Tag Archives: auction

Under The Hammer: 1946 Delahaye Type 135M Cabriolet

Image: H and H

This gorgeous 1946 Delahaye Type 135M Cabriolet is set to go on auction on September 8 by H&H Classics at the Imperial War Museum Duxford. It is reportedly estimated to fetch between £250,000 to £300,000.

Believed to be only one of two ever made, this Grande Routiere would be a proud addition to any classic car collection. Its sister car, chassis 800320, was offered for sale with a guide price of US$450,000 to US$650,000 in 2017.

The one about to go on auction, however, was beefed up with a more powerful Type 12S 103 engine at some point in its life. According to H&H Classics, it’s rumoured to have been installed by the factory. The engine features three inlets and six exhaust ports plus triple Solex carburettors. This configuration is said to allow the Type 135M to “keep up with modern traffic”. This car is also fitted with Cotal’s unique electromagnetic four-speed gearbox, which is designed for a comfortable yet engaging driving experience.

Image: H and H

Since Delahaye lacked its own coachbuilding facilities, the company entrusted this part of the process to a laundry list of top French ateliers. This led to some of the most flamboyant bodywork seen at the time. The 1946 Delahaye Type 135M Cabriolet above, however, had coachwork done by Swiss coachbuilder Graber. Conscious of the masterpieces created by their French counterparts, Graber decided to go with a more elegant design instead. That’s why this model features more complex panel curvature than flashy chrome accents.

The car was supplied new to Lucerne, Switzerland before migrating to Bern in 1956. Two years later, it was moved to Thun, where it would remain under single ownership until 1998. Over the years it received high-quality restoration work, including bodywork refurbishment, an interior re-trim as well as a new hood. Under current ownership, it received further cosmetic enhancements and was even invited to attend the world-famous Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in 2017.

Image: H and H

History of the Delahaye Type 135

The Type 135, arguably Delahaye’s most popular model, was first launched at the 1935 Paris Salon. It has seen numerous iterations over the years, including the Type 135M above. When the Type 135 first arrived, it was noticeably stiffer and lower-slung than its predecessors, and its chassis featured box-section side rails.

Its suspension system was also unique, featuring an independent front suspension with a lower transverse leaf spring and upper wishbones connected to longitudinal torque arms. The live rear axle, on the other hand, was supported by semi-elliptic leaf springs mounted outside the main chassis rails.

The Type 135’s obvious competition potential has seen various accolades over the years. It was a successful racing car in the 1930s, with outright wins at the Coupe d’Automne, Mont Ventoux hillclimb (1936), Donington 12-hours (1937) and Le Mans 24-hours (1938). Furthermore, in 1939, esteemed racing driver and whisky heir Rob Walker’s Type 135S outran Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 and Talbot T150SS competition to claim the title of ‘Britain’s Fastest Road Car’ at the Whit Monday Brooklands meeting.

By Terence Ruis

The World’s Largest Purple-Pink Diamond Fetched $26.6M in Geneva

An auction in Geneva on Wednesday, 11^th November 2020, made history for the sale of an ultra-rare purple-pink diamond. The event hosted by Sotheby’s showcased the extremely recherché 14.8-carat Russian diamond, known as “The Spirit of the Rose”. Unlike 99% of pink diamonds which are under 10 carats, this stone is one of three in an original collection by Russian mining company, Alrosa.

The World’s Largest Purple-Pink Diamond Fetched $26.6M in Geneva

Taking its name from the 1911 Russian ballet “Le Spectre de la rose,” this precious jewel was cut from an even larger rough rock unearthed in 2017, and even displayed in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taipei before its sale. According to the chairman of Sotheby’s jewellery division, Gary Schuler, the diamond’s rarity is a result of its size and colour, which had been graded as “Fancy Vivid Purple-Pink.” In a measure of its clarity, this stone is classified as “internally flawless,” while belonging to a rare subgroup of diamonds that contain little to no nitrogen.

Despite earning a title as the most expensive purple-pink stone ever to sell at auction, the final price tag proved significantly lower than Sotheby’s estimates. Expecting to fetch up to $38 million, one lucky buyer went home with the world’s most valuable pink diamond for a mere $26.6 million.

