Phillips takes the lead yet again.

The three major auction houses who set the tone on the pre-owned watch market — Phillips, Sotheby's and Christie's — have taken different approaches to the November sales in Geneva. While Phillips and Sotheby's have gone all out, Christie's all but decided to give this one a miss.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves and take it one auction at a time. Collectors can expect to see the biggest program for Geneva's November sales in the Hotel President Geneva, which Phillips has recently made their new Genevan auction venue.

The auctions will be spread out over three days. So there are two auctions, beginning on November 8 with Reloaded: the Rebirth of Mechanical Watchmaking, 1980-1999, followed by the Geneva Watch Auction: XX, which runs on November 9-10.

We've already discussed important watches that this auction house is offering at their sales. One of them is the original Cosmograph Daytona "Rainbow" Ref. 16599SAAEC with the minimum price already set at CHF 3,000,000.

Another is the F.P.  Journe Tourbillon à Remontoire d'Egalité prototype from 1993 (the second wristwatch made by François-Paul Journe). This piece also happens to have a minimum bid set at CHF 2,000,000. Both models will be auctioned off at the Rebirth of Mechanical Watchmaking sale.

But what else has the longstanding leading auction house prepared for us? Thankfully, there are more watches worth looking at and even bidding for here.

Reloaded: The Rebirth of Mechanical Watchmaking, 1980-1999

The remarkable British watchmaker Derek Pratt (1938–2009) has been described as the greatest unknown watchmaker. For a long time, his name was only known among top watchmaking experts. Derek Pratt lived a humble life, regularly picking up awards for his work that only a narrow circle of experts and colleagues knew about.

Pratt created a pocket watch in the style of Abraham-Louis Breguet — improving some of the greatest inventions by the most renowned watchmaker who ever lived. Pratt's most important invention was the Double-Wheel Remontoir Tourbillon.

He installed an internal gear ring around the fourth wheel which the tourbillon cage sits on. This allowed both escape wheels to be driven separately so that one can turn in the opposite direction to the tourbillon. Each escape wheel was given its own separate remontoir spring.

So the resulting mechanism was equipped with two escape wheels which turn in opposite directions and serve as a double constant-force escapement, significantly increasing the watch's timekeeping accuracy. Pratt also invented his own wristwatch prototype with a détent escapement, similar to those only found in marine chronometers.

Many watchmakers who brazenly use his ideas and inventions have forgotten to mention Derek Pratt's name. One exception would be the Urban Jürgensen brand which was revived in the early 1980s. Out of great respect, the company mentioned the name of the man behind their sensational Derek Pratt for Urban Jürgensen Detent Escapement Tourbillon with Remontoire in an oval case, or simply the Derek Pratt Oval.

As the name suggests, this is a pocket watch with a détente escapement and tourbillon, but it also features a power reserve indication, a moon phase display, and a thermometer. This unique watch from 2005 in a platinum case measuring 76 mm × 62 mm is being offered at the same auction in Geneva.

Would-be buyers also need to pay a symbolic deposit of CHF 1,000,000 for it. This watch could well go down as a sensation. Another watch which could achieve a very good result is the platinum 34-mm Philippe Dufour Duality. It also has an unusual signature escapement with two balances — hence the name "Duality".

The model houses a manufacture movement which is very complex to make, assemble and regulate. The estimate for this lot is CHF 800,000 – 1,600,000. And isn't the Patek Philippe Ref. 3974 minute repeating perpetual calendar from 1989 with moon phase and 24-hour displays beautiful?

The watch was launched to mark the grand maison's 150th anniversary, and its automatic manufacture Caliber 27RQ was considered the most complicated at the time it was introduced. The movement even measured a mere 6.8 mm in height. This was the first automatic-winding, minute repeating watch ever made.

Its case measuring 36 mm is made of white gold. This case material is more suitable for watches with strikeworks than other precious metals. Patek Philippe started taking orders for the watch on the eve of the anniversary and delivered the last pieces eleven years later in 2000.

The exact number of these pieces made remains unknown. But what we do know for sure is that there were certainly very few. The present example has been given a very cautious estimate: CHF 600,000 - 1,200,000.

Geneva Watch Auction: XX

The star lot of Phillips' Geneva auctions this fall has got to be the Rolex Ref. 6264 chronograph. Thanks to its yellow-gold "Paul Newman Lemon" dial with "tropical" brown subsidiary registers and outer track, this watch from 1970 is being described as "extraordinarily rare". 

Its case measures 37.5 mm in diameter, is made of yellow gold like the bracelet. Rolex fans will engage in a fierce bidding battle for this chronograph, but the organizers have given it a cautious initial pre-sales estimate of CHF 800,000 - 1,600,000.

Generally speaking, the program for the Geneva Watch Auction: XX doesn't look as attractive as the lineup for Rebirth of Mechanical Watchmaking. There are another four models which could surpass the champion's million mark.

Two of them aren't the rarest, yet still iconic yellow-gold Patek Philippe Ref. 1518 pieces, plus there's an even more iconic Patek Philippe Ref. 2499 (also in yellow gold), and a Rolex Ref. 6062 "Stelline" model. The estimates for these four fluctuate in and around CHF 400,000 – 1,000,000.

Credits provided by: www.phillips.com