Christie's Watches
The watch department of Christie's, the long-established global auction house. Operates major sales in Geneva, New York, Hong Kong, and Dubai. Historically the leading watch auction venue before Phillips; remains a top-three watch auction house globally.
Christie's Watches is the watch department of Christie's, the global auction house founded in 1766. Historically the leading venue for vintage and important watches (notably under Aurel Bacs in the late 2000s before he moved to Phillips), Christie's remains a top-three watch auction house globally, with major sales in Geneva, New York, Hong Kong, and Dubai.
Christie's watch market position
After Aurel Bacs's departure to Phillips in 2014, Christie's Watches went through a transition. Under subsequent leadership (notably John Reardon and Rebecca Ross), the department has maintained:
- High-end vintage Patek Philippe specialisation.
- Important Rolex consignments, including major Daytona and Submariner sales.
- Pocket-watch market leadership for very high-value historical pieces.
- Themed and single-owner sales that draw cross-collector attention.
Christie's results sometimes set the upper anchor for specific reference categories (especially Patek Philippe and pocket watches), while Phillips tends to dominate vintage Rolex and modern independents.
Major Christie's sales
- Geneva sales in May and November (concurrent with Phillips' Geneva sales).
- New York "Important Watches" sales in June and December.
- Hong Kong sales aligned with the Asian collector season.
- Single-owner collections when an important collector liquidates a lifetime portfolio.
Notable Christie's results
- Patek Philippe Reference 1518 in stainless steel sold for CHF 11 million in 2016, then a world record.
- Rolex Daytona 6263 "Albino" sold for $1.4 million in 2018.
- Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon Reference 6002G sold for $1.65 million in 2014.
Christie's versus Phillips for dealers
When consigning, dealers and collectors typically choose between Phillips and Christie's based on:
- Reference category. Vintage Rolex → Phillips tends to set higher results. Vintage Patek → both competitive; case-by-case.
- Provenance documentation needed. Christie's catalogue research is thorough; Phillips' lot essays are typically deeper.
- Estimate aggressiveness. Phillips estimates can be more aggressive on hot references; Christie's tends to set conservative estimates that allow for upward surprise.
- Commission negotiation. For very high-value single consignments, both houses offer reduced or zero seller commission to attract the lot.
For buyers, Christie's is competitive with Phillips on pricing for similar-quality lots. The buyer's premium is 26 to 27 percent, comparable across major watch auction venues.
For dealers, monitoring Christie's results alongside Phillips is part of the standard market-reading routine. Combined, the two auction houses define the upper bound of secondary-market pricing for vintage and rare references each season.
Related: auction-house, phillips-watches, sothebys-watches, secondary-market.