By Julia Roxan

Resurrection of the Jaguar XJ13 on auction

This is a car that makes just the right amount of sound to announce its arrival without being haughty. What catches the eye is the more than 1000 perfectly spaced aircraft rivets and as it swooshes past, its powerful V12 heart of the machine is on full display via the see-through engine cover

Half a century has passed since the ill-fated Jaguar XJ13 prototype was built (but never raced) for the 1966 24-hour Le Mans. It was tragically mangled later by Norman Dewis, a life long test driver for Jaguar, while filming a promotional video for Jaguar’s V12 Series 3 E-Type engine. Dewis survived, but the one-of-a-kind car was relegated to a twisted metal heap.

It is said that a legend is equal parts tragedy and mystique, and the classic Jaguar XJ13’s storied provenance has contributed to the allure and appeal of one of the most beautiful racing cars of all time. Aerodynamicist Malcolm Sayer who had also been responsible for the C-type and D-type shapes was instrumental in the unmistakable curves of the XJ13. Today, after a careful restoration, it sits proudly in the British Motor Museum, Garden. It previously fetched an unsolicited bid of more than £7 million which was turned down by its owners.

Inspired by aviation engineering, the XJ13 features a deep green all-aluminium monocoque body that is equipped with a 5.0 litres V12 engine, producing 502 horsepower. With its peculiar, but highly-aerodynamic, shape and light weight of 998 kg, the car set an unofficial lap record of 161 mph at MIRA when David Hobbs test tracked the vehicle in 1967. Besides the beastly engine that chews up the tarmac and causes adult men to look at each other stupefied, it is also incredibly suave, show-offing a mid-mount see-through engine cover and more than 1000 rivets on its sturdy body—the icing on the cake that renders the classic car more like a vintage WWII Spitfire fighter than an automobile.

It is thus no surprise that when RM Sotheby’s recently announced the auction of an almost perfect recreation of the Jaguar XJ13 at California this August, automotive aficionados were riled up. The task to rebuild the automotive legend was undertaken by third-generation New Zealand expert coach-builder, Rod Tempero, who is known for his keen eye for details and specialty for restoring 50’s and 60’s cars.

On the inside, Rod meticulously replicated the 5 speed gear box, right-hand steering wheel, dashboard and gauges; even the windscreen is made using the same Triplex mould used for the original. While keeping the face of the vehicle as how it was, Rod used 2-cam instead of the original 4-cam engine and a modified E-type front suspension. Despite yielding 291 hp and 331ft lbs of torque at 5272 rpm, the replica is capable of top speeds of upwards 200 mph, approximately 30 mph faster than its predecessor.

Rod’s version of the XJ 13 is highly acclaimed in automotive circles, bagging many awards, the most notable of which is coming in 1st in class with a score of 9.992/10 at the 2016 International Jaguar Festival. It is also known to be the closest replica ever made with almost identical specifications.

There is only one original XJ13, whose price at this point is indeterminate, but Rod’s close replica of the original will be auctioned off almost definitely at a lower price. Without fear of damaging a historic piece, the proud (and lucky) owner of the replica may unrestrainedly rev up the engine, swagger past its fans, and nimbly bank tight corners with gusto.

The 1966 Jaguar XJ 13 recreation by Rod Tempero will be auctioned by RM Soetheby’s in Monterey Conference Centre, California, on 15-17 August 2019.

By Leon Ngiam

This is Jeff Koons’ Rabbit to be auctioned for $50+ million at Christie’s

The American artist was known to start his career by using cheap, everyday objects in contemporary art and then setting them on top of one small mirror and in front of another small mirror, and proclaiming the result art. Koons called this “Entering the Objective Realm.” and now, his artworks are worth millions of dollars auctioning at Christie’s. Jeff Koons’ impressive ‘Rabbit’ is no different.

Known as an icon of contemporary art over the past three decades, ‘Rabbit’ has been the attention-getter in a number of museum exhibitions around the world, including the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, Tate Modern in London, the Château de Versailles, The Broad, and The Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago.

The 3 and a half foot high, 33-year-old steel Rabbit figure is one of the 11 works being sold off from the collection of S.I Newhouse at Christie’s, the former owner of publishing house Conde Nast.

