Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo is calling for consignments to an auction in November for watches carrying the names of retail partners.
Major brands including Rolex and Patek Philippe have for decades rewarded their most loyal and successful partners by making watches carrying the retailers’ names.
Even today, watchmakers often choose major anniversaries to make watches for their partners in limited quantities.
Watches bearing the names of stores like Tiffany & Co., Serpico y Laino and Gübelin make them more rare and often more valuable.
The Phillips auction, Double Signed: A Celebration of the Finest Partnerships of Manufacturers and Retailers, aims to bring dozens of examples together for a sale in Geneva running back-to-back with its The Geneva Watch Auction: TEN auction on November 9.
“A first in watch auctions, Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo brings together some of the rarest, most coveted and unusual double signed timepieces with a goal to surprise and amaze collectors looking for more than a watch but a piece of horological history,” say Aurel Bacs, senior consultant of Bacs & Russo and Alex Ghotbi, head of sale, Phillips Geneva, in a joint statement.
Retailers around the globe were indeed paramount to the immense success watchmakers witnessed at the dawn of the 20th century, Phillips describes. “With their fingers strongly on the pulse of the market they ordered watches that would suit the tastes of local clienteles and this tradition prevails today, with coveted limited edition masterpieces made exclusively in partnership with high-end brands,” the auctioneer adds.
Individuals or businesses wanting to offering watches for the sale should e-mail the Phillips watch specialists team at watches@phillips.com.
