This year, Antiquorum is celebrating 30 years of watchmaking passion and a succession of spectacular auctions (see GMT no. 9). Many records have again been beaten over the past months, and those we are covering in this 10th issue of GMT have proved both intense and captivating. Last June for example, the New York sale devoted to Panerai ended with a total three times that of initial estimates! Two sales in New York in September and December, two in Geneva in October and November, including the traditional autumn theme sale, look set to enthral many of the world’s greatest collectors.

Osvaldo Patrizzi, President of Antiquorum, intends to take advantage of this truly exceptional year to step back a little and to devote himself more to appraisals and to customer relations, by delegating more of the administrative and marketing tasks. He is thus gradually surrounding himself with new talents, such as Dominique Bernaz to support him on all fronts, and Nicolas Mauboussin to head the French subsidiary. Dominique Bernaz is a familiar figure to GMT readers, since he was the object of a portrait last year in a special Rue du Rhône issue while he was managing the Roger Dubuis boutique, after many years in charge of that of Patek Philippe.

Commenting on the theme of this autumn sale, Dominique Bernaz says: “Osvaldo wished to highlight the timeless side of the design of each watch, to show how these creations are as beautiful today as they were forty years ago”. Etienne Leménager, wristwatch expert for Antiquorum, is delighted by the fact that the October auction is dedicated exclusively to exceptional or “spectacular” wristwatches. As there will be “only” 300 watches for auction (only half the amount in the April sale, for example), the selection criteria have achieved such a degree of exclusivity.

While Etienne Leménager is expecting the Patek Philippe perpetual calendar model (ref 3449), produced in a strictly limited edition of three, to set a new auction record at over two million Swiss francs, he also insists on the value of more modest pieces that have nonetheless made a genuine contribution to the history of watchmaking design, such as the 1930s Tissot single button chronograph, or the “Tri-compax” square button chronograph by Universal Genève from the 1950s. Rolex and Vacheron Constantin have naturally also exercised a considerable influence on the aesthetics of 20th century watches, and the 1930s triple date watch by Vacheron Constantin represents a fascinating foretaste of the grand auction that will be devoted to marking the 250th anniversary of the famous brand with the Maltese Cross.

Doubtless more than ever, today’s watch designers are vying with each other to demonstrate their ingenuity and originality in order to stand out from their peers. Some are experiencing spectacular success, while others continue patiently building the history of their brand: who can say which will still be in the collectors’ hit parade forty years from now? A selection of contemporary creations is presented over the following pages: it is up to you to judge which will be four times as valuable in the year 2050…