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We are no strangers to Omega watches here at Fellows. Followers of our auctions will be familiar with many of the brand’s models. Alongside the classic dress watches of the 60s, we have sold Seamasters and Speedmasters, Cosmics and Constellations, Dynamics and De Villes. We have even sold one of 2022’s most talked about timepieces, the MoonSwatch which you can read more about here.
Omega Speedsonic
One of the more unusual references, and one we have only seen a handful of times previously, is the Omega Speedsonic. Similar in appearance to the Speedmaster, this battery-powered chronograph was a creation of the 1970’s. It was created as the Swiss tried to respond to a quartz revolution from the East. Unlike most battery-powered watches though, the movement in the Speedsonic uses a tuning fork to ensure accurate timekeeping.
Technical details
The calibre in question is the Omega 1255 which is a rebranded version of the ETA 9210. Viewed by many as the pinnacle of tuning fork movements, around 21,000 of these units were produced. Omega was one of a number of brands utilising them in their watches. The f300Hz designation seen on the dials of these watches relates to the 300 hertz at which the tuning fork vibrates.
Built on the calibre 9162, the 9210 added an extra complication in the form of a chronograph module, a task outsourced to movement specialist Dubois Depraz. When looked at from the side, the movement has visible layers, like a triple-decker sandwich, with each responsible for a different feature. Sitting directly below the dial is the calendar platform which also houses the second half of the chronograph mechanism. Below this is the second layer which houses the other half of the chronograph mechanism. Then comes the main plate with all of the hand setting (keyless) work. Finally, the fourth layer, the oscillator. It contains everything needed to drive the movement, including the coils, tuning fork, index wheel and electronics.
Unfortunately, locating a watchmaker happy to work on these movements can be tricky. Therefore finding one in good working order can be a challenge. If you do though, you will be rewarded by the unmistakable humming sound that only a tuning fork watch can provide. Unlike more conventional quartz watches, the seconds hand sweeps smoothly around the dial rather than jumping from one second to the next. Quartz accuracy with the character of a mechanical watch? Maybe.
Omega Speedsonic at Auction
The Luxury Watch Sale, which took place on November 28th featured one such Omega Speedsonic chronograph. With its stainless-steel case, reference 188.0002, housing the chronometer grade movement, the sumptuous grey dial has a lovely balance. And, with both day and date displays, it has all the functionality you could wish for. The watch is fitted to a stainless-steel bracelet with a folding clasp. It represents an excellent opportunity for someone looking to add one of the more interesting watches of recent times to their collection.
Whilst the quartz crisis very nearly killed off the mechanical wrist watch, it actually did finish the less economically viable tuning fork movement. With an achieved price of £1,300, Lot 61 was a relatively affordable way to purchase a piece of horological history.
Valuations
Our valuations are free, with no obligation to sell with us. Our experts will value your item with an estimate, so you can 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.
Find what you’re looking for
Make sure you don’t miss finding that special something by signing up to our email alerts. You’ll be the first to know when catalogues become available, receive invitations to special events and preview the hottest lots from our auctions, plus much more.
Why not use our free personal shopping service? Sign up for lot alerts and tell us exactly what you are looking for. Each time we upload a catalogue, we search for your keywords and email you lots matching your interests. Your personalised email will include images, lot descriptions and auction details.
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 Watches
Tagged auction, omega, speedsonic, watch, watchauction, watches, watchsale
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With around 90% of the UK population owning a smartphone, the need to wear a watch for time-keeping purposes has never been lower. Despite this, watch sales by both volume and value continue to grow year on year. The popularity of the most sought-after brands is even at an all-time high.
In the past, it would have been commonplace for the average member of the public to own a watch. Now though, watches have become another category of collectables. With the rise of social media and online forums, the hobby of “watch collecting” has boomed. It doesn’t need to be an expensive hobby either. The passion and enthusiasm amongst the Swatch collecting community is just as great as that within Rolex or Patek Philippe circles.
An article on Forbes called our auctions “a great place for new collectors to build up a collection“. We couldn’t agree more!
Kes Crockett took a look at some watches we sold in our Watches and Watch Accessories auction to see how they could help you start a watch collection.
Take it away, Kes!
There are a number of ways to build a collection. Some enthusiasts follow a simple strategy of buying what they like without any parameters. Others establish a highly specific and narrow focus accumulating watches all from a single genre. Many also like to have a selection of watches covering several bases.
Let’s take a look at five potentials to start off a wannabe watch collector.
