Zurich-based Ineichen Auctioneers will focus on collectible watches made with a prominent shade of blue on its dial or case.
The “Precious Blues” auction will be live on April 23 with fifty watches. Look for pieces from Vacheron Constantin, De Bethune, Daniel Roth, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Greubel Forsey and Patek Philippe among the auction headliners.
Let’s take a look at a few highlights.
Lot 5
Patek Philippe
Nautilus Chronograph
Estimate: $85 900 to $107,400
From 2019, this 40.5mm stainless steel and rose gold wristwatch features a thickness of 12.2mm, a screw-down crown and sapphire caseback. Its blue sunburst and gradient (fumé) relief dial with applied luminous rose gold indexes, double sunken sub-dial with fine circular grooves is stunning.
Inside is Caliber CH 28-520 C/522, a self-winding movement with a 21-karat gold rotor, 55-hour power reserve and marked with the Patek Philippe seal. Functions: hours and minutes, flyback chronograph with central seconds hand and concentric 30-minute and 12-hour counters at 6 o’clock, date aperture at 3 o’clock. Nautilus bracelet with the first-generation triple folding clasp.
Lot 22
De Bethune
DB28 Kind of Blue
Estimate: $75,200 to $96,650
A rare and attractive model by De Bethune produced between 2016–2020. Its case is 42.6mm blued titanium,9.3mm thick, with mobile (‘floating’) lugs in blued titanium with pivoting system, sapphire caseback, blued titanium caseback rim with logo, scale of power reserve indicator, reference (as “DB28B Ti”) and watch number in numbered edition.
The watch features an open dial and rose gold hands. Thin hand-wound caliber DB2115V4 with balance and spiral on the dial side powers the watch with a double barrel and 6-day power reserve. Functions: hours, minutes, spherical moonphase indicator at 6 o’clock, accurate to within one day every 122 years, performance indicator (a kind of power reserve indicator) between 2 and 3 o’clock, and power reserve indicator on the caliber reverse. Black De Bethune leather strap with De Bethune pin buckle in blued titanium with gold pin. Numbered edition.
Lot 23
Greubel Forsey,
Tourbillon 24 Secondes Contemporain
Estimate: $107,400 to $161,050
An extremely rare and important limited edition complicated wristwatch from Greubel Forsey. This limited edition of 33 pieces was launched in 2013. Its 43.5mm case is made of 18-karat rose gold and measures 15.2mm thick with a blue textured dial, transparent sapphire chapter ring, sapphire caseback. 
Inside you will find hand-wound tourbillon GF01c with a power reserve up to 72 hours. Functions: hours, minutes, small seconds hand at 10 o’clock, 24-second inclined tourbillon, power reserve indicator at 4 o’clock. Dark blue leather strap, Greubel Forsey 18-karat rose gold triple folding clasp.
Lot 49
Alain Silberstein
Tourbillon Volant
Estimate: $16,150 to $21,500
An unusual limited-edition (of 500) stainless-steel wristwatch from Parisian architect and designer Alain Silberstein. This limited edition launched in 2003 and features a case in 40mm stainless steel, 11mm thick, with a sapphire caseback. Its skeleton dial features a peripheral silvered white chapter ring and white ceramic scale for date indication at 12 o’clock (date markings of the present example are patinated and nearly faded out).
Note the characteristic Silberstein Bauhaus-style red and blue hands. Inside is Caliber ASC 1.1, a Swiss made, hand-wound movement with blue PVD-coated mainplate and personalized copper-colored bridges, power reserve up to 72 hours. Functions: indication of time in hours and minutes, flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock, date pointer at 12 o’clock. Black leather strap, Alain Silberstein stainless-steel pin buckle.
Lot 29
Daniel Roth
Perpetual Calendar Unique Piece
Estimate: $42,950 to $53,700
This impressive sapphire-set platinum wristwatch features a baguette-cut sapphire bezel and lugs. The reference 121.Y.70.722 from the Master’s Grandes Complications collection was launched in 2007. Estimated production span: 2007–2010s. The double ellipse-shaped platinum case measures 44mm x 41mm and is 13mm thick with a matte silvered and mother-of-pearl skeleton dial.
The Perpetual Calendar Time Equation watch is powered by the self-winding DR114 caliber, based on a Girard-Perregaux GP3000 movement-blank and accommodates an additional in-house module for the perpetual calendar, equation of time, moonphase, and number of days in the month complications. Functions: indication of time in hours and minutes, perpetual calendar with date, day of the week, month and leap year indicators, equation of time sub-dial between 10 and 11 o’clock, number of days in the month indicator between 1 and 2 o’clock, moonphase indicator at 12 o’clock. Black leather strap with 18k white gold Daniel Roth double folding clasp. Piece unique.
Lot 32
Konstantin Chaykin
Genius Temporis Prototype
Estimate: $21,500 to $26,850
In the development of the Genius Temporis project, Konstantin Chaykin attempted to combine the Renaissance-style aesthetics of early portable personal clocks and watches of the 16th century with the sophisticated, quirky, modern mechanics of the switching time indication system he invented in 2012 (described in his patent RU2511700). He started working on the wristwatch prototype in late 2013, intending to show the watch at the Basel fair. The watch is powered by the hand-wound in-house K.01-5 caliber developed by Konstantin Chaykin for this model. 
Collectors can register pre-bids and participate in the auction live via the website or by phone via +41 44 298 11 44.
Source: Ineichen Auctioneers
