It could be worth close to $10M.
GENEVA – Sotheby’s will present the Patek Philippe Yellow-Gold Calibre 89, which it bills as “the most complicated watch ever created,” for auction at the Important Watches sale in Geneva on May 14.
It’s estimated value is $6.4 million to $9.9 million, according to Sotheby’s.
The auction house states: “After research began in 1980, nearly a decade of craftsmanship and refinement made the Calibre 89 the most complicated watch ever created when Patek Philippe unveiled it in 1989 to mark their 150th anniversary.”
“This is undoubtedly one of the most extraordinary timepieces we’ve ever had the privilege to offer,” said Daryn Schnipper, Sotheby’s chairman of the International Watch Division.
The Calibre 89 has 33 complications, nine more than Patek Philippe’s Henry Graves Supercomplication, which sold at Sotheby’s in 2014 for a record $24 million.
The Calibre 89 has 1,728 parts. In addition to the complex calendar functions, including a tourbillon escapement and an astronomical sun hand, it features a unique calendar which displays the date of Easter every year.
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Honoring a Legacy: How Smith & Son Jewelers Exceeded Every Goal With Wilkerson
When Andrew Smith decided to close the Springfield, Massachusetts location of Smith & Son Jewelers, the decision came down to family. His father was retiring after 72 years in the business, and Andrew wanted to spend more time with his children and soon-to-arrive grandchildren.
For this fourth-generation jeweler whose great-grandfather founded the company in 1918, closing the 107-year-old Springfield location required the right partner. Smith chose Wilkerson, and the experience exceeded expectations from start to finish.
"Everything they told me was 100% true," Smith says. "The ease and use of all their tools was wonderful."
The consultants' knowledge and expertise proved invaluable. Smith and his father set their own financial goal, but Wilkerson proposed three more ambitious targets. "We thought we would never make it," Smith explains. "We were dead wrong. We hit our first goal, second goal and third goal. It was amazing."
Smith's recommendation is emphatic: "I would never be able to do what they did by myself."