Building a watch collection
The dive watch
Seiko is brand that offers fantastic value for money, whether new or pre-owned. This 42mm titanium cased, automatic watch is perfect for every day use. Safe to wear whilst swimming or just battling the British winters, it’s highly legible dial and robust construction make it a great ‘do-it-all’ timepiece.
Price realised at auction – £442.00.
The travel watch
With its unusual case shape and funky splash of colour, this vintage travel watch displays some of the world’s most well-known cities, allowing the wearer to know the time in multiple locations across the globe. The 24hr calibrated bezel confirms whether the timezone is ahead or behind GMT and a date window to three completes the package. A perfect watch for the jetsetter on a budget.
Price realised at auction £227.50.
The quirky conversation starter
No, it’s not broken, the hand hasn’t fallen off! This German brand specialises in one-handed watches. Visually striking and sure to get attention, the Meistersinger shows the time in a slightly different way. Rather than having two hands and the customary five one-minute interval markers between each hour, there is instead one hand and twelve markers, each representing five minutes. This allows the passage of time to be tracked to a surprising degree of accuracy despite the simplified display method. The exhibition case back makes it the only watch in this selection to allow the owner to enjoy the inner workings as well as the novel exterior.
Price realised at auction £429.00.
The dress watch
A classic watch from one of the most renowned watch brands, the Omega Constellation is everything you need in a dress watch. A clean and clear dial with baton markers and date window to three, accompanied in this instance by additional ‘crosshair’ detailing. The eye-catching ‘dog leg’ lugs and stylish black leather strap combine to create the perfect piece of wrist wear for those more formal occasions.
Price realised at auction £1,079.00.
The wildcard
The final spot in the five watch collection is…. not a watch. It is in fact a travel alarm clock made by another of the great Swiss watch houses. Manufactured in the style of its iconic Santos wrist watch, it provides a fun, low-cost entry point into the Cartier club. The only timepiece in the group to use a quartz movement, this bedside timekeeper provides the reliability and accuracy needed to ensure you wake up on time, ready for the day ahead. Set it five minutes early and you might even have enough time to decide which watch to wear!
Price realised at auction £416.00.
Valuations
Our valuations are free, with no obligation to sell with us. Our experts will value your item with an estimate, so you can 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.
Find what you’re looking for
Make sure you don’t miss finding that special something by signing up to our email alerts. You’ll be the first to know when catalogues become available, receive invitations to special events and preview the hottest lots from our auctions, plus much more.
Why not use our free personal shopping service? Sign up for lot alerts and tell us exactly what you are looking for. Each time we upload a catalogue, we search for your keywords and email you lots matching your interests. Your personalised email will include images, lot descriptions and auction details.
Valuations
If you are looking to find out how much your watch could be worth, why not speak to our specialists? Our valuations are free, with no obligation to sell with us. Our experts will provide you with an estimate, so you can find out what it could achieve at auction.
Fill in a form online, or you can book an appointment to visit our offices in Birmingham and London. We can also offer you a virtual valuation appointment.
Posted in All, Watches
Tagged watch, watchaddict, watchauction, watchenvy, watches
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Kes Crockett | Watch Department
The watch dial is in many cases the most important element of a luxury watch. In vintage Rolex circles, the dial can account for 50% or more of the overall value of the piece. Collectors will spend countless hours studying the most minute differences between dials of the same model. They look for changes to the printed text during the production cycle; ageing of the luminous material; and subtle evolution of the brand logo itself. The list goes on. That’s before we even begin to involve the hands and how they match up.
Whether a watch is a quartz or mechanical, we all know that underneath that dial is a little miniature machine making the hands go round in a circle; the movement. Some watches have an exhibition case back which allows us to see this in all its glory. The intricate detailing and finishing processes of high-end watchmaking can almost be works of art in their own right. We can sort of understand all of this.
Wind up watch… cogs spin round… hands connected to cogs… hands and dial show time.
Thankfully, the business of horology has professionals within it who seek to do ordinary things in unique and innovative ways. After all, that’s what keeps it fresh and interesting. One such individual from across the channel in France back in the 19th Century was Mr Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin.
Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin
Although he later became a magician, Robert-Houdin was originally a watchmaker like his father. He was a proper watchmaker too. It wasn’t a case of him sitting on a production line in a massive factory inserting one wheel into a movement before passing it to the next trained person. Houdin was doing highly skilled hand-crafted work on not just clocks and watches, but also automata. One such example was his incredible trapeze artist ‘Antonio Diavolo’. It may seem slightly low-tech now in a world of CGI film-making, advanced AI and multi-million-pound NFT cartoon apes, but it is an incredibly impressive feat considering it was produced over 250 years ago. Check out a video of this mechanical ‘acrobat’ in action here.
Mystery Dial
Anyway, the same man was responsible for the ‘mystery dial’ we see today in clocks and watches. Mystery dials are a design which gives the impression of floating hands moving freely around the watch display. They appear unconnected to any moving parts. Given Robert-Houdin’s apparent showmanship and his subsequent magic career, it is no surprise that he created such a mechanism. In its day it would have left the watch-buying public completely bamboozled. What made these floating hands even more confusing to many was that you could see straight through the watch face with no mechanism visible at all.
As with many such illusions, whether in horology or magic, the mechanics involved are actually surprisingly simple. The hands are not floating mid-air, shock horror, they are in fact attached to transparent discs. These discs have concealed toothed edges which interact with the movement much in the same way as a standard watch. In order for the mystery dial illusion to be truly effective though, the movement should also be hidden away in some sneaky fashion. For clocks, this may be achieved by housing all the moving parts within its base. For watches, an offset dial is commonly used to allow the calibre to live discreetly to one side of the time display.
Over the years, the mystery dial has been incorporated into many a watch by a host of manufacturers. We have seen a variety of them here at Fellows Auctioneers. There is however one brand more than most that are synonymous with this piece of watchmaking trickery; Cartier. Since the start of the 20th Century, the Swiss maker has produced its interpretation of Robert-Houdin’s invention, firstly with clocks and later with watches.
Mystery Dial Watches At Auction
We are fortunate to offer for sale one of the most recent iterations – The Rotonde de Cartier Mystérieuse.
Housed in a 42mm diamond set 18ct rose gold case, the ultra-thin calibre 9981MC powers the floating hour and minute hands to the left-hand side of the dial. The movement is hidden behind Cartier’s classic Roman numeral hour markers spanning twelve to six.
Fitted to a signed brown alligator strap with 18ct rose gold deployant clasp. The lot comes with its original box and warranty papers. This piece of horological art is entered with an estimate of £16,000-22,000.
Photo credit: WatchGecko
First seen two and a half centuries ago, the mystery dial remains as captivating today as it did back then. Cartier continues to showcase this fun and intriguing complication. However, the lion’s share of the credit should really be given to its inventor, Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin.
If you’ve got to the end of this blog with that annoying feeling that the name sounds familiar but you’re not sure why you’re about to find out. It’s because the world’s most famous magician named himself after him. No, not Paul Daniels, the other one. Harry Houdini!
The Auction
The Luxury Watch Sale will take place on Monday 8th August at 10 am.
London Viewing Days
Tuesday 2nd August 12:00 – 19:00
Wednesday 3rd August 9:30 – 13:30
Birmingham Viewing Days
Friday 5th August 10:00 – 16:00
Monday 8th August 8:30 – 10:00
Virtual viewings are available by request.
Valuations
If you are looking to find out how much your watch could be worth, why not speak to our specialists? Our valuations are free, with no obligation to sell with us. With a valuation, our experts will provide you with an estimate, so you can find out what it could achieve at auction.
The process is simple, so you can get a valuation now:
Fill in a form online, or you can book an appointment to visit our offices in Birmingham and London. We can also offer you a virtual valuation appointment.
Posted in Watches
Tagged Cartier, Houdin, watch, Watch auction, watchauction, watches
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Kes Crockett | Watch Department
Taking place on March 21st, the upcoming Luxury Watch Sale at Fellows features an exciting selection of watches. These cater for a variety of tastes. Among the 256 lots up for grabs we have fantastic array of over 30 Breitlings. Today we will take a closer look at the brand and some the models available.
History of Breitlings
Horology, perhaps more than most industries, places significant importance on the history and heritage of the brands themselves. With the existence of companies such as Vacheron Constantin, who have been in continuous production since 1755, it is understandable that many manufacturers build a story around their past, no matter how contrived. Breitling however, are one watch house with genuine credentials and important technical contributions to the world of watches.
