Fortuna’s second installment of “Important Watches” is just around the corner. From a Rolex Daytona Paul Newman to a 90s Gerald Genta rarity, there’s much to be coveted. The Watch Journal team sorted through the auction’s 66 lots to identify the pieces we wouldn’t mind investing in.
Cartier Tonneau Cintree Dual Time “Cartier is known for their fabulously shaped watches: the bathtub-inspired Baignoire, the melting Crash, the iconic rectangular Tank, just to name a few. The barrel-shaped Tonneau is one of the most elegant, and the dual time zones are completely useful for the modern day traveler, making for a most fascinating and unusual dial.” —Stephen Watson, Editor in Chief
Audemars Piguet Twenty Dollar Gold Coin Ref. 5610 BA “The development of ultra-thin movements in the mid to late 50s led to wildly creative timepiece applications like the use of currency and coins as dials and watch cases. Not only does this remarkable timepiece feature a mechanical movement with 32 hour (!) power reserve, it’s also slim enough to fit inside a hollowed out twenty dollar gold coin. Overall, a stunning piece.” —Max Prince, Deputy Editor
Audemars Piguet 18K Pink Gold Skeletonized Chronograph “A 1980s AP pink gold skeletonized chronograph in a female friendly 37 mm case size? This is a done deal for me. Pioneers in the field of complications, this Audemars Piguet marks an era of mechanical expertise that survived the 1970s quartz crisis. The skeletonized case provides a front row view of the chronograph mechanism in action. Elegantly hand engraved plates and bridges drive home the ultimate craftsmanship and value of this special timepiece.” —Katie Reed, Publisher
Gerald Genta “Success” Octagon Chronograph “Interest in Gerald Genta timepieces has been escalating for some time with rare examples becoming harder and harder to find. This octagon shaped chronograph from 1990 exhibits the best of the era—a carbon dial and a gleaming yellow gold case and bracelet. These wildly cool stylistic elements are in fashion once again. The 90s are back, baby!” —Courtney Kenefick, Special Projects Editor
Patek Philippe “Nautilus” Ref. 5712/1A “An untouched 42 mm blue dial Nautilus with date, power reserve, moon phase, and sweep seconds in stainless steel? With box and papers? You are looking at a relative holy grail. Patek retailers hold years-long waiting lists for a steel Nautilus, so good luck getting one any time soon. Skip the line, roll the dice, and head straight to Boardwalk and Park Place with Ref.5712.” —Marc Lotenberg, CEO
Rolex Daytona Paul Newman “A Rolex Paul Newman Ref. 6239 is the watch most Rolex fans would give their right arm for. With stunning results achieved for Newman’s own at Phillips last year (it sold for $17,752,500), the desirability factor for this watch goes without saying.” —Stephen Watson, Editor in Chief
Important Watches will take place at 1:00 PM on Thursday, September 27th. Register to bid here.