Koons is also well-known for Balloon Dog (Orange), another piece of work that sold for US$58.4 million at Christie’s New York’s 2013 Post-War and Contemporary Art auction — making him the most expensive living artist in the world.

“When it was released in 1986, [it] would not only shake the art world to its core, but alter the course of popular culture as we now know it,” Alex Rotter, who oversees Post-War and Contemporary Art at Christie’s, told Forbes. “For me, Rabbit is the anti-David, which signaled the death of traditional sculpture—disrupting the medium in the same way that Jackson Pollock’s Number 31 permanently redefined the notion of painting. From my first day in the auction world—this is the work that has represented the pinnacle of both contemporary art and art collecting to me, and it is an immense honor to be presenting it to the auction market in May.”

irst unveiled at the Sonnabend Galler’s “New-Geo” exhibiion in 1986, Koons’ Rabbitreflects its immediate environment and onlookers themselves due to its mirror-like surface. Embodying the same concept is Koons’ Balloon Dog. The Balloon Dog sculpture is made from very simple materials – stainless steel and covered in different colors: blue, magenta, orange, red and yellow.Each edition of the series has sold for a different price at different times but the one that sold at the highest amount of money remains the Balloon Dog (Orange) which sold for $58,405,000 in November 2013, the highest ever paid for a piece of art by a living artist at auction anywhere in the world.

This article was originally published on www.luxuo.com.

6 most expensive watches auctioned in 2018

Year on year, watch auction records are being made and broken by the high demand of these pieces de unique found in old collections and it is a marvellous spectacle to behold.

For an industry that sells covetable timepieces from the past, the watch auction world is a surprisingly fast-paced, ever-changing landscape.

While 2018 may not have had a watch that eclipsed the Patek Philippe Henry Graves Supercomplication from 2014 or Paul Newman’s very own Rolex Daytona Ref. 6239 from 2017, 2018 had a few watches that stood out.

And here we round up 6 watches that earned the highest bid in 2018 auctions.

#1: Rolex Daytona Ref. 6265 Unicorn

Collectors naturally want what others can’t have and a vintage white gold Rolex Daytona is simply put, cause for alarm, for collectors. When the news was broken by Hodinkee back in 2013 that one existed, the watch world’s enthusiasm levels soared.

Its rarity was explained by Phillips as, “For many years it was commonly accepted that Rolex only produced manual winding Cosmographs in stainless steel or yellow gold, and never in platinum, white or pink gold.” As it turns out, one customer managed to convince the brand otherwise and the rest is history.

That history, however, culminated in May this year with a 5,937,500 Swiss francs (approx. 24.8 million) sale at Phillip’s Daytona Ultimatum auction. The Rolex Daytona Ref. 6265 Unicorn currently sits as the second most expensive Rolex to ever be sold at a watch auction. Adding to the glamour of it all, all sales from the piece were donated to the Children Action charity.

#2: Patek Philippe Ref 2499 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Asprey

The title of highest auctioned Patek Philippe watch this year goes to the Patek Philippe Ref 2499 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Asprey that was hammered at 3,915,000 Swiss francs (approx. RM16.4 million) at Sotheby’s recent Important Watches auction in Geneva.

The watch, a possibly unique piece, was manufactured by the esteemed Swiss watchmaker in 1952 and sold in 1956. The Ref 2499 Asprey was first put up for auction in 2006 and has been in the same private collection since then.

Unique features of the piece include a double-signed dial by both Patek Philippe and Asprey.

#3: Patek Philippe Ref 2499 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Serpico y Laina Caracaswas

Next on the list was another Ref 2499, but this time, signed by Venezuelan distributor Serpico y Laina, set up in Caracas, the capital of the country by two Italian immigrants. What makes the Ref. 2499 so special (and given that there are three on this list for this year alone) is the fact that across four different iterations (series) of the watch, only 349 examples of the reference was made. And only across a 35-year mark, making it roughly 10 watches per year.

This particular Patek Philippe Ref 2499 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Serpico y Laina Caracas was realised at Christie’s Rare Watches auction, at a value of 3,252,500 Swiss francs (approx. RM13.4 million), just a day before the Asprey variant.