Founded in 1884 by master watchmaker Leon Breitling, the focus of the company was to create watches and other high accuracy timing instruments which could satisfy the growing needs of society following the industrial revolution. The primary focus of Leon Breitling was in the genre of chronograph watches, and their use especially in the field of aviation. The year 1915 saw Breitling’s first wrist chronograph, two years after Longines introduced the 13.33Z. Both the Breitling and Longines utilised a monopusher design but Breitling were looking to improve on this and did so by creating the first chronograph to use a separate push piece. This would make their watches easier to use in the sky and allow pilots to focus their attention on the more import tasks of take-off and landing.
Breitlings Post 1920s
Breitling’s continued work on both wrist watches and aeronautical timing instruments was noticed around the world and in 1935 they were contracted to make chronographs for the Royal Air Force. By 1940, and now under control of Leon Breitling’s grandson Willy, WW2 was well underway. With the Nazis making great efforts to restrict Swiss exports, including watches to allied forces, Willy improvised and built a makeshift runway near the Breitling factory, allowing him to get his merchandise to the people who needed it most.
1952 saw the birth of Breitling’s most iconic watch, the Navitimer. A slide rule bezel was featured, allowing aviators to make important in-flight calculations. The luminous hour markers and hands ensured legibility in the darkest conditions. There were no conditions darker than space, which created its own unique inconvenience. Without the rising and setting of the sun, it wasn’t possible to know whether it was day or night back on earth, so a simple modification to the hour wheel of the movement enabled the use of a 24-hour dial. Problem solved. In 1962 Lt. Commander Scott Carpenter orbited the earth with this tweaked timepiece named the Navitimer Cosmonaute.
Until this point in time all chronograph watches had been of the manual wind variety. However, the public was moving towards automatic watches and companies sought to meet this demand. Zenith and Seiko would go it alone, whilst Breitling, Heuer-Leonidas, Hamilton-Buren and Depraz and Co. all teamed up to work together, and ‘Project 99’ was formed, resulting in the Calibre 11.
Breitlings Post 1960s
It is still a topic of much debate as to which of the above-named manufacturers were first to the automatic chronograph finish line. Whoever it was, 1969 proved to be an important year in chronograph development as all four groups announced their new innovations.
Just ten years later after almost a century of ownership, the Breitling family would sell their shares to Ernst Schneider. His family owned the watchmaker up until 2017. Whilst the Schneider family still own a 20% stake, the majority 80% share is owned by private equity company CVC Capital Partners. One of the more notable facts about Breitling is that in its entire history since 1884, it has only had five CEOs. Each seemingly passionate about the brand and eager to move the industry forward.
One of the more recent Breitling highlights was the release of the ‘Emergency’ wrist watch in 1995. The watch is equipped with a micro-transmitter. This allows the wearer to send a distress signal if they found themselves in serious trouble. It has saved over a dozen lives. A serious watch with rumour of significant fines for misuse, but a model we have seen a number of over the years in our auctions.
Breitlings under the hammer
With so many examples available this March, it is hard to pick a favourite. Below is a small selection, but many more Breitlings, and host of other brands can be seen here.
From top left to bottom right: Lot 12 – Breitling Chronomat, Lot 16 – Breitling Avenger GMT, Lot 17 – Breitling Navitimer, Lot 23 – Breitling for Bentley B06, Lot 35 – Breitling Premier, Lot 41 – Breitling SuperOcean.
Posted in All, Watches
Tagged auction, Breitling, watchauction, watches, watchhistory
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A rare military Omega given to members of the British Army has fetched a total of £22,968.
The watch was in a batch delivered to the British Army and the Royal Navy in small numbers in the late sixties. Moreover, It sports a reference 165.024.
There was fierce competition for the watch, as bids were flying in from various bidding platforms. The winning individual placed a bid via the internet.
The Military Omega
The Omega Seamaster 300 – estimated at £10,000 – £15,000 – eventually sold for a hammer price of £18,000 (£22,968 including fees) at approximately 11:30am on Monday 18th October.
A “W10” back engraving on the timepiece shows that it was for military use. A stainless steel case with calibrated bezel complemented the watch, which also featured luminous hour markers and quarterly Arabic numerals.
Steven Yambo, Senior Specialist from the Watch Department at Fellows Auctioneers, said: “Military watches are becoming increasingly popular at auction and this wonderful Omega is one of the best watches we have sold this year. Its military history combined with its general good condition ensured it was highly coveted in our Luxury Watch Sale.
“The auction was our final Luxury Watch Sale of 2021 which added extra interest. Sitting in the room witnessing the Omega sell was a tense but exciting experience, especially as the watch flew above its auction estimate.”
