Some Wonderful Timepieces in Antiquorum New York Auction on 12 Jun 2012

Antiquorum will be having an auction in New York on 12 Jun... To view the catalog click this LINK  i had the good fortune to see and photograph some of the pieces that would be going under the hammer and there are truly some wonderful pieces on auction. let me also say that from time to time, Antiquorum will hold preview sessions of their auction pieces in Singapore, typically at the Swissotel and these preview sessions are definitely worthwhile for watch lovers or folks lookin to invest in haute horology pieces in or passing through Singapore.

some of the wonderful pieces then that travelled here and caught my eye... note for the following pieces I will note the lot number and some light details of the piece but you really should check out the auction catalog for more information on it and better high res pics LINK .

LOT 269 - Patek 5016J - one-minute tourbillon regulator, retrograde perpetual calendar, moon phases with a beautiful custom grey dial

LOT 88 - JLC Gyrotourbillon 1  - I love the gyrotourbillons... pure poetry in motion... Jaeger-LeCoultre caliber 177 with inclined lightweight two-cage multi-axis spherical tourbillon, two barrels with sapphire covers, “marchante” equation of time, perpetual calendar with retrograde month indication, leap-year indication and patented instant date display by means of two retrograde hands, power reserve indication

LOT 131 - Bovet Pocketwatch -  THE ELEPHANT & THE SNAKE Bovet, Fleurier, the enamel attributed to P.-Amédée Champod, a master enameller. Made for the Chinese market, circa 1870... Made for the Chinese market a long time back depicting an Indian scene straight out of a fairy tale it would seem :) a wonderful enamel pocket watch with an interesting  Jacot duplex escapement

LOT 81 - JLC Master Eight Days Perpetual - Simply beautiful skeletonised watch... i love this piece in RG and there is one in Plat too Lot 82... it will be difficult to read but thats not important :) this is what's there for functions: perpetual calendar, power-reserve indication, day and night indication, with setting warning indication in red, two barrels, moon phase, 4-digit year display

LOT 267 - A. Lange & Söhne Tourbillon Pour le Mérite - chain and fusée maintaining power and stepped planetary gearing, tourbillon cage bearing 2 diamond end stones, lateral lever escapement with one-minute tourbillon regulator

LOT 145 - Patek Philippe Celestial - a wonderful timepiece... the dial changes from deep black to beautiful shades of blue at different angles in the light... - mean time indication, nocturnal sky chart of the Northern Hemisphere, moon phases and moon orbit, time of the meridian passage of Sirius and moon... Mid-night blue sky chart with gold star constellations and North/ South/ East/West divisions, made from 3 superimposed sapphire crystal disks, outer divisions to adjust moon phases and sky, outermost Roman hour graduations, aperture for the moon phases. A lot of words yuh but simply put... it's gorgeous ;)

from one celestial to a set with one, the wonderful Ulysse Nardin Trilogy of Time set in platinum will be at auction too... LOT 146 - consisting of Astrolabium Galileo Galilei, Very fine and unusual, astronomic, wristwatch with astrolabe, days and months. The Tellurium Johannes Kepler, astronomic, two-time zone, wristwatch with perpetual calendar, moon phases, signs of the Zodiac, sun and moon eclipses, 24 hours, the view of the Earth as seen from the North Pole and the Planetarium Copernicus wristwatch with functions of the planetary cycle, days, months, zodiac signs and moon phase... if i had the money...

 LOT 259 - Patek 5004 a beautiful split-seconds chrono perpetual calendar with moon phase and leap year indication

LOT 248 - Patek 3498 - An ultra thin and the thinnest watch by Patek when it debuted in 1966. Second shot shows a side profile of it vs the 5004

and saving the best for last... probably the most interesting watch of the lot... and it's an Omega ;) LOT 192 - Omega Constellation Calendar owned by Elvis... The King... for those who folks who love the King and love watches, what better than owning a watch that was once worn by Elvis. Provenance is assured as well as it comes from Charlie Hodge who used to live with Elvis at Graceland until his time of passing and was in Elvis' band and a close friend...

the very watch on the King's wrist...

A Fine Dinner with Basel 2012 Omega Novelties

As always, i would like to thank the fine folks at Swatch Group and Omega for the invite to this nice intimate dinner amongst a small group of voices in this community. It was a pleasure to hear and speak with David Ponzo and his capable marketing ladies, Pauline, Maria and Fiona, who were wonderful hosts for the night. Good food, good company and fine watches, what's not to like ;) 

Omega definitely has a pretty broad offering and i believe that is to appeal to it's many fans and buyers which would also be a wide and diverse demographic across geographies with varying tastes and weights in terms of what they look for or value in a luxury timepiece. the great thing about it then is that, through that range there is probably at least one or two pieces that would appeal to someone looking for a luxury timepiece... as a first proper watch after they start work... as a gift for loved ones... for folks who want ultra sporty pieces, to innovative techniques, to watch movement lovers... there's something for nearly everyone, and that's not a bad thing at all. sharing below then watches from that evening and some quick notes. personally, i had hoped to see the 'first watch on the moon' speedy but it was not present that evening... i do know it will retail for S$6,850 and will be in Asia in Q4 this year... looking forward to reviewing that at a later date. on to the evening then...

a nice intimate setting at forlino

david sharing with us on the pieces that were released this year... 2012 also is the year of the London Olympics and he shared with us on the pieces that would be launched for this event and the nice advertisement with the Stones tune 'start me up' u should be seeing that on tv screens soon or on youtube

now to some of the watches... first up the very nice omega deville with the 9300 movement

oh yeah, it works on my wrist ;) 

next up a range of speedmasters that don't look like the moonwatch... but some of them are real nice too... example this beautiful chrono piece

with it's outstanding 9301 movement... [i need a timepiece with this gorgeous and significant movement ;) Omega believed in George Daniel's (RIP) work by taking on his co-axial escapement which was a very good thing in my books ]

and some others in the speedmaster lineup... 

sharing some info from Omega: "OMEGA’s Time Machines

H. G. Wells wrote his popular science fiction novella, The Time Machine, in 1895. The narrator, called the Time Traveller, explains to his dinner guests that time is simply the fourth dimension and reveals that he has invented a machine that allows him to travel through time as easily as he would between two places.

A year before the book was published, a different type of time machine had been launched in Biel. While its movement through the fourth dimension was not quite as dramatic as that described in Wells’ novel, the 19-ligne calibre was clearly a step into the future. Its unprecedented ease of repair and accuracy revolutionized the Swiss watch industry. The movement was named Omega for the 24th letter of the Greek alphabet – a word that had come to represent perfection. In 1903, OMEGA officially became the only watchmaker to be named for one of its movements.

Innovative movements have continued to be at the very heart of Omega’s watches. In 1999, we launched the first watch equipped with a Co-Axial escapement and in 2007, our proprietary Co-Axial calibre 8500 signalled a revolution that was every bit as significant as the one sparked by the original Omega calibre.

This year in Basel, we are again introducing new movements. Our Co-Axial family is being extended with GMT and day/date editions. The analogue/digital calibre 5666 offers dedicated functions designed for pilots and equips the new Spacemaster Z-33. 

OMEGA’s innovation extends not only to technologies but to new materials. This year in Basel, CeragoldTM will have its world premiere in a striking new Seamaster Planet Ocean.

The Time Traveller in the 19th century novel had figured out how to navigate through time in both directions. OMEGA’s time machines only move forward but they do so with incredible accuracy, precision and style, on any of the Earth’s surfaces, deep below its oceans, high in the sky or, when the need arises, on the Moon."

the seamaster planet ocean cera gold

and for those who want a bit of bling ;)