Bonhams Watches and Wristwatches, which took place in London on September 11, beat pre-sale estimates for a clutch of Rolex lots including ladies and men’s models.
The Watches and Wristwatches sales specialise in more affordable watches than its quarterly Fine Watches and Wristwatches auction.
The September sale had 232 items on the block, 80% of which sold, returning a total of £442,725 to the watches’ owners.
A Rolex stainless steel Pepsi bezel GMT Master, Ref:1675, Circa 1966, sold for £11,875 against a pre-sale estimate of £3,500- 4,500.
An 18ct rose gold automatic calendar bracelet Day-date Rolex watch, Ref. 118205 , Circa 2010, which was expected to sell for £6,000-8,000 went for £11,875.
Another lady’s Rolex platinum and diamond set automatic calendar bracelet Datejust watch, Ref. 179166, Circa 2001, sold for £11,250, nearly two times more than its estimate price.
A Rolex fine 18ct white gold automatic calendar bracelet, Ref. 179175F, last sold in March 2001, achieved £10,000.
Other makers performing well included Heuer, with A fine stainless steel automatic calendar chronograph square wristwatch Monaco, Ref: 1133 achieving £8,750.
Omega had several impressive examples offered, such as the stainless steel manual wind chronograph wristwatch Speedmaster, Ref: 1005.002-62 selling for £6,250.
Penny Morris, head of the Bonhams department, commented: “This latest watch sale at Bonhams demonstrates the positive market trends that we continue to see developing at auction. Interest in women’s watches remains very strong, as does the continually escalating interest in early pocket watches. This is wonderful to see and is a market I hope continues to grow as there are some truly outstanding models from both aesthetic and technical perspectives. Many of our top lots achieved well above their pre-sale estimate, with Rolex in particularly high demand as seen in the results of this sale.”