The Auction
Lot 140 in our Luxury Watch Sale, the timepiece was in a remarkable condition for its age. Furthermore, Its intriguing automatic movement added to the piece.
We offered free shipping on the watch, which could be viewed in London and Birmingham on selected dates.
Valuations
Our valuations are free, with no obligation to sell with us. Our experts will value your item with an estimate, so you can find out what it could achieve at auction.
The process is simple, so you can get a valuation now:
Fill in a form online. In addition, you can book an appointment to visit our offices in Birmingham and London. Moreover you can book a virtual valuation appointment.
An historic Omega watch issued to members of the British Army in the 1960s sold for a full price of £15,312 (including fees) at Fellows Auctioneers yesterday.
The incredible timepiece, an Omega Seamaster 300 watch, reference 165.024, sports a stamped British Broad Arrow.
It was commissioned circa 1967, at a time when the Ministry of Defence took delivery of these watches for the Royal Navy and the British Army.
It is believed that these watches were made in very small numbers, and they were intended for the military until approximately 1970. The robustness of the watch ensured it was the ideal timepiece for the British Armed Forces.
The Omega Seamaster 300, with the original dial alongside
The watch contains a W10 inscription, which was included amongst all timepieces issued to the Army.
Featuring as Lot 74 in the Luxury Watch Sale, the item sold against an estimate of £12,000 – £18,000.
It was part of a private collection by an unnamed owner. The individual’s name who was issued this watch is not known.
These watches were nicknamed the “Big Triangle”, due to the 12 point displaying the large shape.
Despite the dial, minute, and second hands being replaced on the watch, the original elements of the timepiece were included with the purchase of the lot – which display the “Big Triangle”.
The complete back inscription reads: “W10/6645-99-923-7697 A/138/67”. The watch also contains a signed automatic calibre 562.
The sought-after military timepiece
The watch was fitted to a signed green nylon ‘NATO’ style strap with a stainless steel pin buckle. It also features a black dial with luminous hour markers, and quarterly Arabic numerals.
The auction took place in the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham on Monday 19th April. It could be viewed at Fellows’ offices in both Birmingham and London on selected dates.
The Luxury Watch Sale was the first live auction in many months where members of the public were able to attend, with a booking system and safety procedures in place by Fellows.
The auction saw over 200 timepieces go under the hammer, from a variety of brands such as Rolex, Omega, and Tag Heuer.
Michael Jagiela, Senior Watch Specialist from Fellows Auctioneers, said: “Military watches such as this are always very special because they could have been worn in any kind of environment. Although certain elements of the watch have been replaced, the movement is still functioning and it’s a brilliant timepiece which was issued to the British Army in the 1960s.
“Military items of this kind are always sought-after by watch collectors, especially as we believe these watches were made in such small numbers. The watch also comes with a service box and warranty papers dated 16/07/2020 which were an added incentive for prospective buyers.”
Posted in All, News, Watches
Tagged armedforces, army, auction, Fellows, Military, militarywatch, omega, omegaseamaster, seamaster, watchauction
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Natasha Davis, Watch Specialist at Fellows Auctioneers, has picked out some highlight timepieces for ladies, ahead of the Luxury Watch Sale – taking place on Monday 19th April.
Lot 57
I really adore this lady’s Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso watch. Not much has changed since its original 1930’s design, from the reversible face to the art deco style geometric and uncluttered dial. It’s incredibly stylish, especially with the yellow gold banding through the steel bracelet. It would make a great addition to anyone’s collection.
Lot 50
It’s always exciting to get a Limited Edition watch designed for ladies in our auctions, especially when there were only 180 pieces produced. This Hublot Big Bang ‘Crown of Light’ watch is rather special because of the unique cut of diamonds set in the bezel. Instead of the usual 58 facets, there are 90 facets, thus allowing a greater amount of light to enter the stone creating an incredible brilliance. It’s certainly an eye-catching piece, and something with a little more sparkle than the traditional diamond set Big Bang.
Lot 114
This is a classic Rolex Lady-Datejust in 18ct gold from the early 1970’s. The vintage gold has a beautiful depth to it and works so well with the warm grey tones in the dial. The President bracelet is incredibly smart and just looks so elegant on the wrist. The condition is great considering the watch is around 40 years of age too.
Lot 97
With an unusual Ferrite stone dial, this Rolex 36mm Datejust really stood out to me. The combination of the detailing on the stone dial with the gold Roman numerals is striking, and works so well. The watch dates to the 1980’s and is in really beautiful condition. It’s not a style that we see every day, and is certainly more of a statement piece.