And when it comes to sartorial versatility, nothing beats a fine timepiece inside a steel case. It can take you anywhere and everywhere. This year, reassess your wardrobe by eliminating the unnecessary and paring down to the essential. Here are a few ideas…
The Look: Rolex Oyster Perpetual 39 ($5,700); rolex.com + A.P.C. Serge Shirt ($220) + A.P.C. New Standard Jeans ($220); apc-us.com
The Look: Breguet Type XXI Chronograph Ref. 3817 ($13,900); breguet.com + Todd Snyder Striped Brushed Wool Sweater ($298) + Todd Snyder Unconstructed Sport Coat ($598); toddsnyder.com
The Look: Glashütte Original Seventies Chronograph Panorama Date ($14,900); glashuette-original.com + Berluti Unlined Supple Wool Double Breasted Jacket, ($3,700) + Berluti Classic Wool Trouser ($1,010); berluti.com
The Look: Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 5711/1A ($24,836); patek.com + Officine Generale Paul Wool Pants ($370) + Officine Generale Benoit Italian Poplin Shirt ($225) + Officine Generale Cashmere V Neck Sweater ($475); officinegenerale.com
The Look: TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 1887 ($4,500); tagheuer.com + Ralph Lauren Cashmere Tickweave 3-Piece Suit ($9,995) + Ralph Lauren Purple Label Tailored End-on-End Shirt ($350); ralphlauren.com
The Look: Tudor Heritage Black Bay Chronograph ($5,050); tudorwatch.com + Louis Vuitton Double Face Jacket ($2,530) + Louis Vuitton Pique Crew Neck, ($920); louisvuitton.com
The Look: NOMOS Tangente Neomatic 39 Silvercut ($3,880); nomos-glashuette.com + A.P.C. New Standard Jean ($220); apc-us.com + Helmut Lang Vintage Jean Jacket ($420); similar at farfetch.com
The Look: Girard Perregaux Laureato 42 MM ($11,000); girard-perregaux.com + Brunello Cucinelli Crew Neck Sweater ($2,100) + Brunello Cucinelli Casual Trouser ($875) + Brunello Cucinelli Travel Bag ($4,895); brunellocucinelli.com
The Look: Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic True Second ($10,500); jaeger-lecoultre.com + Todd Snyder Striped Brushed Wool Sweater ($298); toddsnyder.com + Levi’s 501 Original Fit Jean ($60); levi.com
Photographs by Max Gaskins. Styling by Justin Arroyo.
The 23rd annual spring concours was moved, at the last minute, from Sunday to Saturday, because of weather. That didn’t hinder turnout, as more than 300 vehicles rolled onto the Golf Club of Amelia Island fairways. Best of Show honors went to a 1963 Ferrari 250/275P and 1929 Duesenberg J/SJ Convertible, while Rolex awarded its Timeless Elegance trophy to a 1962 Jaguar E-Type. Other highlights included an expert panel discussion on electric vehicles, led by Jaguar designer Ian Callum; the RM Sotheby’s auction, where a 1993 Porsche 911 Carrera RS sold for $1.65M, smashing the previous record for that model and vintage; and a black-tie gala at the Ritz-Carlton, hosted by Mercedes-Benz.
The resurgence of cocktail culture has brought a renaissance in classic mixology. Retro champagne recipes, like the French 75 and Royales—and even bubbly communal punches—are finding a contemporary audience. Elegant, crisp, sophisticated. Like a radiant gold watch. But let’s go a bit further.
Sparkling diamonds? Luminous dials? Smartly bronzed cases? They all bring the spirit of delightful libation. They also coordinate perfectly with gilded barware, perfect for whipping up chilled drinks and warm enchanted evenings.
So go ahead, indulge a little. Because, as F. Scott Fitzgerald said: “Too much of anything is bad, but too much champagne is just right.”
The world’s earliest civilizations kept time by observing the moon—tracking the days from one new moon to the next. The ancient Greeks took the process a leap further, inventing the Antikythera, one of the first-known complex machines. Housed in a wooden box with more than 30 bronze gears, the instrument could predict the moon’s phases and position in the sky. According to historians, the Antikythera’s four-annum cycle was used for adjusting to leap years or pinpointing the best city—sans eclipses—to host the next Olympic games.
Alas, this innovative tool (along with the instructions needed to replicate it) was lost at sea, near the isle for which it was later named. Other tinkerers wouldn’t catch up to the Antikythera’s technology for more than a thousand years. But by the late Middle Ages, Italian astronomer and engineer Giovanni Dondi dell-Orologio of Padua had created the Astrarium, an astrological clock that mapped the positions of the five then-known planets, along with the sun and the moon. This time, the device was reproduced—and shared widely—greatly influencing the burgeoning clock (and future watch) industries.
