A military issue Rolex wristwatch, originally purchased for under £1,000, sold at Bonhams 16th December London Fine Watch sale for £120,100.
The vendor brought the Rolex to the Antiques Roadshow when the show came to Lincolnshire in early 2015. They were delighted when the valuers told them that the watch was worth a great deal more than originally thought.
The Rolex is remarkable because the Royal Navy ordered it in a series of watches for use by their specialist personnel. The dials are marked with the logo “Circle T”, which is the international symbol for Tritium, a treatment the watch received to help the wearer see the hands in the dark. The Rolex has now sold at Bonhams for nearly double the top estimate.
Elsewhere, the first instalment from the collection of a European Nobleman sold well, lead by the highly anticipated rectangular rose gold Glashütte tourbillon wristwatch, sold for £25,000.
A further highlight included a Rolex ref. 4767 ‘Jean-Claude Killy’ sold for £74,500. Named after three-time Olympic gold medalist, Jean-Claude Killy, the watch previously held the title of the most complicated Rolex ever made.
Jonathan Darracott, Bonhams Head of Watches, said: “Bonhams fine watch sale achieved an excellent £1.5 million, with more than 80% sold. We now look forward to 2016, where the remaining watches from the incredible European Nobleman collection of 2,000 watches will be sold.”
Bonhams UK Watch auction calendar 2016:
23 February Watches & Wristwatches Knightsbridge
17 May Watches & Wristwatches Knightsbridge
22 June Fine Watches & Wristwatches New Bond Street
13 September Watches & Wristwatches Knightsbridge
22 November Watches & Wristwatches Knightsbridge
14 December Fine Watches & Wristwatches New Bond Street
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