Tag Archives: fellows watches

Rolex Explorer sells for over four times its estimate

Posted on August 14, 2019 by Fellows
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.
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Heuer and Lemania – Tough Tools For Tough Times

Posted on July 13, 2017 by Fellows
Heuer used a variety of chronograph movements over the years evolving as the pressures of technological advance, the buying public or the company accountants took their turns. The most sought-after engines are those found in the earliest Autavia and Carrera watches, such as the Valjoux 72 which also sits behind the dials of the first Rolex Daytonas, Breitling AOPA Navitimers, Enicar Sherpagraphs and other auction star-performers. A gentleman’s stainless steel Cortina chronograph bracelet watch. Less appreciated, although with their own cult following, are the chronograph movements from the latter days of Heuer before the brand evolved into TAG Heuer. In 1974, a mere five years after the launch of the world’s first automatic chronograph movements, the Lemania 5100 appeared and in 1983 it found its first use in a Heuer. The 5100 was a remarkable evolution in five years, being cheaper to make, easier to service and using innovative materials such as Dupont’s Delrin, a light, tough, self-lubricating polymer in its construction. Its appeal was not only the cost of production, it was robust and shock resistant and the dial layout, moving the minute recording hand to the central dial stack increased legibility; no wonder the watch was adopted by the armed forces of several nations. Continue reading →
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Not Your Usual Dive Watches

Posted on July 12, 2017 by Fellows
Dive watches are a cornerstone of watch collecting, if, to mix architectural metaphors a niche can also be a cornerstone. Some of the most recognisable and desirable models of the last 65 years have been dive watches and model names. Examples include Submariner, Seadweller, and Seamaster, which are almost as well known as the brands they belong to. There are still dive watches to uncover that do not share this level of renown and yet still manage to be as fascinating and provocative as the two from Fellows’ July 2017 Watch Sale. FAVRE-LEUBA – a gentleman’s Bathy 50 bracelet watch. Back in 1962 Favre-Leuba, one of Switzerland’s oldest watch brands, launched their Bivouac watch. Designed for climbers, the case contained a diaphragm that allowed air-pressure and hence altitude to be measured. Six years later they had refined the technology sufficiently to allow this pressure measurement to take the next logical step, from the heights to the depths. The Favre- Leuba Bathy 50 was the first watch with a mechanical depth gauge (note, the Bathy 160 released at the same time was no better, it just measured in feet rather than metres). Continue reading →
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