Rudimentary moon pointers—special discs that rotated on the dial to aim at numerals signifying the moon’s monthly age in days, from 1 to 29—can be found on pocket watches dating back to the turn of the 17th century. But since the real moon’s cycle is about a half day longer, these early versions required manually adjusting the watch at least every couple of years. Over time, the moon-phase complication became both more accurate and more beautiful as elaborate sky scenes were painted on or beneath the rotating discs (which sometimes had open holes to reproduce the waxing and waning of the moon). Adding more teeth to the gears turning these lunar mechanisms resulted in watches that needed far less correction. Some moon phases can now stay true for more than a thousand millennia.
Of course, in the current age of smartphones communicating with satellites in real time, moon phases no longer serve any functional purpose. Their value is purely historic and aesthetic, enhancing traditional timepieces with often gorgeous complications. Take the new Rolex Cellini Moonphase (reference 50535), for example. A handsome, oversize 39 mm case in 18-k Everose gold contains a self-winding movement made by Rolex with the company’s Superlative Chronometer certification, with an accuracy of plus or minus two seconds a day. The blue enamel disc at 6 o’clock tracks the various phases of the moon, indicated by an arrow indicator on the subdial. A full moon is depicted by a meteorite appliqué, while the new moon is designated by a simple silver ring.
The Cellini, the most elegant of Rolex’s styles, has long been overshadowed by the brand’s sportier models, like the Daytona and the Submariner. But this particular edition, designed with a subtle brown alligator-leather strap and spare white lacquer dial demands the spotlight—not least because it’s the first moon phase Rolex has issued in more than six decades.
“Rolex watches with a moon-phase indication are exceptionally rare—among the rarest of all of the brand’s historic and modern models,” says Paul Boutros, Americas & International Strategy advisor and senior vice president at Phillips auction house. Boutros points out that, before the new Cellini, only two Rolex moon phases were ever manufactured: “Reference 8171 and reference 6062 were both produced for only a few short years, from about 1950 until approximately 1954. Due to their timeless beauty, size, and rarity, these references are among the most sought-after of all vintage Rolex watches.”
One particular example, the Bao Dai Rolex, a 6062 moon phase in yellow gold with a black dial and diamond indices, once owned by the last emperor of Vietnam, has set records at Phillips both times it has come to market. It sold for $372,346 in 2002 and $5,034,084 in May of 2017, marking the highest price ever fetched by a Rolex, not once, but twice.
“The new Cellini is especially noteworthy since it is the first modern Rolex wristwatch to include a moon phase,” Boutros says. “Due to its large size and classic aesthetic, we believe it will sell well to collectors of modern, complicated wristwatches.”
Resale value is but one reason to get moonstruck.
WHERE TO WEAR IT
With the once stark line between work and leisure dissolving into a blur, few opportunities remain for true formal dress—and the Cellini Moonphase is, undoubtedly, a formal watch. Perhaps that’s why Rolex has become such an ardent supporter of the arts? It’s certainly one way to ensure the brand’s devotees can find suitable venues to exhibit their finery.
The company underwrites select performances at Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Royal Opera House in London, the Opéra National de Paris, the Sulzburg Festival and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in Austria, and the Metropolitan Opera in New York, which just celebrated its 50th year at Lincoln Center. Even at the Met, though, dress codes have eased. “Monday nights at the old Met [on Broadway and 39th Street] were all white tie,” says Susan Froemke, a filmmaker who documented the Met’s 1966 move to the Upper West Side in this year’s exceptional The Opera House. “Everybody adhered to those rules,” she adds. “The old house was built by the nouveau riche—the Vanderbilts, if you can believe it—people who couldn’t get boxes at the old Academy of Music. They wanted a place to be seen in their ermine and jewels.”
Now, at Lincoln Center, inside Wallace Harrison’s sleek Modernist temple to the arts, there’s considerably more variety in audience attire. “Today, people are coming straight from work,” Froemke says. “But luckily, they do still make an effort.”
Under the starburst “sputnik” chandeliers, the Cellini will look right at home.