We have covered the top Rolex and Patek highlights – two of the undisputed heavyweights in the vintage watch world in the upcoming Phillips watches auction.

However thankfully there are many other superb brands out there with models that have become icons and important pieces in the history of time. With this in mind, I wanted to choose two timepieces that very much reflect my personal taste – are also extremely important watches in their own right – but don’t cost a fortune relatively speaking.

Here are my two choices of the other brands being offered at Phillips.

Lot 98: This watch is one of my all-time favourite watches ever made. It is the legendary and iconic 1959 Le Coultre DSA Deep Sea Alarm E857.

There are few diving watches as charming as the Jaeger Deep Sea.

I wrote about this model many times for my blog already, first in 2013 here, then again here in 2014 and 2015. I advise collectors to pay attention to one whenever they appear on the market. This is a rare watch, less than 1000 were made and few survive in acceptable condition (this is a diving watch after all). This particular example was made for the American market with the typical playful script of Deep Sea Alarm Automatic on the watch.

From what I can tell (and I am by no means an expert on the Le Coultre Deepsea) the hands, dial and bezel seem correct. I cannot judge the crowns from this angle.

What is pleasing with this example is that the dial has turned to a warm coffee brown, and the lume and the bezel match in color. I would advise any serious collector to do their homework on this watch (e.g. test for possible radium, see if crowns are correct and dial and outer dial all correct etc) when looking at this watch more closely.

But at first glance it looks very promising. In my view one of the all-time great diving watches out there.

Estimate for this watch is CHF 20’000 – 30’000.

The engraving on the back appears correct and is in good condition.

Lot 137: To celebrate the 100 years of the tank (stay tuned for our post on the Cartier tank), which Cartier introduced in 1917, Phillips is offering some superb Cartier tanks. 

One of which is this wonderful early Cartier Cintrée watch from 1929.

Cartier made some of the most beautiful and stylish watches in the 1920s (for more on the beauty of Cartier- see our post not the Cartier winding crowns here), and this curved tank belongs to the golden era of Cartier. Housed in the noblest of materials, Platinum, this watch was made by Cartier Paris and thus carries the European watch and clock company movement inside.

The dial seems is superb condition with original Breguet hands (according to Phillips). What is furthermore interesting to note on the dial is that it has a grainée texture to – much like the 6062 Rolex watches have – see second picture below.

The case of the watch is strong – not only are the numbers legible on the case back, the side of the watch also has the correct platinum stamp hallmarks. The only inconsistency we noticed with this watch is that the deployment folding clasp is listed in white gold – ideally it should be in the same material as the case of the watch (although possible that the clasps were made in white gold to start with).

Else a superb a very rare timepiece that in my view deserves close attention. According to Aurel Bacs this watch comes from a top 5 Cartier collector in the world and is in honest original condition.

Estimate of this watch is CHF 20’000 – 30’000.

Another close up of the dial which is grainée in nature like the Ref 6062 Rolex.

by Edmond Saran