Lot 153
I was initially drawn to the size of this Tag Heuer Lady’s Formula 1 watch. With a case diameter of 41mm it is certainly on the larger size for a classic lady’s watch but it looks smashing on the wrist and wears so well. The black ceramic combined with the subtly set diamonds to the dial and bezel add an elegance to the watch, and the added chronograph function provides a sportier and more traditional touch.
Posted in All, Watches
Tagged auction, Datejust, Hublot, jaeger, ladieswatches, Tag, watchauction
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Fellows Auctioneers’ Senior Watch Specialist, Steven Yambo, has been discussing his own personal Fellows Find that was purchased from a watch auction.
My ‘Fellows Find’ is a Favre-Leuba 32768Hz wrist watch bought in a Watches sale back in 2018.
The elegant Favre-Leuba timepiece
The watch dates from the early part of the 1970s. It was one of the first quartz watches that the Swiss watch industry developed, to counter the quartz watches coming in from the Far East which were proving to be more accurate. They also required less maintenance than the traditional mechanical Swiss watch. This quartz revolution had a devastating effect on the Swiss watch industry and the brands fought back by developing their own quartz movements.
While at this period of time most of the Swiss watch industry was working on the ‘Beta 21’ project for a quartz movement, this movement was developed by Girard-Perregaux. As well as being found in Girard-Perregaux and Favre-Leuba watches, this movement was also used in the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master-Quartz in the 1970s.
The watch features a beautiful movement
Unlike modern quartz movements, the battery in this watch powers mechanical parts. Despite being a quartz watch these watches were still quite expensive back in the day as they utilised new technology at the time. A bid of just £60 (plus buyer’s premium) bought the watch in working condition.
This is a nice addition to my small collection of watches from the 1970s and is something different as it is a period quartz watch rather than a mechanical manual wind or an automatic timepiece. As well as being a minor part of the Swiss watch industry’s history it is very wearable piece. The only drawback is that it seems to get through batteries at an alarming rate, in fact it needs a new battery now!
Steven Yambo, Senior Watch Specialist at Fellows
Posted in All, Watches
Tagged Fellows, fellowsfind, series, watchauction, watches
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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.”
*Please note this is not the same watch that featured in Die Hard 2, but the same model was worn by the villains in the film.*
A rare Tag Heuer watch of which the same model was worn by villains in Die Hard 2 has sold at Fellows Auctioneers. The gentleman’s 2000 Series chronograph is one of a few editions of the 2000 series worn by antagonist Colonel William Stuart’s men as they faced against Bruce Willis’ John McClane in the 1990 action flick. The watch featured as Lot 122 in Fellows’ Online Watches & Watch Accessories sale, which took place on Tuesday 8th December. Realising a full price of £867.68 (including fees), the watch had an estimate of £360 – £460.
The Tag Heuer “Die Hard 2” watch
Despite this watch itself not being worn in the film, the exact same model was sported during a scene in the airport, with its chronograph and unusual tachymeter coming in handy. With Die Hard 2 taking place on Christmas, this was the perfect gift for a buyer ahead of the festive period. The Tag Heuer includes an unsigned quartz movement, a black dial, and a stainless steel case. Fitted to a stainless steel bracelet and clasp, the watch’s movement is functioning.
The Online Watches & Watch Accessories auction was Fellows’ final sale of timepieces in 2020. Phenomenal prices were achieved which continued the successful trend of timed auctions for the independent auction house throughout 2020. Fellows shifted the majority of its auctions to timed in 2020 and the 144-year old family business has seen record numbers and registrants across the sales. The auction house is now consigning ahead of 2021 sales.
Steven Yambo, Senior Watch Specialist at Fellows Auctioneers, said: “We have never sold a Tag Heuer model which also featured in a Die Hard film before so it was a delight to see this one receive so much attention. Around ten individuals were bidding on this watch and it ended up selling for almost £1,000. The watch itself is one of the earlier models from when Tag merged with Heuer and it’s a classic 1980s timepiece. This was our final auction of watches before Christmas and there were some amazing prices, which is a great way to end the year.”
Fellows’ Senior Watch Specialist, Steven Yambo, has researched two beautiful Turn-O-Graph Watches ahead of the upcoming auction.
