Back in December I blogged about the Sky Moon Tourbillon,
"The rarest complications integrated in a single timepiece" (Click on the link for detailed information about this remarkable watch)
Now it can be yours ,for a price, of course. Antiquorum, the worlds leading auction house which specializes in luxury timepieces, has the Patek Phillipe Platinum Sky Moon Tourbillon ,made in 2005,up for Auction. The auction will take place in New York, March 4 & 5th. The going price is between$1,000,000 - $1,300,000. If you are wondering about the price ,read the above link to my December blog. To say this watch is a timepiece suggest the watch merely tracks the time. The Tourbillon in the title suggests a beating heart, and the Sky Moon suggests endless possibilities. The Platinum Skymoon Tourbillon Ref. 5002P is only one of the two Sky Moon Tourbillon watches made each year by Patek Phillipe, one in platinum and the other in rose gold. It the clever culmination of 686 parts, some so small, a microscope is required to view their meticulous perfection.
This auction is satiated with deeply historical timepieces such as the "Kennedy Onassis Watch" The very watch worn by JFK and later gifted to Onassis. The timepiece is a Nastrix, 57 jewels circa 1960, engraved on the case back "To John F. Kennedy From the Evangilines 1963" In addition, the word "Waterproof" is engraved on the case back. A term no longer used as no watch can be absolutely waterproof no matter how many gaskets.The term "Water Resistance" is the more acceptable term in the Horological world of today. On the auctioneers block sold somewhere in the range of $150,000 to $250,000. Gandi's pocket watch is also up for auction, a Zenith alarm open face pocket watch, made 1910-1915. Another interesting watch is "The Godfather Watch", a pretty beat up Patek Phillipe yellow gold wristwatch with an integrated bracelet. The watch spent time on the wrist of Giuseppe Bonnano. The "godfather" of the Bonanno crime family.
Antiquorum has just recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, and has solidified its position in the auction world by auctioning off some of the most sought after collectors timepieces and obtaining the highest price. Antiquorum boasts the highest number of watches sold over a million SFr. Out of 67 watches above this price range by major auction houses, 44 have been sold exclusively by Antiquorum. Antiquorum claimed the all-time world record for a wristwatch at auction when it sold a Patek Phillipe ,unique white gold Calibre 89, at its 2004, 30th anniversary April Auction in Geneva.
Antiquorum is renowed for its thematic auctions: auctions devoted to a single subject. In 1989, Antiquorum held an auction titled "The Art of Patek Phillipe" during Patek Phillipe's 150th anniversary. In 2005 during its thematic auction titled "The Quarter Millenium of Vacheron Constantin" it collected a astounding $15,110,000. In April 2007, the Omegamania Auction collected $5,540,000. - three times the auction estimate.It will be interesting to see the final price collected for the Patek Phillipe Sky Moon Tourbillon.
