Rare Cartier Desk Clocks to be Offered on December 11th Collectors of fine watches are eagerly awaiting Bonhams’ December 11 three-city simulcast auction of Fine Watches and Wristwatches featuring the renowned Clavius Collection.
Collectors of fine watches are eagerly awaiting Bonhams’ December 11 three-city simulcast auction, the Winter sale of Fine Watches and Wristwatches, set to begin at 5:00pm EDT. The auction will be held in the international auctioneer’s Madison Avenue salesrooms and simulcast to Bonhams & Butterfields’ Los Angeles and San Francisco galleries.
Inarguably the most highly anticipated aspect of the sale is the presentation of wristwatches from the renowned Clavius Collection. Assembled by a California collector and entrepreneur, the collection aptly derives its name from the celebrated mathematician, inventor and astronomer Christopher Clavius -- the primary architect of the Gregorian calendar and the scholar responsible for standardization of modern time.
Bringing together some of the finest contemporary examples of refined craftsmanship and technical mastery in horology instruments, the pieces to be offered are, according to Bonhams specialists, all especially rich in grand complications and intricate artistic embellishment.
Quite possibly the most coveted piece from the collection - and the sale as a whole - is an extremely fine and important 18k rose gold Westminster Carillon wristwatch by Girard-Perregaux. To be offered along with its fitted presentation box, setting pin, key, original certificate of authenticity and hardback two-volume instruction book, the exceptional piece could fetch as much as $150,000.
The rhodium-plated minute-repeating wristwatch features a visible one-minute tourbillon regulator under three bridges and a tourbillon carriage of the type designed by Ernest Guinand.
The watch’s perpetual calendar with leap year indication boasts a cream dial with gold faceted dagger hour markers and subsidiary dials with outer gilt ring for date, day of the week, and month. Its brushed and polished case is highlighted by a glazed exhibition back held by sapphire crystals and its fitted maker’s leather strap is secured with an 18k rose gold folding clasp.
Also exciting from the collection is the complete series of three very fine and rare platinum astronomical wristwatches by Ulysse Nardin. Comprising the "Astrolabium Galileo Galilei," the "Planetarium Copernicus," and the "Tellurium Johannes Kepler," the trio claims a number of impressive features.
The “Galileo Galilei” watch is identified by its distinctive sun hand indicating solar hour, sunrise, sunset, dawn, dusk, month and zodiac sign. Its moon hand indicates moonrise, moonset and phases of the moon. The “Tellurium Johannes Kepler” watch is known for its rotating enameled center dial (depicting the Northern hemisphere). Its flexible wire spring divides night and day and indicates the changing length of day throughout the year. Rounding out the group, the “Planetarium Copernicus” possesses a dial composed of six black steel rings, each featuring a planet rotating around the sun -- which is represented by the center of the watch. An outer ring is calibrated for monthly and annual Zodiac rotations. Presented with a fitted Ulysse Nardin/Scatola del Tempo winding box, tool kit, certificates, swing tags and instruction books, the three-watch set is estimated at $80/100,000.
Another lot from the Clavius Collection - an extremely fine and important platinum automatic minute repeating bracelet watch by IWC - is also expected to
