Patek Ref. 2499 Triumphs: Sotheby's sells one for $3.9-million, Christie's another for $3.2-million

The hero of the Geneva fall watch auctions was a rare Patek Philippe reference, two examples of which remarkably turned up in two sales a day apart this week in Geneva 2499 perpetual calendar chronograph sold at Sotheby's on Tuesday for $3,915,000, the highest price paid for a watch at auction this year A day earlier, Christie's sold another yellow gold Ref.

2499 sold in the Sotheby's auction was made in 1952 and retailed by Asprey of London in 1956 The same watch was last sold at a Sotheby's auction in 2006 for CHF 2.2-million, then the highest price paid to date for a Ref The reference is widely sought after for its large diameter case for the period: 376mm.

Speaking after the sale, Sam Hines, global head of Sotheby's watches, commented, "The enthusiasm we felt from international collectors before the sale has translated into strong bidding This watch is the ultimate 2499: enormously rare, absolutely pristine - a dream for watch lovers." 2499 was purchased in the early 1960s in Caracas, Venezuela, by the late father of the consignor of the watch. . Source