Three Patek Philippe Highlights From The Upcoming Christie's Hong Kong Sale

This weekend's Christie's Hong Kong evening sale has been billed as Asia’s watch auction of the decade. Composed of just 18 lots and starting at 7:00 PM HK time on May 22nd, "Legends of Time" brings together an assortment of impressive Patek Philippe lots and other historic pieces, showcasing some truly breathtaking craftsmanship. For those looking to get into the action a bit earlier, there will also be a day sale comprising 147 lots beginning at 2:00 PM Hong Kong time the same day. From a pistol-form perfume sprinkler (with concealed watch, of course) to a unique Patek Philippe World Time ref 1415 HU in platinum, the sale artfully blends eras and metiers. In addition to the platinum World Time, two Patek highlights include a Grande Complication made and sold in 1890 to Polish nobility and a unique moonless perpetual calendar ref. 3448 "Senza Luna" gifted by Henri and Philippe Stern to Alan Banbery in 1975. Lot 2513 – Alan Banbery's 3448J "Senza Luna" With Prototype Leap Year Indicator When it comes to internal Patek Philippe provenance – as in watches worn within the halls of the Geneva manufacture itself – few wristwatches can match this unique, specially modified ref. 3448 that was presented to Patek Philippe's former head of sales, Alan Banbery. Banbery, along with the Stern family themselves, played an important role in securing Patek's place atop the watchmaking pyramid in the all-important 1970s, when it was one of a few brands to continue with complicated mechanical watchmaking at a time when consumer tastes were tracking in the opposite direction. Later Banbery rose to prominence as the man who helped Philippe Stern assemble the collection in the Patek Philippe Museum and as the author, with Martin Huber, of the authoritative reference book Patek Philippe Wristwatches. In 1975, the Stern family presented Banbery with this unique yellow gold example of the storied ref. 3448 automatic perpetual calendar featuring a dial and mechanism modified to showcase the indication for the leap year in place of the customary moon phase. If this watch looks familiar, it should. It's an iconic piece of 20th century Patek Philippe watchmaking, a unique wristwatch gifted by Patek's guiding family to one of their most important and trusted executives. Banbery wore his unique Senza Luna as his personal watch for nearly 25 years until he sold it in 1999. It's been in the collection of a prominent Asian collector since 2008. Fully provenanced, the Banbery Senza Luna stands out from the other six moonless 3448s that have appeared for sale publicly and is the only one known to have been modified to show the leap year in place of the moon. While Senza Luna in general is a watch that's not been without controversy, the Banbery example is 100% certain to be correct. With a high estimate of HKD 40,000,000 (more than $5,000,000 at this writing), it appears poised to set a record for the reference. For more on this watch and on the curious case of the other six moonless ref. 3448 watches, check out this in-depth article that Cara authored in 2017. . Lot 2513 can be found here. Lot 2507 – Unique Platinum Patek Philippe Ref. 1415 HU Mid-century Patek Philippe World Time watches are practically a category unto themselves. Just over a week ago, we saw Phillips sell an example of the twin-crown Ref. 2523 "Eurasia" for nearly $8 million. This followed a pink gold example with a blue enamel dial signed by the Milanese retailer Gobbi, sold by Christie's in Hong Kong for HKD 70.175 million in 2019, setting the record for the most expensive watch sold in Asia. Smaller than the ref. 2523 and bearing the earlier design, the platinum 1415HU at Christie's is every bit as interesting and a watch with its own unique history. Back in 2002, when it last sold publicly, this watch went for 6,603,500 Swiss francs, setting a record for world's most expensive wristwatch at the time. If its current high estimate of HKD 24,000,000 (USD 3,090,413 at this writing) seems quaint compared to the prices we've seen for larger Patek 2523 World Time watches, it's probably because current tastes favor the larger cases and dual crowns of watches like the 2523/1, also in this sale. Like the 2523, the 1415 HU is the work of famed Geneva watchmaker and movement fabricator Louis Cottier, best known for his innovative world time complication, which he invented in 1931. Lot 2507 is one of two 1415s coming up for sale in the Hong Kong evening sale. The very next lot is a pink gold example with a cloisonne enamel world map dial, manufactured in 1949. And rounding out Patek World Time lots, there is a 2523/1 in yellow gold just one lot later. Interestingly, all three of these lots carry the same high estimate of HKD 24,000,000. These watches are all special, but the unique nature of the platinum lot and the fact that it once reigned supreme as the most expensive watch in the world make it especially worthy of attention. Lot 2507 can be found here. Lot 2506 – Patek Philippe Gradowski Grande Complication In 1890, Patek Philippe made the Gradowski Grande Complication, its most complicated watch to date. Purchased by Polish nobleman and Patek Philippe client Jean de Gradowski, the watch has a long list of horological complications, including a grande et petite sonnerie, instantaneous perpetual calendar, and indications for both the Julian and Gregorian Calendars, as well as the moon phase and a chronograph capable of recording events up to 60 minutes. One may wonder why an indication for the date according to two different calendar systems would be desirable. Good question. The Gregorian calendar was promulgated by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582, but it was not uniformly adopted as a replacement for the Julian calendar. Some of the later holdouts were various countries in Eastern Europe and the Islamic world, notably Bulgaria (1916), Russia (1918), and the Ottoman Empire, whose Rumi calendar was realigned from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar starting in 1917. As an internationally traveling, Geneva-dwelling nobleman, Gradowski may have wanted to know the date in the places still using the Julian calendar. Though the Gradowski name may be overshadowed by famous American collectors like Graves and Packard, this early and unique Patek Philippe Grande Complication is an important piece of watchmaking history and last sold in 2002, also in Hong Kong. It's high estimate is HKD 12,000,000 ($1.549 million). Lot 2506 can be found here. The Christie's Legends of Time sale will begin at 7 PM Hong Kong time (7 AM in New York) on Saturday, May 22nd. For more, visit Christie's.There's plenty of firepower in the evening auction this weekend.