Auction mido watch ettore bugatti 14

Ettore Bugatti’s personal Mido watch heads to auction

Historic timepiece has a pre-sale estimate of €80,000 to €120,000, but worldwide interest in the auction could push the price higher.

A rare Mido watch, commissioned and owned by legendary car maker Ettore Bugatti, is up for auction in France next month.

The Italian-born French automobile designer and manufacturer, who built Bugatti in the early 20th century, commissioned a number of watches from Swiss watchmaker Mido during his career, many of them as gifts or prizes for racing drivers of the time.

The piece on sale on April 16 at a specialist auction for vintage watches and automobiles is described as Mr Bugatti’s personal watch.

It has a pre-sale estimate of €80,000 to €120,000, but worldwide interest in the auction could push the price higher.

Collectors can register their interest and place bids online at www.stanislasmachoir.com.

The watch, which is designed to look like the radiator of Bugatti cars of the era, was ordered from Mido some time between 1926 and 1932.

All the Mido Bugatti watches were originally on leather straps except Mr Bugatti’s personal piece, which is on a yellow gold bracelet.

Its gold case, housing a manually wound movement, weighs 27.2 grams and measures 22.5mm by 34mm.

Auction mido watch ettore bugatti 1

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *