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Worldtempus - 21 December 2010

Two years of celebrations led to an eventful auction in London in this past week. After commemorating the fortieth anniversary of the Monaco in 2009, TAG Heuer ended 2010 - also the year of its 150th anniversary - on a high note thanks to a passionate Austrian collector by the name of Arno Michael Haslinger: the auction of the so-called Haslinger Collection amassed a total of £475,764 and set a few stunning new world records for vintage Heuer timepieces.

This sale marked the first exclusive Heuer auction ever, and the salesroom at Bonhams' premises on New Bond Street was packed with several hundred enthusiasts and aficionados coming from 18 different countries in addition to a few TAG Heuer representatives looking to buy a few more historical timepieces for the brand's museum. Many telephone and Internet bidders also participated from around the globe. By the end of the event, all parties seemed quite happy - particularly the auction's guiding lights: Arno Haslinger and his friend Paul Maudsley, head of the watch department at Bonhams.
Curiously, it all started with the hip "Steve McQueen" Monaco that Haslinger's father, a university professor, gave his son for his thirtieth birthday. Haslinger then spent almost a decade of his life searching out new pieces from the most improbable sources all over the world. So why did he sell his collection? "I'm restoring a house from the fourteenth century; it is quite expensive," he said in answer to my query. "And the ball is round - if you build a collection over the course of ten years and do a book about it, it's a full circle."

Despite the auction, Haslinger has kept a few vintage Heuers for himself: "I have a few different models, but the timepieces seen at the auction were exactly the 81 watches used to produce the book; these were the best 81 pieces I had by 2007/2008. We used the same photographs in the auction catalogue. The ones I kept are not documented and I will never write a second book. That chapter is now closed."

Black Magic: £48,000 for a PVD Monaco
But is it? Sitting together after an exhausting afternoon that included a second auction of about 450 more timepieces, Paul Maudsley hinted "there might be a Haslinger Collection Part II," while the collector smiled: he was wearing a (non-auctioned) red 1974 Silverstone on his wrist.

Haslinger was understandably nervous throughout the auction: "I was not allowed to bid on my own auction, obviously; Bonhams was very clever in not showing me any kind of bidding information, so I had no idea how many bids we had and who was bidding. There are always a few regrets, letting a few of those pieces go. But the auction exceeded my expectations, especially the "Black" Monaco and the Autavia Chronomatic," he commented. "Then again, I always knew they were very special watches, especially the Monaco because it is such an amazing new old stock piece."
That 1974 Monaco with a black PVD-coated case experienced ping pong-like bidding until the hammer came down at £40,000 (totaling £48,000 with buyers' premium), making it the most expensive pre-owned Heuer timepiece ever and smashing its pre-sale estimate of £10,000 to £15,000. Another record was set by a 1969 Autavia with a rare "Chronomatic" inscription, which sold for £30,000 (the initial estimate was £10,000-15,000), while an 18-karat gold 1972 Carrera (the one Jack Heuer fingers as his favorite model in the company's history) brought in £22,800. A 1970 Monaco (the same model as that worn by Steve McQueen in the famous racing film "Le Mans") sold for £18,000.

Museum Obtains New Additions
The only contemporary timepiece on show was the last to be auctioned: a unique Silverstone model donated by TAG Heuer especially for the auction. It fetched £12,000 (pre-sale estimate: £5,000-7,000). All proceeds from its sale are going to Green Cross International; Bonhams and Arno Haslinger are also donating all the proceeds from the original red Heuer Silverstone sold to the worthwhile charity.
Neither Jack Heuer nor CEO Jean-Christophe Babin were present, but TAG Heuer had representatives watching closely: Mathilde Tournois (curator of the TAG Heuer Museum) and Natalia Bojanic (TAG Heuer UK). "I came to buy or try to buy what we needed for the museum; we are happy because our initial list comprised about ten pieces and we got almost half of those plus a few we managed to buy in a last-minute decision," said Tournois. "I can't disclose the budget, but it was a good budget. We tried but couldn't buy the most expensive ones. Anyway, this kind of auction is really good for the company."
The most significant selection of the brand's watches ever to be auctioned demonstrated the perfect marriage between watches and motorsport throughout the 1960s and 1970s in typical Heuer fashion. The sale has certainly set the standard for Heuer prices in the future.