Editor’s Note
This article previews a landmark auction during London’s inaugural Watch Week, featuring two historically significant timepieces. The highlight is a Rolex Submariner with a unique provenance, once issued to the British Royal Navy.
London will become a stronghold of watchmaking in mid-June. For the first edition of “London Watch Week,” Bonhams will present a total of 75 lots at the “London Fine Watches” auction on June 19 – a cross-section of decades of haute horlogerie with brands like Audemars Piguet, Cartier, Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, and, of course, Rolex and Patek Philippe. The focus is on two exceptional timepieces that write history.
With an estimate of £80,000 to £120,000 (€94,000 to €140,000), a particularly rare Rolex Military Submariner from 1975 leads the auction. The Reference 5513 was issued at the time to a Clearance Diver (a specialist in defusing explosives in and around water) of the Royal Navy. The watch is in excellent original condition, which is extremely rare: many of these tool watches were damaged in service or replaced with service parts. Particularly distinctive are the sword hands for better legibility, the “T” on the dial for the tritium used, and the classic 60-minute bezel.
No less exciting is the Patek Philippe Ref. 5970G in white gold with perpetual calendar, chronograph, and moon phase. The watch dates from 2007 and is offered with an estimate of £70,000 to £90,000 (€83,000 to €106,000). The 5970 is one of the most sought-after models from the manufacture: it is the last model with a Lemania-based movement before Patek switched to its own calibers. The successful bridge between classic case design and modern mechanics is worth mentioning.
In addition to these two highlights, the auction offers several other rarities: a diamond-set Rolex Cosmograph Daytona “Leopard” (Ref. 116598 SACO), a Comex Submariner Ref. 5514/5513 from the 1970s, and an exclusive Rolex Day-Date with a Khanjar dial, once a gift from the Sultan of Oman.
Cartier and Breguet also bring the finest craftsmanship and creative complications into play with a skeletonized Tank Louis Cartier and the La Musicale – La Gazza Ladra, respectively.
