Auction PR Publicity Announcements News and Information
Auction PR Publicity Announcements News and Information

Christie’s Spring Sales 2011 Totals Over $108million

Christie’s, the world’s leading auctioneers, announce that their spring auctions in Geneva achieved a combined total of US$ 108,783,133.

Important Watches including A Connoisseur’s Vision Part IV
16 May 2011
Total: US$ 26,331,962
Reaffirming Christie’s absolute leadership in the international watch area, Geneva’s sale of Important Watches including A Connoisseur’s Vision Part IV achieved a blockbuster total of US$ 26,331,962 (SFr. 23,427,013 / € 18,647,902), an increase of 25% over last May’s auction total in Geneva.
This is one of the highest results ever realized in the history of Christie’s watch sales and leads the auction series dedicated to the category in Geneva this spring.
Aurel Bacs, International Head of the Watch Department: “The international community of watch collectors responded enthusiastically to a premium selection of rare wristwatches and pocket watches hand-selected by Christie’s team of specialists for our spring Geneva sale. The results confirm once again that Christie’s is the auction house of choice for both buyers and sellers of the rarest and most important watches. The sale was characterized by strong bidding from the international trade, but dominated by private collectors and museums around the world. Eight different buyers secured the top ten lots of the sale – a sign of the immense depth of interest in this category. The sale was notable for its spectacular moments – for the first time ever at auction, a Rolex watch surpassed the $1 million mark with the ultra-rare reference 4113 selling to a private collector for over $1.1 million.”
Top Lot:
Patek Philippe. An extremely fine, rare and possibly unique white gold cushion-shaped single button chronograph wristwatch with vertically positioned register and Breguet numerals, manufactured in 1928
Estimate: US$ 1,600,000-2,600,000
Sold for: US$ 3,636,140
WORLD RECORD PRICE FOR ANY SIMPLE CHRONO-GRAPH WRISTWATCH AT AUCTION

Fine Wines
17 May 2011
Total: US$ 3,416,677
Christie’s sale of fine wines in Geneva totaled US$ 3.4 million, +80% versus May 2010 results. Selling for more than $ 123,000, a bottle of Romanée-Conti 1945 set a new world record price for any 75cl. bottle of red Burgundy sold at auction.
Michael Ganne, Head of Christie’s Geneva Wine Sales: “Christie’s auction of Fine Wines in Geneva achieved a total of US$3.4 million, an 80% increase over last May results. 110 buyers from five continents purchased more than 900 lots, producing strong prices. We are especially proud to announce that a bottle of the legendary Romanée-Conti Vintage 1945 sold to an American private collector for US$123,889, a new world record price for a 75cl. red Burgundy at auction. This bottle will certainly remain mythical for many decades also because of its vintage – which marked the end of a terrible war; of its contents – the last of the great wines produced from the prephylloxera (ungrafted) vines which made up the 1,85 ha vineyard of Romanée-Conti; and of its very limited quantity – with only approximately 600 bottles produced”.

Top Lot:
A bottle of Romanée-Conti 1945
Estimate: US$ 60,000-80,000
Sold for: US$ 123,889
WORLD AUCTION RECORD PRICE FOR A 75CL. BOTTLE
OF RED BURGUNDY
Magnificent Jewels
18 May 2011
Total: US$ 78,693,041
Jean-Marc Lunel, Head of the Jewellery Department, Christie’s Geneva: “Quite exceptional prices were achieved at the May 18 auction in Geneva. An antique spinel necklace engraved with the names of the most prominent Mughal Emperors, created a world record price for any Indian jewel at auction selling for more than $5 million. A Burmese sapphire of 130 cts also made a world record price of $7M. The market is particularly keen to buy quality diamonds in all sizes and colours, exemplified by a 56 ct heart-shaped diamond which brought more than $10M in the most successful Christie’s jewellery sale ever held in Geneva. We now look forward to our jewellery auctions in Hong Kong, Paris, London and Milan over the next month”.

Top Lot:
A heart-shaped D colour, internally flawless, type IIa diamond of 56.15 cts
Estimate: US$ 9,000,000-12,000,000
Sold for: US$ 10,946,422
WORLD AUCTION RECORD FOR ANY HEART-SHAPED DIAMOND (US$ 195,000 per ct.)

www.christies.com

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