During the sessions, Phillips registered two records: the highest price achieved for a gold Patek Philippe Reference 2499 which fetched CHF 2.8 million ($ 2.8/€ 2.4) and a world record for highest price achieved for an Omega sold at auction. One of the highlights of the evening was a unique Omega Tourbillon Wristwatch which smashed the world record for any Omega ever presented at auction – realising CHF 1.4 million ($ 1.4/€ 1.2) – becoming the first Omega timepiece to surpass CHF 1 million in the process.
The Fall season’s watch auctions held by Phillips, in Association with Bacs & Russo, on 11 and 12 November 2017 realised a combined total of CHF 23.9 million ($ 24.1/€ 20.6), the highest result for any auction house this season in Geneva. Aurel Bacs, Senior Consultant, expressed his satisfaction after the sales: “This was one of the most beautiful auctions over which I have presided and I can hardly remember one so well attended and with such active bidding in the room, on the phones, and especially online. Overall, we counted over one thousand registered bidders, showing the ever-growing appeal of vintage watches of the highest quality. It’s worth mentioning that Omega has now broken through the horological ‘Mach 1’, meaning that a vintage wristwatch of their production has sold in excess of the elusive US $1 million threshold.”