Dubai to kick-off the special 40th anniversary NAUTILUS auction and showcasing as only venue all 40 watches

The upcoming Dubai Important Watches auction on 19 October 2016 at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel will offer 146 lots with a pre-sale estimate of around $4.5 million USD. Of the 146 watches on offer 40% are vintage timepieces, 60% are modern watches. 

The sale will be divided into two sections, the general sale offering as well as the first of four sections specially curated to mark the 40th anniversary of the famous Nautilus model by Patek Philippe. Dubai will furthermore be the only location where Nautilus highlights of all 4 auction venues – Dubai, Geneva, Hong Kong and New York – will be available for collectors to admire and inspect.

Alongside the 146 auction lots, Christie’s will once more showcase important highlights of the November Geneva watch auction, underlining the growing interest into a wider range of vintage watches and highly sought after collector pieces. The preview, opening on 15th October and running until Wednesday, 19th October, the day of the sale, will therefore be an Eldorado for all watch enthusiasts coming to town.

Christie’s is also proud to announce its continuous support and partnership for the second edition of Dubai Watch Week taking place this November 15-19. 

DUBAI IMPORTANT WATCHES AUCTION HIGHLIGHTS 

 ROLEX. A STAINLESS STEEL CHRONOGRAPH WRISTWATCH WITH BRACELET AND BLACK DIAL 

SIGNED ROLEX, COSMOGRAPH, DAYTONA, PAUL NEWMAN MODEL, REF. 6239, CASE NO. 1’417’831, CIRCA 1966

US$120,000-180,000 AED440,000-650,000

Introduced during the 1960s, the Rolex Cosmograph was named following the fervor surrounding outer space travel. Later bearing the inscription Daytona, due to Rolex’s involvement with the celebrated International Speedway, the popularity of the chronograph soared throughout the years, leading it to become an icon and source of great fascination.

Succeeding the Rolex reference 6238, the 6239 differed through its metallic bezel with engraved tachometer scale enhancing the legibility of the bi-color dial. Built with two push down chronograph buttons, the timepiece was assembled with the reliable Valjoux 72B mechanism, and available in stainless steel, 14 or 18 karat gold. 

With the ending production of the reference 6238, the Cosmograph was subject to research in order to enhance its commercial appeal. It is around 1967 that the first chronographs, such as the present example, were provided with “exotic” dials bearing a new tridimensional graphic layout. Diverting from standard dials, the background of the outer fifths of a second division matched the subsidiary registers, both slightly sunken with regards to the central surface of the dial. Furthermore, square shaped hour indexes were applied instead of the common baton indexes.

Originally offered to customers as an alternative, “exotic” dials arose to fame once the celebrated actor Paul Newman was seen wearing a Daytona chronograph with such a dial in a publicity shoot for the film Winning. Following their discontinuation, Rolex chronographs with “exotic” dials have become undisputed icons in the world of vintage watch collecting and part of the most prized trophies for astute collectors. 

 ROLEX. A STAINLESS STEEL CHRONOGRAPH WRISTWATCH WITH PANDA PAUL NEWMAN DIAL AND BRACELET 

SIGNED ROLEX, OYSTER, COSMOGRAPH, REF. 6263, CASE NO. 3’048’260, CIRCA 1972 

US$120,000-180,000 AED440,000-650,000

Movement: Manual, Caliber 727, 17 jewels 

Dial: White matte dial, square numerals with luminous accents, fifth of a second divisions on a sunken black track, three sunken engine-turned black subsidiary dials for constant seconds, 12 hour and 30 minute registers 

Case: Stainless steel tonneau-shaped, metallic bezel calibrated to 200 units, screw back, screw down crown, two screw down chronograph buttons in the band, 37.5 mm diam. 

Bracelet/clasp: Stainless steel Rolex Oyster bracelet and deployant clasp, stamped 271 and 7835 to the endlinks, with an overall length of approximately 180 mm. 

Born into watchmaking, Emmanuel Bouchet is considered part of the elite watchmakers of his generation. Quickly recognized for his ingenuity and mastery of horological complications, Emmanuel Bouchet produced timepieces for the world’s most prestigious brands and was celebrated for creating the pioneering Harry Winston Opus 12. 

Epitomizing the Emmanuel Bouchet brand, the Complication One showcases the exclusive vision of the manufacture, ingenuously reshaping mechanical horology with a flawless balance of luxurious materials, traditional watchmaking techniques and modern architecture.