#4: Rolex Daytona Ref. 6240 Neanderthal

The predecessor of the Daytona Ref. 6265 (the Paul Newman series), the Ref. 6240 was the first to use screw-down chronograph pushers and utilised a unique dial proportion with the subdials nearly touching the outside track. As Phillips puts it, “Any Cosmograph boasting oversized registers is called today a “Big Eye”. What quick-eyed collectors may notice as well, is the fact that the dial has no ‘Cosmograph’ or ‘Daytona’ text to be found.

Because of its inherent uniqueness and legacy as the one that came before the Paul Newmans, this particular Daytona Ref. 6240 Neanderthal hammered at 3,012,500 Swiss francs (approx. RM12.6 million) during the Daytona Ultimatum in May.

#5: Patek Philippe Ref. 2499 signed by Tiffany & Co.

The Patek Philippe Ref. 2499 makes an appearance again on the list and this time, signed by American jeweller and retailer Tiffany & Co. Sold at 2,950,762 Swiss francs (RM12.4 million) in Hong Kong, the watch is now the most expensive watch to be sold in auction in Asia. According to Sotheby’s that sold the piece, the watch is potentially the only one of its kind, given that there are only six examples of this series made in pink gold.

While the Asprey-signed Ref 2499 was manufactured in 1952 and sold in 1956, this Tiffany & Co model is almost 20 years older, having been made in 1971 and sold in 1972. As we’ve mentioned earlier, the Ref. 2499’s limited production years between 1950 and 1986 have made it such that the earlier series tend to fetch more because of the lesser amount produced then.

#6: Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon Ref. 6002G

Sold off at Hong Kong’s Poly Auction’s Important Watches, the Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon Ref. 6002G is easily the most complicated timepiece on the list. The grand piece was released by Patek Philippe in 2014 and features several functions and complications shown over two dials.

It boasts a tourbillon, a minute repeater with two cathedral gongs, a perpetual calendar with retrograde date, a moonphase display. On top of that, the back of the watch showcases sidereal time, a sky chart of the Northern hemisphere, as well as a progressive moonphase display. The dials have been worked with cloisonné enamel and champlevé enamel for a grander effect.

While it definitely out-complicates many of the watches on the list, the fact that the Sky Moon Tourbillon didn’t fetch as high with its hammered amount at 2,695,207 Swiss francs (RM11.1 million), the watch was sold with a high enough price four years ago and was limited to just five pieces.

Given the appreciation that Patek Philippe timepieces have had over the years, one can imagine that in 40 years’ time, the Sky Moon Tourbillon may see an auction pricing much higher.

Dinosaur skeletons are the new pièce de résistance for your home

If you are ever looking for new home decor for that wow factor, then why not consider a dinosaur skeleton to be your new pièce de résistance.

Because just recently, Paris held an exclusive auction for avid collectors for two huge dinosaur skeletons, an allosaurus and a diplodocus, along with 87 other lots of natural artefacts.

“The fossil market is no longer just for scientists,” said Iacopo Briano of Binoche et Giquello, the auction house for the two dinosaurs.

The Italian expert claims that they have become “real objects of decoration, like paintings”, citing Hollywood actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Nicolas Cage as fans of such ornaments.

Expected to cost around £480,000 for the diplodocus and £650,000 for the allosaurus, these dinosaur skeletons are some of the first few to arrive in the market for collectors this year.

In an upcoming auction in June, there will be another huge skeleton of a theropod, expected to auction for up to 1.5 million euros.

While the rarity, verification and completeness of these collections are common determinants of the price they fetch, there are a few more that affect the auction.

Carnivores such as the allosaurus fetch more than herbivores such as the diplodocus due to their prominent sharp teeth. Consider the price of the allosaurus that is considered “small” at 3.8 metres long compared to its fellow auction member diplodocus that stands at thrice the size at 12 metres long.

With an increasing fan base notably the Chinese, these new bidders are now competing against multinational corporations, the “typical” buyers of dinosaur skeletons. In 1997, McDonald’s and Walt Disney were among donors who contributed to the €6.75 million to buy Sue – the most complete and best-preserved Tyrannosaurus rex – for the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. ‘Millions of people come to see it, it’s incredible publicity for companies,’ said Eric Mickeler, a natural history expert.

