Five Bargains From This Year's Geneva Auction Week You May Have Missed

Up until now, we’ve focused on the heavy hitters and record breakers at Geneva Auction Week because, with all due respect, the dizzying numbers they fetched are newsworthy. However, just as impressive were the very shrewd acquisitions of a few historically important and rare watches that just might be considered bargains – including pieces from IWC, Audemars Piguet, Zenith, Longines, and Universal Geneve.

Audemars Piguet Reference 25643BA, From Christie’s

Estimate: $10,300 to $15,450; sold for $14,124

What we learned this weekend is that you can either spend $15,000 on the world’s most affordable Swiss-made tourbillon currently in production, or spend the same amount on the world’s first ever tourbillon wristwatch made in a series, and still have enough spare change to buy a new NOMOS Metro. To say I was shocked by the final hammer price of lot 149 would be an understatement. This is, after all, an ultra-thin tourbillon, made by one of the "big three,” and it encapsulates Audemars Piguet’s pioneering work in the field of miniaturization. It was purchased by a 19-year-old Italian student who displayed his academic mindset by doing his research and defining a solid bidding strategy for this watch. I understand the aesthetic of the watch is not for everyone, and this played right into his hand. As far as I’m concerned, he walks away with an historic piece from one of the most revered maisons in Switzerland. Well done. Three years ago, the same reference was sold by the same auction house for $29,056.

IWC Reference 3750, From Antiquorum

Estimate: CHF 5,000 to 7,000; sold for CHF 6,250

It’s hard to talk about perpetual calendars without mentioning IWC’s reference 3750. It was the first automatic chronograph with a perpetual calendar set entirely via the crown, which makes it historically important and incredibly user-friendly. The reference itself is not a hard one to track down, which partially explains Antiquorum's estimates, though it usually commands almost double on Chrono24. This lot was another great opportunity of securing a little bit of Swiss history without breaking the bank.

Universal Genève Medico-Compax Reference 32422, From Christie’s

Estimate: $5,150 to $8,240; sold for $5,393

Also in the Christie’s auction were two rare models from Universal Genève, and if it were not for the unbelievable – though entirely justifiable – price paid for the black Compax with Hermès signed dial, both watches would be on this list. However, since that one smashed its high estimate ($8,000) and sold for a whopping $46,224, it doesn’t really belong here. The other UG was reference 32422, aka the Medico-Compax, a doctor’s watch with an outer scale to measure pulsations. It’s a very wearable watch, with an attractive layout, engined-turned subsidiary dials, and crisp indications – and it fetched its low estimate (possibly due to its chromed case). Since it was the first UG in the catalogue, I can only imagine aficionados of the brand were saving up for later models, such as the Hermès Compax.

Stainless Steel Zenith Chronograph, from Sotheby's

Estimate: $3,085 to $5,142; sold for $3,857

This attractive Zenith offered by Sotheby’s may not house the great El Primero movement, but its manually wound movement is no less impressive. The polished case and straight lugs give it a sporty look, in tune with contemporary tastes, and the silver matte dial is killer. The only blemish on an otherwise pristine dial can be found on the seconds register at 9 o’clock, with some fading also visible in the seconds register. Otherwise, the case shows typical signs of wear and tear, and whoever walked away with it should be feeling pretty good right about now.

Longines Reference 5090, from Christie’s

Estimate: $7,210 to $12,360; sold for $5,393

Flyback chronograph? Two-Tone sector dial? Check. Vintage Longines chronographs are hot right now, and remain affordable in yellow gold – the much harder to find stainless steel references are a very different story – but I was still expecting this lot to be the subject of intense bidding. Nope. Instead, it hammered in for "only" $5,393, almost $2,000 shy of its low estimate. That’s what happens when no reserve is placed.

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