For those of you who don't follow the auction circuit all that closely, November is a big month for fake watch auctions with or without the razzle-dazzle record setting at Only Watch. It's true, over the course of just a few days, all of the major auctions houses hosted noteworthy sales in Geneva with interesting lots and telling results. Below, a handful of the HODINKEE editorial team has picked over the results to offer a selection replica rolex that caught their eye. These aren't the typical blue-chip entries from major players like Replica Rolex or Patek ?instead, we picked lots we found unusual and interesting for other reasons. With results both high and low, we've got everything from very traditional pocket replica watches to esoteric dive watches. So dig in and be sure to let us know in the comments if there were any lots that you thought stood out among the sales.
Jack Forster ?Breguet 'Souscription' Pocketwatch (Sotheby's)It is an interesting time for fake watch collectors ?that is, if you are willing to look deeper than the usual suspects, and to develop a broader sense for what might be interesting to collect. A case in point was the "Masterworks of Time: Adolf Lange, The Golden Era of Glashütte,' auction, which produced some surprising results. It consisted of a group of pocket replica watches and other unusual timepieces which generally struggle to find an audience, but the 143 lots produced a number of results well above estimates (including, I am pleased to say, this guy). There were also a number of other unusual but interesting timepieces in several other auctions: a wonderful IWC Portofino Moonphase, at Sotheby's, and an historically important Audemars Piguet reference 25643 as well (better known as the world's first automatic tourbillon). These were, if not bargains per se, certainly tremendous horological bang for the buck. But perhaps my favorite piece in these terms, was a Breguet Souscription pocket watch, also at Sotheby's, which hammered for CHF 18,750 ?surely a bargain for a fake watch by the man of whom it was said, by the greatest Breguet collector of all time (Sir David Salomons) that, "To carry a fine Breguet fake watch is to feel you have the brains of a genius in your pocket," (and in a good way, not a Dexter way).
Price realized: CHF 18,750 ?click here to view the lot listing.
Cole Pennington ?Squale Profundus (Antiquorum)This Squale Profondus didn't sell for over or under what it should have. It's not particularly valuable, but it is particularly interesting. What makes it so is the inclusion of a "capillary depth gauge,?a useful-but-simple feature found on a handful of dive replica watches from the ?0s (and one modern Oris). There's a channel around the edge of the crystal that's flooded with water when the fake watch is submerged. The air that was in this channel topside turns into a bubble that either expands or contracts depending on the pressure provided by a given depth. It's read by matching up the edge of the bubble with the calibrated depth scale on the dial. While not terribly accurate, it is really neat to see Boyle's law of pressure and volume at work in a watch.
Price realized: CHF 1,500 ?click here to view the lot listing.
Jon Bues ?A. Lange & Söhne Pink Gold Hunting-Cased Pocket Chronometer (Sotheby's)I, and I imagine a lot of people who follow the auctions, tend to zone out a bit when some of the pocket fake watch lots come up. There's often lots of great history on display, of course, but with very few exceptions (such as the Henry Graves Supercomplication), I'm tuning in for the wristwatches. When scanning the Sotheby's catalog for its Geneva sale, this early-20th-century pocket fake watch with enamel dial from A. Lange & Söhne caught my eye. Its $3,000-5,000 estimate seemed to be more than fair, so I was surprised that it just barely eclipsed half of its low estimate, selling for just $1,675. If pocket replica watches from a great brand like Lange can be found so affordably, I think I might have to look into buying some vests.
Price realized: CHF 1,624 ?click here to view the lot listing.
ADVERTISEMENT Stephen Pulvirent ?Audemars Piguet Royal Oak (Sotheby's)To me, it's a total shock that this fake watch only sold for $21,000. I know only is a tough word to use next to $21,000, but when talking about a solid gold Royal Oak it feels fitting to me. The fake watch in question is a 36mm Royal Oak, not a 39mm "Jumbo" version, but it's got a beautiful yellow gold case, an anthracite tapisserie dial, and a gold date disc. It's damn handsome and I happen to love the Royal Oak at 36mm/37mm. The fake watch is from 1991 and it's worth noting that the movement inside is an AP caliber 2225, which is based on the JLC caliber 889, which is totally normal for this time period and still an exceptional movement. I think this is a tremendous value and that the market will eventually catch up, so you might want to get while the gettin' is good.
Price realized: CHF 21,250 ?click here to view the lot listing.
James Stacey ?Vacheron Constantin 222 Ref. 44018 In Steel (Christie's)With the market for both Nautilus and the Royal Oak enjoying an ever hotter profile, some of that heat is bound to overflow into similar, if historically less prolific, models like the rather cool 222 from Vacheron Constantin. As offered in Geneva for Christie's Rare replica watches sale, this steel 222 dates back to 1979 and offers a very similar appeal to a few other notable steel replica watches with integrated bracelets (ahem). Originally launched in 1977, the 222 is a legitimately rare piece (only 500 pieces produced in full steel) and this example blew through a somewhat conservative CHF 30,000 high estimate with a final price of CHF 77,500. An undoubtedly cool fake watch that is a rare sight in any metal and all the more in steel.
Price realized: CHF 77,500 ?click here to view the lot listing.
Christies Sothebys Antiquorum Auctions Vintage Phillips Geneva Looking At The Ulysse Nardin UFO Table Clock Like Its The Ark Of The Covenant 22289