Around five dinosaur skeletons go to auction around the world each year.

The 10 Most Unique Ferraris Sold at Auction

Photo credit: RM Auctions

In 2013, at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este classic car show and auction, a 1953 Ferrari 340/375 MM Pininfarina Berlinetta ‘Competizione’ went for a record price of USD12.75 million, setting a new record for that model and becoming the most expensive car to fall under the hammer anywhere in the world in the past 12 months. But it’s still not the most expensive Ferrari to have been auctioned. Where does it stand in the all-time list of classic Ferrari sales?

1 | 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO – $19.4 million (2010)

The answer is, not at number one. That is currently held by the 250GTO, the most in-demand of all classic Ferraris. Only 36 were ever built and owners have to be desperate to even consider parting with them. Only two have come up for auction in the last 18 years. And if $19.4 million sounds like a lot, a GTO was sold privately in 2012 for a reported fee of $35 million.

2 | 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa – $16.39 million (2011)

In second place is the first of two Testa Rossas, this one sold at auction in 2011 has incredible racing pedigree. What’s more, it is actually the prototype model on which all subsequent Red Heads (Testa Rossa means read head in Italian) were based. The car was painstakingly restored after it crashed on the track and burst into flames.

3 | 1953 Ferrari 340/375 MM Berlinetta ‘Competizione’ by Pininfarina – $12,812,800 (2013)

In at number three is the star of this month’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este sale. It attracted bids from 30 countries, setting a new record for a closed-in Berlinetta model in the process. But it was one of the most important racing cars in the company’s history.

4 | 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa $12,402,500 (2009)

Another Testa Rossa and briefly the most expensive Ferrari ever sold at auction when it went under the hammer at the Ferrari Leggenda e Passione Auction in 2009. This one won Le Mans three times.

5 | 1960 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spyder Competizione $11,275,000 (2012)

5. 1960 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spyder Competizione $11,275,000 (2012)

Not the most expensive Ferrari but still a record for a California Spyder of any derivation. One of the very best examples of what happens when design and performance are perfectly wedded together.

6 | 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB – $10,894,400 (2008)

The LWB’s smaller brother, this particular car, once owned by actor James Coburn, also briefly held the record of being the most expensive Ferrari ever sold at auction. The amount of publicity the sale generated is thought to have contributed to increased demand for the model and therefore asking price.

7 | 1962 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder $8,580,000 (2012)

Another California, but this time the price is a little lower, possibly to do with the fact it was never driven by a Hollywood star. But still it is one of only 36 examples to have the much more desirable closed-in headlights.

8 | 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta ‘Competizione’ by Carrozzeria Scaglietti $8,140,000 (2013)

One of Ferrari’s best road and track cars – it could compete in an endurance race, then be driven home ‘comfortably’ afterwards, the short wheelbase (SWB) is extremely rare and this is one of very few examples that was never raced in any real capacity.

9 | 1955 Ferrari 410 S Berlinetta by Carrozzeria Scaglietti $8,250,000 (2012)

The engineering underneath may have been common in other race-orientated Ferraris from the same period, but the coachwork courtesy of Carrozzeria Scaglietti, one of the most celebrated craftsmen in Ferrari’s history (the 2004 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti was named in his honor), is a one-off. He hand-fabricated it for Ferrari SEFAC board member Michel Paul-Cavallier. No wonder it cost over $8 million.

10 | 1962 Ferrari 330 TRI/LM – $7.7 million (2009)

A serious racing car even by today’s standards. When it was built it was the fastest of all Ferraris to carry the Testa Rossa badge. It also had unbeatable pedigree. This actual model was the last front-engined car to win at Le Mans – driven to victory by Phill Hill in 1962. However, like the Testa Rossa in the number two spot, the car was pretty much destroyed after a crash in 1963. But because it was a historic Ferrari, a full rebuild took place in 2007.

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Charles V Sculpture Sold for RM52 Million to Anonymous Buyer

Beauneveu carved the work over two years, from 1364 to 1366, to form part of Charles V’s tomb in Paris’ Abbey of Saint Denis.

