Sleeper Grails: 3 Under-the-Radar Watches That Serious Collectors Love

Grail watches are called grail watches because everyone's chasing them 806, created in partnership with noted Breitling collector and historian Fred Mandelbaum, was one of 2019's biggest releases, and early editions of the iconic pilot's watch are already worth a look Paul Boutros, head of watches for the Americas at Phillips, says an "Identical model and configuration," manufactured in June 1962 and worn by another Mercury- Atlas 7 astronaut, sold for $156,250 at the auction house's Game Changers sale in December.

Boutros says, "Its rarity, remarkable state of preservation and impeccable provenance make it among the most important Breitling watches ever to appear at an international auction." "The Tornek-Rayville is the ultimate sleeper grail military watch," says vintage-watch specialist Eric Wind, of Wind Vintage "It's something only top vintage- watch experts would recognize on your wrist." Surviving models have recently sold at auction for up to $150,000 This watch sold at Christie's in 2016 for $32,500, more than twice its top estimate, and is coveted even by serious collectors used to shelling out six figures and more. Source