and buy Patek and Rolex but whereas before they also were heavily into Longines and Omega- they have now cut back. The Italian authorities and new regulations have made it difficult for dealers and collectors in Italy to operate like before. So the Italians are less present than before.
Due to the Internet clients are better informed than ever! Are they more demanding to deal with now?
Schaerer: Most clients do their homework and know what they want. As a result they want more pictures and better condition reports (which we are happy to provide). Clients have become more sophisticated and better informed today as a result of the Internet.
Do you find it hard to fine super quality vintage watches today?
Schaerer: Yes of course- its become difficult. Collectors today do not want to part with their watches. Not because they cannot get good prices but because they fear once they sell the watch they will not find an example of the same watch in terms of quality in the future. On the same note the top collectors of the world do not need to sell their watches. Even if they sell part of their collections, the monetary proceeds will not change their living standard. So they keep what they have.
What is your favorite brand?
Schaerer: I like Rolex and started collecting their watches already when I was very young. I also like clocks in general (especially those from Cartier). Clock making is a dying art and I find it indeed very cool to have an 8 day mechanical wound clock on a desk.
I heard you like vintage cars…?
Schaerer: Yes I love vintage cars. I owned a fine 2.4s 911 from the 1970s and regret not having that anymore.
Do you see a connection between vintage cars and watches?
Schaerer: Yes there is a connection but it is not as interlinked as people think. The biggest car collectors in the world mostly do not care about watches – they tend to focus exclusively on their one hobby. The same is true on the opposite end.
Now I ask Julien to chose one or the other or both.
- A vintage Rolex Submariner or Rolex Daytona? I prefer Daytona
- The food in HK or in NY? Definitely NY!
- An Aston DB4 or Ferrari 250 Lusso? A DB4 Zagato!
- A cartier desk clock or Atmos JLC clock? Tough question- both!
- A day with Enzo Ferrari or Juan Manuel Fangio? Fangio-
