Sotheby's - Auction record for a Breguet clock
Yesterday's auction of Important Watches & Clocks at Sotheby's New York was led by The Duc d'Orleans Breguet Sympathique, which set a new auction record for any clock and the second-highest price for any timepiece at auction* when it sold for $6,802,500, above an estimate in excess of $5 million**. The distinguished example of the exceptionally rare Sympathique clocks, which helped cement the fame and renown of French watchmaker Abraham- Louis Breguet, was last offered at auction in Sotheby's 1999 sale of 'Masterpieces from the Time Museum,' when it achieved $5,777,500 - this price has remained the auction record for any clock until today's sale.
The Important Watches & Clocks auction totaled $11,672,988, marking the highest result for a various-owners sale of watches and clocks at Sotheby's New York. In addition to the Sympathique, both vintage and modern wristwatches by Patek Philippe dominated the day's top results, led by A Fine and Extremely Rare Massive 18K Yellow Gold Center Seconds Wristwatch, 1955, Ref 2512/1 that achieved $962,500, more than five times its high estimate of $150,000. The watch is a legend among collectors of Patek - at 46 millimeters in diameter, the dimensions of this reference are truly extraordinary, and the present example has remained in the same private collection since it was sold at Sotheby's in June 1988.