The Rolex Turn-O-Graph could be said to be the most overlooked watch in Rolex history. Generally, the public tend to focus on other watches Rolex has produced, which include a rotating bezel – the Submariner and the GMT Master are examples. However, it was the Turn-O-Graph that was the first Rolex production to feature a rotating bezel when launched in 1953. The Rolex Submariner and GMT didn’t come along until the following year. The Turn-O-Graph could be seen to be the first Rolex ‘tool’ watch and is certainly viewed as the first ‘tool’ watch to be offered in two-tone yellow gold and steel rather than just stainless steel.
ROLEX – a gentleman’s bi-metal Oyster Perpetual Datejust ‘Turn-O-Graph’ bracelet watch
The Turn-O-Graph has also gained the nickname of ‘Thunderbird’ throughout time. A member of the American USAF Air Demonstration Squadron (established in 1953 and was the first supersonic aerobatic team), started wearing the watch and it soon became the squadron’s go-to timepiece. The name ‘Thunderbird’ was ideal for promoting the watch in the American market due to the patriotic nickname, something that Rolex capitalised on by referring to the watch as ‘The Thunderbird’ in their advertising.
ROLEX – a gentleman’s bi-metal Oyster Perpetual Datejust ‘Turn-O-Graph’ wrist watch.
Fellows are fortunate to offer two Turn-O-Graph’s in the Online Watches auction on 22nd June. Both of the watches are in steel and yellow gold. Lot 183 dates from 1965 and has an estimate of £900 – £1200. Lot 214 comes on a Jubilee bracelet and has an estimate of £2000 – £2500. With the high prices that other Rolex ‘tool’ watches, such as the Submariner, Explorer and GMT Master, are changing hands for, these Turn-O-Graph could prove to be a wise buy.
Posted in All, Watches
Tagged auction, rolex, timepiece, turnograph, watchauction, watchhistory, watchsale
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In the first of a series of watch blogs – Kes Crockett, from the Watch Department at Fellows, has been giving his views on water resistance.
Customers viewing our Watch auctions will have noticed the following advice included within our condition reports:
“Due to opening of the case back we recommend this watch is re-sealed by an authorised technician to ensure any stated water resistance is retained.”
So, what does this mean and is it important?
A large majority of the watches in our auctions will have been manufactured with a water resistance rating. These ratings often start at 30m for dress watches, but may reach as high as 3900m for specialist dive watches.
The standards for water-resistance ratings are stipulated by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and so provide consistency across the many watch houses in the market place. However, the important thing to note is that a watch rated to a resistance of 30m is not safe to wear under water at that depth. In fact, it is really only protected from water ingress during hand washing and should probably not be worn during even a gentle swim. Most manufacturers will provide some useful guidance on water resistance.
As part of our cataloguing process we carefully inspect the movement of each watch where at all possible, and often open the case back to do so. Unfortunately, this process does void any pressure test guarantee that the watch may have had, but it is essential for us to ensure authenticity, and to allow us to disclose accurately the condition of the movement itself.
In order to return the watch to it’s previous water resistance rating we recommend our buyers have the manufacturer, or a trained independent watchmaker, re-seal and pressure test the watch. Vintage watches, especially with precious metal cases may be impossible to make water resistant, and some gaskets and case parts are no longer available for some brands.
Does it really matter? Well, it depends. If you hope to swim with your watch then you should definitely have it re-sealed and pressure tested. If you plan to scuba dive then it is absolutely vital. For normal wear in dry conditions it may not be essential but we still strongly recommend it. Remember too, that if water can get into the mechanism, then so can dust, and a dirty movement will not be a reliable and accurate time keeper over the long term.
Below is an example of a water damaged watch which has been restored. It is an expensive and time consuming job which we would prefer our watch buyers avoid if possible!
Before
After
Posted in All, Watches
Tagged fix, repair, restore, watchauction, watches, water, waterresistance
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Lot 397 in Fellows’ upcoming Watch Sale which takes place on Tuesday 30th January has special significance. It has an inscription saying: “In memory of George Jay Gould from his wife, May 1923.” The item itself is beautiful, and it can be seen below:
It is a stunning open face pocket watch by Cartier. The item has a yellow metal case with engraving to the front and back. It comes with an unsigned keyless wind nineteen jewel movement, a silvered guilloche dial with Roman and Arabic numerals. The watch is estimated at £2,800 – £3,800, and the inscription mentioning George Jay Gould is particularly intriguing. Continue reading →
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Tagged amazing, amazinghistory, american, auction, auctioneers, auctions, curse, doctor, egypt, envy, Fellows, fellowsauctioneers, fellowsauctions, finance, history, inscription, pocketwatch, scotland, tomb, tut, tutcurse, watch, watchauction, watchenvy, watchinscription, wow
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One of the most fascinating items in the history of Fellows has just gone under the hammer with a sale of an extremely rare and historic Second World War Panerai military Diver watch. The Panerai had a hammer price of £41,000 and a price realised (fees included) of £52,316, it sold at approximately 12:24pm during Fellows’ Watch Sale on Tuesday 30th January 2018.
