Christie’s New York, 7 June – some of our favourites

Lot 55 – Vacheron Constantin 4261 minute repeater

A sublime minute repeater cased in platinum: a large 36mm case, a 13”’ movement without small seconds and a probably unique two-tone sector dial. The catalogue states that it is believed to be the first platinum example made, with case number 318000 (the “000” is also marked inside the lug at 11 o’clock).

Christie’s offered another 4261 in its November 2015 sale (see our picks for that sale). That watch had a 12”’ movement, a 34mm pink gold case and a champagne sector dial, and sold for CHF 257,000. A buyer of that pink gold example would do well to pursue this platinum one as well. These are real gentlemen’s dress watches, and with them one can speak of true rarity. Estimate $200,000–400,000.

Case back of the Vacheron Constantin 4261 with an engraved case back and black strap — The case back

The slim profile

Lot 153 – A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1, steel, black dial

The case design and movement architecture of A. Lange & Söhne are exceptionally beautiful, and one wonders what the house might have made had it existed when the legends were created between 1950 and 1980. This steel Lange 1 with black dial is something very special. It is believed that only three were made with black dials, and it will probably remain a one-off opportunity for a Lange collector. Estimate $200,000–400,000.

Steel Lange 1 with a black dial, gold numerals and a large date window — A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1, steel, black dial

Case back of the steel Lange 1 showing the textured movement plate — The movement

Lot 85 – Patek Philippe enamel table clock, “The Lady and the Unicorn”

An important Patek Philippe enamel table clock retailed by Cartier. Only two of these dome enamel clocks are known signed Cartier: this one, and “Jeux de Voiles”, sold by Sotheby’s in New York in October 2008. A further example with “La Dame à la Licorne” was sold by Antiquorum in 2006, but with a completely different scene – which makes this lot a unique piece.

An enamel dial for a wristwatch once took about 400 hours of pure craftsmanship, and the colours were burned at different temperatures in the kiln, where the smallest mistake ruined hours of work. One can imagine how many hundreds of hours the enameller, Luce Chappaz, spent on this clock. This first-series, solar-powered clock shows the historic scene of the Lady and the Unicorn, which visualises the five senses; the original tapestries, from the early 16th century, are in the Musée national du Moyen Âge in Paris. The clock comes from the family of the original owner and was offered for the first time. Estimate $100,000–150,000.

Gold mantel clock with glass sides and a round gold dial — Patek Philippe table clock retailed by Cartier

Enamelled dome clock with blue and red painted panels showing a unicorn and birds — The enamelled dome

Enamelled dome clock with a painted panel of a lion and a woman — The Lady and the Lion

Enamelled dome clock with a painted unicorn and a woman in a blue panel — The Lady and the Unicorn

Photographs: Christie’s, with thanks to the Christie’s team.