 EMMANUEL BOUCHET. A UNIQUE TITANIUM JUMPING HOUR WRISTWATCH WITH LAPIS LAZULI DIAL, DAY AND NIGHT INDICATION

SIGNED EMMANUEL BOUCHET, PIECE UNIQUE, COMPLICATION ONE MODEL, NO. 88, MANUFACTURED IN 2016 

US$50,000-100,000 AED190,000-360,000

Following years of development, the Emmanuel Bouchet Complication One was born. First complication of its kind, the timepiece is powered by the caliber EB-1963, a mechanical, hand-wound movement composed of 485 parts developed exclusively for the timepiece and entirely manufactured in Switzerland. Nestled in an elegant and contemporary 44 mm case, the very essence of the mechanism is given a prominent place on the dial ensemble. Positioned at the center stage, the double escape wheel with inward teeth and the anchor, with their revisited design, offers a striking indication of the time flow.

The escapement in Complication One is not only used as a regulatory organ, this escapement is a world first in mechanism and function. It in fact snaps forward every fifteen seconds and poetically “slows down time”, enabling the wearer to observe the power delivery throughout the movement. 

Developed for Christie’s, the present Complication One Piece Unique showcases an exclusive polished titanium case, allied with a distinguished blue Lapis Lazuli dial. Lapis Lazuli, a symbol for honesty and harmony, has been specifically hand selected by Emmanuel Bouchet for its magnificent blue coloration. A stone also famous in history for encouraging wisdom, it here holds the key value in Emmanuel Bouchet’s honest ambition for a new era in haute horology

 PATEK PHILIPPE. AN 18K PINK GOLD CHRONOGRAPH WRISTWATCH WITH ROSE DIAL

SIGNED PATEK PHILIPPE & CO., GENEVE, REF. 591, MOVEMENT NO. 862’919, CASE NO. 628’814, MANUFACTURED IN 1942

US$45,000-75,000 AED170,000-270,000

Launched in 1938, the reference 591 is one of the least known chronograph of Patek Philippe’s production, and was manufactured with the aim of offering a timepiece with a shape and size differing from the reference 130 and 533.

Nicknamed “Fagiolino” due to its rectangular chronograph pushers and lugs, the chronograph was made in an extremely small amount. With a total production estimated to only 100 examples in yellow and pink gold, the timepiece is considered rarer than any other chronograph model of the period. 

Fresh to the market and in excellent overall condition, the present timepiece showcases crisp hallmarks to its case, UK importation mark and signs of oxidation. Often indicative of a watch that spent most its life in a safety deposit box, the chronograph was in fact purchased by a private collector during a holiday in London, and has been part of his collection ever since. 

Forty years ago Patek Philippe launched a steel sports wristwatch that was to become pivotal to the company’s ongoing image and success. The Nautilus is now one of the most desired and sought-after collectors watches and Christie’s is very pleased to celebrate this important milestone in the history of an undisputed legend by offering a selection of 40 examples of the Nautilus over four auctions in four international locations. The Autumn Dubai sale season will mark the start of this celebration on 19 October at the Jumeirah Towers Hotel, followed by Geneva, Hong Kong and New York.

  The 10 watches are highlighted by a stainless steel Nautilus ref 3700/1 made for the Sultanate of Oman in 1978 (estimate: $150,000-250,000). This reference 3700/1 with Oman dial is one of only two confirmed examples of the "Nautilus" model in stainless steel made to special order for this Royal household, distinguished by the national emblem of Oman, the Khanjar dagger in a sheath superimposed upon two crossed swords, to the lower half of the dial.

The first of the two examples to surface on the market was case no. 536’201 and sold at Christie’s Geneva on 14 May 2012. It is most significant that the present watch, fresh to the market and preserved in excellent overall condition, has the immediately preceding case number of 536’200. Of equal significance is the fact that both these Nautilus’ were sold on the same day – July 31st, 1978, proving beyond any doubt it was certainly one of the original batch sold to the Sultanate of Oman. During those early years there were no official watch agents in Oman and so almost all of the watches made by various brands with “Khanjar” dials were supplied through the ultra high-end retailer Asprey of New Bond Street in London and occasionally through their Geneva branch.

The sale also presents reference 3700/3, which is a very rare diamond-set version of the gold “Jumbo” Nautilus model. As confirmed by the extract from the Patek Philippe archives it is set with 112 diamonds with a weight of 1.48 carats. The watch, preserved in excellent condition has the large-size 16.5 mm. bracelet of the first generation Nautilus, being made in 1981 it must be one of the very last of the watches made with a Favre-Perret case, confirmed by the presence of their mark inside (estimate: $70,000.120,000).

The Nautilus bracelet was designed by Gérald Genta as a fully integrated part of the watch’s overall look. The first series of Nautilus, reference 3700/1 had a bracelet with a width of 16.5 mm, it had 12 fixed and 8 removable links. From 1982 with the launch of the reference 3700/011 a narrower “second generation” bracelet with a width of 14 mm. was introduced. It had 16 fixed links and 8 removable links.