TIMEPIECES MADE BY TOP LUXURY BRANDS TO BE INCLUDED IN NOONANS AUCTION OF WATCHES

Timepieces made by the top luxury brands, such as Patek Philippe, Rolex, Cartier, IWC, Audemars Piguet and Breitling to name just a few will be included at Noonans Mayfair in a sale of Watches on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, at 12pm.

As Joanne Lewis, Watch Specialist at Noonans commented: “We are delighted with the forthcoming auction which for the first time has a standalone catalogue. Included will be impressive examples of horological innovation and craftsmanship as well as stunning limited-edition watches made during the significant collaboration between Breitling and Bentley Motors.”

Breitling is particularly well represented, with a string of highlights led by a c.2010 gold and diamond-set tourbillion chronograph wristwatch with mother-of-pearl dial. Created during the two-decade partnership between Breitling and the luxury British car manufacturer, which began in 2002 when Bentley and Breitling joined forces to design the on-board clock for the first ever Bentley Continental GT. It is estimated at £30,000-50,000 [lot 607].

A limited-edition gold and diamond-set automatic chronograph wristwatch with mother-of-pearl dial and date is another Breitling for Bentley creation, this one dating to c.2011. The 6.75, as it is known, was launched in 2004 and named after Bentley’s esteemed 6.75-litre engines which can be found in the L-series V8. All the timepieces in the collection are driven by Breitling’s high performance chronometer movements and are COSC certified. The watches also pay tribute to the luxury Bentley models with the case back stamped in relief with a Bentley wheel rim. This example is estimated at £24,000-30,000 [lot 606].

A pink gold and diamond-set rectangular Breitling wristwatch with jumping hours – the Flying B – dates to c.2010. It was named after the ‘Winged B’ emblem of Bentley which represents the exhilaration of motion and harks back to Bentley’s background in designing fighter plane engines during the World War I and is estimated at £20,000-30,000 [lot 573].

Another Breitling for Bentley watch from c.2010, the limited-edition gold automatic perpetual calendar Mulliner chronograph wristwatch with moon-phases, it reflects another significant partnership, that of Bentley and the famous coach builder, Mulliner. It is expected to fetch £8,000-12,000 [lot 605].

A highlight of the designs from Rolex is a c.2007 lady’s gold and diamond-set Pearlmaster automatic wristwatch with mother-of-pearl dial, date and bracelet. Rolex launched the Pearlmaster Masterpiece series in 1992, the same year in which it introduced the original Yacht-Master. At the heart of the watch is the classic Lady-Datejust model; adding to its allure, however, is its exclusively 18ct yellow gold, white gold and everose case adorned with multiple flawless diamonds. It has a pre-sale estimate of £20,000-30,000 [lot 548].

“These timepieces are beautiful examples of the craftmanship of the watchmaker and the art of the jeweller coming together to create exclusive, elegant models for women,” adds Joanne.

From Patek Philippe comes a rare gold twenty-dollar coin watch dating to 1974. Coin watches were first produced in the 1920s. These rare ultra-thin timepieces are made of two actual coins to construct the outer case and an extract from the archives confirms the date of manufacture of 1974 for this example and a date of sale of October 16th, 1979. It is estimated at £14,000-18,000 [lot 515].

Another fine example of a rare coin watch in the sale is the Cartier / Bueche-Girod rare Charles II five Guinea gold coin watch which dates to c.1962 and has an estimate of £4,000-6,000. Cartier are thought to have been the first to produce the novelty coin timepiece in the 1920s [Lot 522].

As Joanne Lewis adds: “Prestigious brands such as Cartier, Patek Philippe, Piaget, Corum and Vacheron Constantin have produced examples of these interesting, collectable, novelty timepieces over the years.”

The Tank is arguably Cartier’s most distinctive and instantly recognisable design. A c.2006 gold rectangular dual time zone Tank A Vis wristwatch, from the Collection Privée Cartier Paris, launched in 1998, it features the Tank’s signature enlarged yet elegant rectangular case and a finely decorated manual winding movement. It carries an estimate of £7,000-10,000 [lot 580].