Record-Breaking Grand Seiko Sets Ground for $21.1M Watch Auction at Phillips New York
The Phillips auction also fetched a record price for F.P. Journe, Patek Philippe, Urwerk and George Daniels.
Seventeen of the works, including watches by Laurent Ferrier, Urwerk and Romain Gauthier, were part of the first Age of Art campaign, which raised $1.2 million for the nonprofit arts organization Swiss Academy. The institute offers public programs, education, community and engagement workshops, and exhibits in New York and beyond.
Paul Boutros, Head of Watches for the Americas at Phillips, said: “This sale brings together some of the most important collaborations between artists and watchmakers working today, successfully linking two worlds that rarely overlap.At the same time, raise funds for good causes.”
Another top-selling lot was Urwerk’s one-of-a-kind UR-102.02 Time for Art, which fetched $403,200, more than ten times its estimate and a new world record for a Urwerk watch. “Collectors’ enthusiasm for the watches on offer and the important work of the Swiss Institute has resulted in some very impressive prices, even setting new auction records for Urwerk watches,” said Boutrous.
“The great success of the first art age was not just a proof of concept,” said Simon Castell, executive chairman of the Swiss Institute. “This is a milestone that we hope will usher in a new era of creative collaboration between art and watchmaking.”
The team already plans to repeat the event two years from now. Mojdeh Cutter, Head of Partnerships and Events at the Swiss Academy and Managing Director of Time for Art, said: “There is a lot of interest in this new type of philanthropy that connects two creative worlds.”