Bids came flying in from three telephone bidders as they went head to head to head. The tension could be felt across the room as the asking price for the Panerai quickly grew to above £30,000. There were gasps amongst the saleroom as the winning bidder placed £41,000 on the watch.
This watch came into the possession of a British soldier during the Second World War. George H. Rowson acquired the watch from a Kampfschwimmer (German frogman), during a thwarted attempted on behalf of the German forces to destroy the important Nijmegen Bridge in the Netherlands, in September 1944.
The incident occurred following the Battle of Nijmegen Bridge. The aim of the battle was for the Allies secure the bridge in order to gain quick access to the Dutch city of Arnhem. Part of a wider initiative known as Operation Market Garden, Allied airborne and land forces attempted to liberate the cities of Eindhoven and Nijmegen in the Netherlands from German occupation.
This model of Panerai watch was initially intended for the Italian Decima MAS until they were taken by the Germans. The German Kampfschwimmer who owned the watch is known to have recieved special training in Italy and wore an Italian-made specialised rubber dive suit.
According to Rowson’s first-hand account of the incident, at 06:30am on Sept 29th 1944, German Kampfschwimmers fixed charges underwater to the main supports of the bridge at Nijmegen. Once the German soldiers had completed their mission, they exited the river thinking they were back within their own lines. At this point, they were captured by a section of British soldiers which included Rowson. The charges they had placed were defused and so Nijmegen Bridge remained undamaged.
The timepiece was eventually passed down to Rowson’s son and has remained in single ownership since, having been worn only a few times. The Panerai was sold with a hand-written account of the event by Rowson, a section of the rubber diving suit acquired from the German soldier, and photocopies of important documents related to Rowson.
Laura Bishop, watch manager at Fellows Auctioneers, said: “It is amazing to have a piece of history sell at Fellows Auctioneers. We are delighted to have been able to sell it for the local family.”
Alexandra Whittaker, a spokesperson for Fellows Auctioneers, said: “Fellows is becoming known for our monthly specialist watch sales and we are happy to have started out first sale of the year with such a prestigious piece as our star lot. I am excited to see what our February Watch Sale will bring.”
Fellows’ next Watch Sale will take place on Tuesday February 27th, starting at 11am.
The auction is available to view in person at the following times:
20 February 2018 12pm – 7pm (London)
24 February 2018 11am – 4pm (Birmingham)
26 February 2018 10am – 4pm (Birmingham)
27 February 2018 8.30am – 11am (Birmingham)
Posted in All, News, Watches
Tagged auction, auctions, bridge, corps, extremely rare, frogman, frogmen, historic, history, luxurylifestyle, marketgarden, netherlands, panerai, paneraiwrist, secondworldwar, soldier, watch, watchauction, watchenvy, watches, watchoftheday, watchsale, worldwar, wristenvy, wristwatch
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A vintage Rolex in our November Watch Sale has sold for £110,000 (plus Buyers Premium), setting a new house record for a price achieved by a watch at auction.
This Rolex Oyster Perpetual Milgauss dates from 1958 and was given an estimate of £40,000 – £60,000 ahead of the auction which took place today, Tuesday 28 November.
Lot 281 from the Watch Sale – A gentleman’s stainless steel Oyster Perpetual Milgauss bracelet watch. Hammer price: £110,000
This watch had been in single ownership since purchase and had been worn regularly which was reflected in its condition. This didn’t stop the enthusiastic bidders throwing their hats into the ring. Following lively bidding on the phone, in the room and on the internet, the watch far exceeded its original estimate to sell for £110,000, not including Buyers Premium.
Continue reading →
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Tagged auction, auctioneers, auctions, beautifulwatches, braceletwatch, Fellows, fellowsauctioneers, fellowsauctions, hammerhighlights, milgauss, oyster, perpetual, rolex, rolexmilgauss, stainlesssteel, stunningrolex, watch, watchauction, watches, watchsale
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Talk to me about the Omega Speedsonic…