The 14th-century marble figures by French sculptor sold for RM51.8 million (GBP9.35 million/USD12.13 million), a record for the artist, Christie’s said.

The auction house did not disclose who had bought the lions, a near mirror image of one another, which are believed to have been commissioned by Charles V shortly after he came to the throne.

Beauneveu carved the work over two years, from 1364 to 1366, to form part of the king’s tomb in Paris’ Abbey of Saint Denis.

“These lions are a really important document for Beauneveu, for his style, and for the whole history of patronage of these royal courts in northern Europe in the 14th century,” said Christie’s Donald Johnston, speaking in a video by the auction house.

The French Revolution saw the family tombs dismantled in 1793 and the lions were purchased in 1802 by British aristocrat Thomas Neave.

Until its sale at Christie’s the sculpture remained in the same private collection and its existence had only been known thanks to an 18th-century engraving.

Johnston said despite the lions being small in the drawing, the particular style matches the marble sculpture.

“You can see the very distinctive way that the tails curl up around one of the hind legs of each of the lions and intertwine,” he said.

The sculpture also has rods on the back of the lions which show where they would have been attached to the feet of the king’s effigy.

Beauneveu was tasked with constructing four family tombs and the lions were carved with strikingly detailed manes, with one baring its teeth.

World’s Rarest Hermès Birkin Bag Worth USD380,000 Was Auctioned By Christie’s

Hermes’ Birkin bags are one of the most highlight sought after luxury fashion items in the world. Hence, there’s no surprise that a diamond-encrusted crocodile-skin Hermes Birkin handbag with white gold details has broken the record for the world’s most expensive ever sold at auction, fetching nearly US$380,000 at a Hong Kong sale. The rare Himalaya Niloticus Crocodile Diamond Birkin 30 went to an unknown phone bidder Wednesday for HK$2.94 million after intense bidding, a spokeswoman for auction house Christie’s told AFP. The new record beat one set last year, also in Hong Kong, by an identical Hermes bag that sold for HK$2.32 million.

Only one or two Diamond Himalayas are created each year globally, making it one of the rarest production runs for handbags, according to Christie’s. “It actually has been rumoured that they will discontinue Himalayas altogether this year, which may be part of the reason that we’ve seen the increase in the value this season,” Matthew Rubinger, Christie’s international head of handbags and accessories division, told AFP.

Designer handbags are increasingly seen as investment opportunities and have become a craze for collectors, taking global auction houses by storm and scoring record prices.

The handmade bag—described by the London-based auctioneers as “the most desirable handbag in existence”—is encrusted with diamonds, while the buckle and trademark mini Hermes padlock are from 18 carat white gold.

The bag was made in 2014 and is from Hermes’ “Birkin” series named after actress and singer Jane Birkin, who was born in Britain and lives in France.

Most Expensive Vinyl Record: The Beatles’ White Album

Prices at auction are often determined by ownership pedigree and one particular copy of the Beatles White Album is now regarded as the most expensive vinyl record of all time. Owned by none other than Ringo Starr himself, this has become the most expensive vinyl ever sold, certified by a Guinness Record to that effect.

The band member’s 1968 copy of the White Album sold at auction last December for $790,000. The AFP reports that this new figure is a correction of the amount which was originally thought to be $910,000. Regardless though, the figure was good enough for the Guinness Records and that is all the validation needed.

The record, which was allegedly stored in a vault for 35 years, came with the serial number 0000001. The first four numbers of the album belonged to the members of the legendary group.

According to Starr, all proceeds from the sale went to his Lotus Foundation, a charity with broad social welfare goals.

The previous most expensive record was an acetate of Elvis Presley’s first recording, which is currently owned by Jack White (he paid $300,000 for it).

Consequence of Sound brings this point up so we will too… Some readers might wonder why America’s Most Hated Martin Shkreli’s purchase Once Upon a Time in America by the Wu Tang clan doesn’t get Guinness recognition but it was actually a private sale of a record that was previously never owned by anyone.

