7 Timepieces to Follow in Christie’s Important Watches Sale in Hong Kong

Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon Ref. 5002P-001 

Lot 2424 | Estimate: HK$10,000,000-20,000,000

The clear leader of the sale is the Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon Ref. 5002P-001, offered as part of the Kronos collection. The model will be familiar to readers who followed Observer’s coverage of Phillips’ Geneva Watch Auction: XXIII, in which a later Sky Moon Tourbillon Ref. 6002G-010 was one of the top lots. In the Important Watches sale, Christie’s brings the focus to the earlier Ref. 5002P-001, a platinum double-dial grand complication that sits among the most ambitious modern wristwatches made by the brand.

The watch brings together 12 complications, including a cathedral minute repeater, tourbillon, perpetual calendar, retrograde date, moon age and angular motion, sidereal time and sky chart. The front dial displays mean solar time alongside the perpetual calendar and retrograde date, while the reverse turns the watch into something closer to a miniature observatory, with a celestial chart of the northern hemisphere and sidereal time.

According to Christie’s, only around 40 examples of the Ref. 5002 are believed to have been made in platinum. With an estimate of HK$10,000,000-20,000,000, the Sky Moon Tourbillon is the natural focal point of the first Kronos offering and one of the clearest measures of top-level appetite for modern Patek Philippe grand complications.

F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance RT “Black Label Parking Meter” 

Lot 2354 | Estimate: HK$6,000,000-12,000,000

For plenty of independent-watch collectors, the most interesting lot may be the F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance RT “Black Label Parking Meter.” The Chronomètre à Résonance is among Journe’s signature creations, built around two independent gear trains designed to work in resonance with one another. The idea is that each oscillator helps stabilize the rate of the other (in literal resonance), theoretically improving overall timekeeping precision.
This watch is especially notable as a platinum Black Label model, a series available only to existing F.P. Journe clients. Christie’s describes this example, case no. 020-RT, as the earliest known RT Black Label “Parking Meter” to reach the market, with around 18 examples of this version believed to have been made and only four publicly known to date.
The estimate is HK$6,000,000-12,000,000, so the watch is hardly hiding in the catalogue. But important Journe pieces can often become bigger stories than expected once bidding starts. And for this model—with resonance, Black Label status and an early-known configuration all working in its favor—it’s one to watch closely.

Greubel Forsey, Philippe Dufour and Michel Boulanger Le Garde Temps—Naissance d’une Montre

Lot 2343 | Estimate: HK$5,000,000-10,000,000

Another major independent-watchmaking lot is Le Garde Temps—Naissance d’une Montre, the project developed by Greubel Forsey, Philippe Dufour and Michel Boulanger through the Time Æon Foundation. While Greubel Forsey is best known for highly technical modern watchmaking, this project had a more specific purpose: to demonstrate that a watch could still be made by hand using traditional techniques and crafts.
The project was conceived as an effort to transmit classical watchmaking skills that were at risk of disappearing in an increasingly industrialized field. Boulanger, a watchmaking teacher, worked under the guidance of industry legends Robert Greubel, Stephen Forsey and Philippe Dufour to create a handmade tourbillon wristwatch using traditional methods. The resulting series is extremely small, with this example listed as case no. 2 of 11.

Estimated at HK$5,000,000-10,000,000, the watch sits near the top of the sale. But its appeal differs from that of many of the other major lots presented. Rather than a modern grand complication built around a long list of functions, the Naissance d’une Montre is about how the watch was made and, even more importantly, about who was involved in making it.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Ref. 26334OR, made for Dobner

Lot 2420 | Estimate: HK$1,200,000-2,400,000

Another highlight from the Kronos collection is a Royal Oak Ref. 26334OR, made for the Italian retailer Dobner. Housed in solid 18k pink gold, the watch is set with 1,196 diamonds totaling approximately 8.05 carats and 55 baguette-cut rubies totaling approximately 3.86 carats. The watch stands out because, plainly, it’s hard to miss. Notably, Christie’s describes the present example as a “first-of-its-kind,” giving the watch a more specific identity than a standard precious-metal Royal Oak chronograph.

The watch’s estimate of HK$1,200,000-2,400,000 places it below many of the most mechanically complicated pieces in the sale. But the watch combines several collecting categories at once: Royal Oak demand, precious metal, gem setting and special-order rarity. That should make it one of the more visually immediate lots when it reaches the block.

Patek Philippe Ref. 3940J “First Series” Beyer, Doré Dial

Lot 2326 | Estimate: HK$1,500,000-3,000,000

The sale also includes a group of Patek Philippe Ref. 3940 perpetual calendars, but the standout is the Ref. 3940J “First Series” retailed by Beyer. Introduced in 1985, the Ref. 3940 became one of the defining perpetual calendars of the late 20th century, bringing Patek Philippe’s high-complication work into a slim, automatic and highly wearable format.
This example adds several layers of collector interest. Housed in 18k yellow gold, it features a Doré dial, German calendar and Beyer retailer signature. Christie’s describes it as the only known non-anniversary example, which is a meaningful distinction for a reference that collectors pay close attention to for series, dial variations, retailer signatures and production details.

Its estimate of HK$1,500,000-3,000,000 is already a serious number for a Ref. 3940. But signed Patek Philippe dials often do very well at auction, and this one has more going for it than the Beyer signature alone. The first-series construction, Doré dial, German calendar and apparent uniqueness should all help.

Cartier Crash Ref. 2969 

Lot 2261 | Estimate: HK$2,000,000-4,000,000

The Cartier Crash Ref. 2969 brings a design-driven highlight to a sale largely led by complicated watches. Instead of a long list of functions, the appeal of this lot lies in its case shape, its rarity and the current strength of the Cartier market. This example is cased in platinum and dates to circa 2008.

The Crash is one of Cartier’s most recognizable designs, and interest in the model has only grown as collectors have paid more attention to the brand’s shaped watches beyond the Tank. With an estimate of HK$2,000,000-4,000,000, the Ref. 2969 is not hiding in the catalog. Still, Crash models often draw attention when they come to auction, and this example could be one of the stronger non-complicated results of the sale.

Harry Winston Opus 3 by Vianney Halter

Lot 2453 | Estimate: HK$600,000-1,000,000

One of the more interesting potential sleeper lots in the sale is the Harry Winston Opus 3, created with Vianney Halter. The Opus series occupies a particular place in early 21st-century independent watchmaking, pairing Harry Winston with some of the era’s most creative independent watchmakers and giving them a platform for highly unconventional ideas.

The Opus 3 is one of the stranger watches from the series. Housed in 18k pink gold, it uses a digital time display and date, with a case and dial layout that sit far outside the usual language of a dress watch or complicated wristwatch. It’s not an easy watch, but that is also what makes it interesting, coming from an era when independent watchmaking was still generally more experimental as a collecting category.
Estimated at HK$600,000-1,000,000, the Opus 3 sits well below the top Patek Philippe, F.P. Journe and Greubel Forsey lots. But for collectors interested in that earlier side of independent watchmaking, it may be one of the sale’s more compelling under-the-radar entries.