Tag Archives: explorer

Here at Fellows, we have a wide range of specialists with expert knowledge. One of our quickly growing departments is our Designer department. Our first Designer auction of 2019 saw a tremendous catalogue featuring 66 Louis Vuitton items, including 10 cases. At the time, it was the largest selection of Louis Vuitton cases to go under the hammer at Fellows. In the four years since this exciting auction, our designer department has continued to grow and with each auction, we excitedly welcome more Louis Vuitton items through our doors. Luggage or Art? Even though the interlocking L and V pattern is over 120 years old (it was designed in 1896, only 20 years after Fellows opened its doors), it makes any piece instantly recognisable as being made by one of the world’s most luxurious handbags and luggage makers. Despite the clampdowns on luggage allowances when travelling, bidders cannot get enough of the iconic LV monogrammed hard luggage. The hard luggage range from the esteemed French fashion house is synonymous with extravagance and wealth, however, the price tags at Fellows are anything but. Not just the reserve of the jet-set, these brazen status symbols are being purchased by people with modest budgets and used in interesting ways. Sophie Higgs, Specialist from Fellows, said: “From speaking to a lot of our buyers in the past, we have found that many of them don’t use pieces they have bought to go on holiday. They are more objets d’art to have in their dressing or bedrooms. Another fun way people have been using fashion pieces as art is hanging, and in some cases framing scarves. When you can pick up an Hermès scarf for £100 in one of our auctions, it is a very affordable way to get a piece of art. Considering that a decorative panel from Hermès is over £1,000, a scarf seems like a good workaround”. Louis Vuitton at Auction The allure of Louis Vuitton luggage has only grown over the years, both at Fellows and other renowned houses. An aluminium explorer trunk sold for £162,500 at Christie’s in December 2018 and the last Designer Collection saw a number of Louis Vuitton pieces sell for a total hammer price of £40,705. Here are some items that would look just as good as interior decoration as they would on your arm: Lot 415 Louis Vuitton – Monogram Pegase 55 suitcase. Price Realised: £819 Lot 409 Louis Vuitton – Monogram Keepall 50. Price Realised: £585 Valuations Our valuations are free, with no obligation to sell with us. Our experts will value your item with an estimate, so you can therefore find out what it could achieve at auction. The process is simple. You can fill in a form online or book an appointment to visit either of our offices in Birmingham or London. Virtual valuation appointments are also available
Posted in Designer | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Art or Baggage: When is Louis Vuitton Luggage a Piece of Art?
A Rolex Explorer created after Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay’s expedition of Mount Everest sold for a full price of £34,452 at Fellows Auctioneers this week. The historic watch, reference 6150, was designed in extremely limited numbers over a two-year period following the climb in 1953. It is believed that Tensing Norgay wore a prototype of this watch while completing the ascent. The timepiece was the highest price that Fellows achieved for a watch in the Luxury Watch Sale, which took place in Birmingham on 15th February. The watch had an estimate of £25,000 – £35,000. The watch sold to a commission bidder for a hammer price of £27,000 (£34,452 including fees). The historic Rolex Explorer The 6150 reference was the first Explorer model to have the Mercedes hands – these have since become part of the Explorer’s DNA. This was also one of first Explorer models to contain the iconic black dial with the luminous batons as well as the Arabic numeral three, six and nine. It is even more rare for a 6150 reference to have  the ‘Explorer’ wording on the dial, as some of these model references included the script ‘Precision’ at six o’clock instead. Despite containing a few marks, the gentleman’s stainless steel Oyster Perpetual Rolex Explorer was sold in a working condition. Featuring as Lot 167 in the behind-closed-doors Luxury Watch Sale, the watch was up for sale amongst 269 alluring timepieces from a variety of brands. This is the second Rolex Explorer model with this reference to have sold at Fellows in recent years, with another 6150 model fetching a total of £31,900 in August 2019. Steven Yambo, Senior Specialist from the Watch Department at Fellows Auctioneers, said: “This vintage Rolex Explorer was the top lot in our 15th February Luxury Watch Sale. The sought-after watch is in a remarkable condition for its age, and the history with it being so closely linked to the first expedition of Mount Everest only adds to the beauty of the piece. We knew that the watch would be hugely desirable during our Luxury Watch Sale, which seem to be growing in popularity and demand as each auction goes by.”
Posted in All, News, Watches | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Rolex created after first ever Mount Everest climb fetches over £34,000 at auction
A Rolex Explorer in August’s Watch Sale has sold for a whopping £31,900 (including fees). The gentleman’s stainless steel Oyster Perpetual Explorer bracelet watch had an estimate of £4,800 – £5,800. It attracted interest from bidders in the room, internet, and over the telephones. The fierce bidding resulted in the Explorer selling for a hammer price of £25,000, at approximately 1:53pm on Tuesday 13th August. The bidding started at £5,000 and continued to rise for a few minutes with bids going back and forth until ultimately an internet bidder on the Fellows Live bidding platform won the watch. Dating back to 1954, the Explorer is a rare, early example which had a functioning movement and was in a good condition. The early 1950’s vintage timepiece was Lot 241 in the sale. With a stainless steel case and an engraved case back, and reference 6150, the watch has a signed automatic calibre 17090. Its beautiful black dial with baton hour markers complement the Rolex, with the Arabic numeral three, six and nine comprising the front of the watch. It is fitted to a signed stainless steel Oyster riveted bracelet with Oysterclasp. Steven Yambo, Senior Watch Specialist, said: “This Explorer is an incredibly early model with a lovely aged dial, so it isn’t a surprise that it sold for this amount. There was a lot of interest in the room and on the telephones which we were very happy with. The sale of this watch rounds up another successful Watch Sale at Fellows, and we are already planning for our next auction in September.” Our next flagship Watch Sale will take place on 15th October 2019. You can receive a free, no-obligation valuation on your watch by using our free online valuation service.
Posted in News, Watches | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Rolex Explorer sells for over four times its estimate