If you’re a luxury watch owner, it’s always interesting to see who sells theirs and for what price. Celebrities always seem to be collecting and selling timepieces — and usually for a good cause. Here are the latest good news stories about big watch sales.
A Rolex Daytona owned bchilloutsmutze ovyeshop negozitata lecosonnenschirm ovyeshop lamilanesaborse gioie-di-gea ovyescarpe coralblueoutlet relaxdaysonline 24h-bottle donkeywinkekatze guardianiscarpe gigasportoutfitdamen gigasport-online Paul Newman sold for $5,475,000 today in New York City at the Racing Pulse watch auction by Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo. The watch was a gift from Newman’s wife, Joanne Woodward, and bears the inscription “Drive slowly, Joanne” on the caseback.
Newman gave the watch, his daily wear for decades, to his daughter, Clea, who sold it with a portion of the proceeds going to Paul Newman charities. It is nicknamed the “Big Red” for its big red Daytona logo at 6 o’clock. The sale also included a Heuer Monaco ref. 1133, owned by Steve McQueen, selling for $2,208,000, more than 10 times its estimate and a world record for a Heuer watch. McQueen, who wore the watch in the film Le Mans, gifted it to his trusted mechanic, Haig Alltounian, after filming ended. It is inscribed to him on the case back along with the message “Thank you for keeping me alive all these months.”
There were several other celebrity-owned trophies in the provenance-powered auction, which totaled $27.6-million. Aside from the relics owned by Newman and McQueen, it included pieces owned by Sylvester Stallone, John Lennon, Andy Warhol, HRH Prince Albert of Monaco, Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary, Bono, HRH Prince Albert of Monaco, and Guy Laliberté, the founder of Cirque de Soliel.
Sylvester Stallone sold five watches in the auction for a combined total of $3,117,400, more than three times their estimate. Most famous was the Panerai Luminor he wore in the film Daylight, a model widely credited with launching the modern Panerai brand in the 1990s. It sold for $214,200. The other four were Richard Milles, including the RM 032 Stallone wore in the film The Expendables III ($816,500); an RM 52-01 skull, ($998,000); number 11 of the 50-piece edition RM 59-01 Yohan Blake “Beast” tourbillon, named for the Olympic sprinter ($816,500); and the ultra-complicated RM 25-01 Adventure Tourbillon Chronograph designed to answer the question “what watch would Rambo wear?” ($937,500).
Eleven watches grouped under the banner “Time Counts,” raised $2,107,350 for the One Drop Foundation, a charity that provides clean water in disadvantaged communities. Most were donated by celebrities, including a Rolex Daytona Ref. 116500LN owned by Kevin O’Leary, known as “Mr. Wonderful” of Shark Tank fame ($56,700); a Jaeger-LeCoultre owned by Bono ($60,480) that he had gifted to his father and then inherited; an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak owned by Prince Albert of Monaco ($163,800); and four Audemars Piguet Grand Complications all of the same reference but in different case metals owned by Cirque de Soleil founder Guy Laliberté.
Another favorite lot in the sale was a pair of white gold pocket watches, both made by American companies, one owned by John Lennon and the other by Andy Warhol. The two watches sold for $50,400. The Lennon watch, made by Howard, was originally sold at an estate auction by his wife, Yoko Ono, in 1984, and it is the only timepiece ever sold publicly with a direct link to John Lennon. The Warhol watch, made by Elgin, was originally sold at an estate auction of the artist’s belongings in 1988. Lennon and Warhol were good friends throughout the ’70s, and the consignor spent years tracking these pieces down. He was inspired by a photo of the pair taken by Bob Gruen, a photographer known for his documentation of rock ‘n’ roll history. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the charity Give Peace a Chance, an organization that raises awareness about human rights and prevents violence.
Are you looking to add to your luxury timepiece collection? Is 2021 the year for you to start the tradition of luxury watch ownership? Madison’s Jewelers can help you. Visit our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/madisonsjewelersorlando or give us a call at 561.368.1454 to see all we have to offer!