Antiquorum: a behind-the-scenes look at an auction house

How is a sale organised? Where do the auctioned watches come from and how are prices estimated? Who are the bidders? Romain Réa, watchmaking expert and CEO of Antiquorum since 2017, takes us behind the scenes Prices are set in agreement with the seller, who may request a higher starting price than the estimate in which case Antiquorum will respect the client's wishes Unsold items - usually around 20% of the total - are put up for auction at the next sale with a lower estimate.

While most sales cover a variety of makers, Antiquorum occasionally holds single-brand auctions, such as its first Patek Philippe sale, in 1989 in Geneva The auction house has also moved online with its Online Live Auctions In another development, the Genevan auction house has recently branched out into accessories and jewellery, in addition to its core focus of timepieces.

Antiquorum resumed its face-to-face sales on June 28th at the Hôtel Beau-Rivage in Geneva, as always accompanied by online and phone bidding. . Source