The watch world has been buzzing with the results of several major auctions in New York this past week, as well as a few other interesting stories.
Sotheby’s Important Watch Auction
As you may or may not know, Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Bonham’s all held their important watch auctions last week here in New York. The talk of the town this time around was undoubtedly Sotheby’s who auctioned off several extraordinary Patek Philippe timepieces, including Lot 175; Patek Philippe’s first ever split-second chronograph which sold for a healthy US$2,965,000.
In case you missed it the guys over at Hodinkee have helpfully put together a nice break-down of all the important Patek pieces sold at that auction (including Lot 175), which I highly recommend checking out here.
Ulysse Nardin’s Freak Blue Cruiser
Taking a quick break from the auction scene the next item on our list is none other than the famed Ulysse Nardin Freak Blue Cruiser. Officially unveiled at Baselworld 2014, the Blue Cruiser is the latest in a line of exceptionally complex timepieces, otherwise known as Freaks. Instantly recognizable thanks to its avant garde design, the original Freak placed Ulysse Nardin squarely at forefront of watchmaking upon its release in 2001. Not much has changed since, with the brand continuing to use this futuristic model to pioneer new technology in watchmaking.
If you really want to appreciate the beauty of the new Freak Blue Cruiser though and the legacy it represents, you should head over to Quill & Pad where this great write-up will tell you everything you wanted to know and more.
Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Rolex
Over at Professional Watches meanwhile it’s time to receive an education of a slightly different kind, where the topic of discussion is none other than the 34th President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower and his very special watch. You see before he became President, Rolex gifted the five-star General a special 18K yellow gold Oyster Perpetual Datejust, which had engraved “DDE” on the caseback (his initials of course) along with five stars and the date “12-19-1950” which is the day he became NATO’s first Supreme Allied Commander. Why should any of that matter to you? Simple, the watch is going to be auctioned in September this year in Boston, giving you a chance to own your own piece of history.
Check out the full story here on Professional Watches for all the details.
Richard Mille RM 029 ‘Yellow Flash’
Meanwhile over at Monochrome the team had their attention focused firmly on the modern day, spending some time getting hands on with the super cool new Richard Mille RM 029 All Grey Boutique Edition ‘Yellow Flash’. This titanium beauty is limited to just 30 pieces worldwide and, as the name clearly spells out, is only available in selected Richard Mille boutiques. Personally it doesn’t really appeal to my tastes but then again I am pretty sure that me and my shallow pockets are not who Richard Mille are targeting with this hi-tech timepiece.
Head over to Monochrome for the full review plus more pictures.
Longines Automatic Diver Circa. 1960
Summer is coming to the Northern Hemisphere and so it’s time to start preparing your wrist for weekends by the water. That’s why our #VintageWatchFridays entry last week featured this awesome Longines Automatic Diver from 1960. In remarkably good condition for its 50+ years the Longines Diver is perfect for those lazy afternoons on the boat or when you need to keep track of how long you’ve spent at the swim-up bar (don’t worry though, it won’t judge you, unlike the bar tender.)
Check out the full write up here.
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