$110,500 IWC Grande Complication watch leads Christie's $12.8m Dubai sale

The exceptionally rare watch triumphed over offerings from Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet

As we've reported, Christie's recently held an exciting sale of jewellery which achieved $12,755,775 for the company in New York.

Highlights included a private single owner collection of 40 parures, which collectively sold for $6,919,650, and the world auction record price of $722,500 achieved for a rare Melo pearl of 224 carats, bought by a Chinese private collector.

However, watch collectors will be much more interested in whether any watches went under the hammer, and indeed they did: 41 of them to be precise, every one of which sold for a total of $1,475,875.

Fascinating contributions from Hublot, Breguet and a mesmerising set of eight pieces from Audemars Piguet were amongst those which have found new owners.

Ladies white gold diamond ruby set quartz watch

Some of the most coveted lots included a Patek Philippe perpetual calendar chronograph with moon phase display, which sold for $116,500. A manually wound tourbillion wristwatch by A. Lange and Söhne was another leading lot and made $92,500.

But the most prized timepiece was a Grande Complication by IWC, a platinum automatic perpetual calendar minute repeating chronograph wristwatch, which was bought for $110,500 - high in its estimate range. It is one of their most exclusive timepieces with just 50 watches made per year.

IWC grande complication fine timepiece

Consisting of 659 mechanical parts, 21 functions and displays, a perpetual calendar for the next 500 days and a perpetual moon phase display made of polished goldstone, the Grande Complication is considered a tour de force.

Aurel Bacs, International Head of Christie's Watch Department and the auctioneer for this section of the sale, commented:

"Fine watches are the ultimate object of desire. Buyers in the Middle East are very discerning and appreciate that the watches sold in Dubai include some of the most coveted complications and limited editions produced by the world's leading watch makers."

Collectors wishing to own or invest in fine and fascinating timepieces may wish to take a look at this Grieb & Benzinger release The Russian Imperator, which is currently available.

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Images: Christie's