eBay has teamed up with Connoisseur of Time, a specialist in pre-owned watches once owned by celebrities, to offer a curated collection of timepieces with connections to the stage and screen.
All of the watches in the collection are listed as “buy it now” as opposed to purchasing via auction, so the price you see is the price you pay. And, as the pieces are sold on a first-come-first-served basis, they are not expected to be around for long.
The month-long sale includes pieces associated with American entertainment through the 20th century including items owned by Ed Sullivan, Steve Martin, Greta Garbo and Prince.
Some include personal engraved messages that illustrate their connection to the A-listers.
The earliest watch and a travel clock in the sale were both manufactured as far back as the 1930s.
To see the entire collection, visit https://www.ebay.com/e/fashion/seller-spotlight-a-connoisseur-of-time-081423
eBay & Connoisseur of Time sale
(with item descriptions from eBay)
1934 Black Starr & Frost by Zenith, gifted by
Ed Sullivan, $3,995
The watch features a very classic and pleasing design with Breguet numeral dial.
The inscription reads, “To Harry – My Favorite Life Saver!! – Sincere Regards – From – Ed Sullivan – July 11, 1934.”
1934 Fine Swiss SS Travel Watch, owned by
Steve Martin, $2,695
Art Deco purse style design and is housed in a sterling silver case that bears hallmarks from Birmingham, England in 1934.
The centerpiece of the watch is a guilloche textured black dial with luminous markers and hands.
Powering it is a high quality Swiss movement made by Sapho of Geneva, complete with two adjustments for more accurate timekeeping.
Its quality is on par with Omega and other similar Swiss firms.
1960s Bulova Accutron Desk Watch, owned by
Greta Garbo, $2,895
Launched in 1960, the Accutron was the world’s first fully electric watch and at the time the most accurate timekeeping mechanism ever devised.
They are remarkable watches with a fascinating story. Miss. Garbo’s Accutron desk clock has a distinctive brass case and diminutive size and appears to be an early example of an Accutron, when the technology was especially cutting edge and exciting.
1960s Asprey Baume & Mercier, worn by
Jerry Lewis, $3,295
This watch features a white Roman dial and 18K gold case. It has all of its original parts and is in pleasing condition and the case is left unpolished.
Versace Medusa, owned by Prince, $11,995
The case and buckle are done in Egyptian revival style and the black dial prominently features a gold medallion of Medusa.
It comes on its original moderately worn leather strap – this is a watch that has seen many days of wrist time – and is a full-sized rectangular watch.
A handmade hole, presumably done by Prince, has been previously added to the strap to make it accommodate a smaller wrist than the factory holes.
Vintage Piaget, owned by Siegfried & Roy, $9,995
Made from 18K gold its thin case repeats the decoration from the bracelet and serves as a fitting housing for one of the thinnest movements ever made: Piaget’s award-winning 9P series high grade movement.
Krieger Afficianado Men’s Gold Chronograph, owned and worn by Kenny Rogers, $3,995
Stainless-steel and 18K gold automatic chronograph showing hours, minutes and subsidiary seconds, with quick-setting day and date.