From: Luxuo

Christie’s New York Auctions Jackie Kennedy Onassis Cartier Tank Watch

22nd December 1969: Jackie Onassis (1929 – 1994), wife of Greek ship-owner Aristotle Onassis and widow of US president John F Kennedy. (Photo by David Cairns/Express/Getty Images)

The Kennedys are possibly the closest thing that Americans can call royalty. Having left an undeniable mark in the world of politics, at least one of their members cemented her role as a style star. As one of the most famous and often admired women anything that was once owned by this Kennedy family member is bound to illicit the attention of many. On June 21, Chrisite’s will auction off the Jackie Kennedy-Onassis Cartier Tank watch that was once worn by America’s most revered First Ladies of all time. The timepiece will be a part of the auction house’s Rare Watches and American Icons New York sale.

Jackie Kennedy Onassis’s timelessness is evident in her classic Cartier Tank, having been gifted to her by her brother-in-law Prince Stanislaw “Stas” Radziwill in 1963. The timepiece is a design first created 100 years ago by Louis Cartier, and is engraved with the words “Stas to Jackie 23 Feb. 63 2:05 am to 9:35 pm.” The time refers to the start and stop times of the famous 50-Mile Hike in Palm Beach in 1963. Despite the dial having aged and the watch case appearing softer after time, the yellow gold Tank highlights the frequency at which Onassis wore the watch. The watch has been photographed on Onassis’s wrist an abundance of times while she was alive.

The watch will be auctioned alongside an original painting made by the former First Lady as a gift to her brother-in-law in 1963. Likewise, the painting celebrates the hike as well, mirroring the words on the watch with “February 23, 1963 2:05 am to 9:35 pm / Jackie to Stas with love and admiration”. Both the watch and the painting are the newest artefacts to surface from the Kennedy Presidency in recent years.

John Reardon, International Head of Christie’s Watches comments, “The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Cartier Tank is a watch full of emotion, love and history. Together with Jackie’s painting, these two objects capture the spirit of another era, a time where friendship and the “can-do” optimism of the generation seemed to make anything possible. In this spirit, the consignor has offered to donate a portion of the proceeds to the National Endowment for the Arts. Christie’s Watches proudly offers this truly iconic timepiece and painting on June 21 in our New York Rockefeller Center Saleroom.”

While the estimate for the watch is 60,000—120,000 dollars, it seems likely that it will go for a much higher price.

For more information not he Rare Watches and American Icons event, visit Christie’s.

Apollo and Artemis Diamond Earrings Fetch Record-Breaking $57.4 million at Sotheby’s Auction

We previously wrote that this pair of earrings were likely to be the most valuable earrings to appear in auction—and we were right. Two spectacular diamonds— the Apollo Blue and Artemis Pink—mounted as earrings fetched a record $57.4-million (51.8 million euros) at auction on May 16 in Geneva, with an unnamed Asia-based buyer netting both, Sotheby’s said.

After protracted bidding, the flawless and vivid Type IIb diamond “The Apollo Blue” fetched $42.087-million. The equally intensely luminescent “The Artemis Pink” went for $15.33-million, buyers premium included. The earrings were sold as separate lots.

The earrings, named after the twin Greek gods, had respectively been valued at between $38-million and $50-million and $12.5-million and $18-million.The 14.54-carat “Apollo Blue” is the largest gemstone in its category ever to be auctioned and has been cut and polished to a pear shape.

The 16-carat “Artemis Pink” is near identical in shape. It is also one of the world’s most “chemically pure” diamonds, according to the Gemological Institute of America, which experts say gives the stone such a high degree of transparency.

Bonham’s Auctions Mercedes Benz 300SL for Over a Million in Belgium

The Mercedes-Benz has long been a classic car favourite, boasting sleek lines and finishes that are iconic even today. In true classic car fashion, a 1958 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster fetched an astonishing €1,127,000 at a recent Bonhams auction held alongside the Spa-Classic meeting at the Spa-Francorchamps motor racing circuit in Belgium. Originally estimated at €600,000 to €800,000, it is the only model to have broken the €1 million mark.

The 1958 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster was part of a prestigious collection of 12 cars recently discovered in a Swiss château. All of the models were snapped up, for a total of more than two million euros. As well as the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster, the collection included a 1969 Maserati Ghibli SS 4.9-Litre Coupé (which sold for €174,800), a 1980 Aston Martin V8 Volante Convertible (€172,500) and a 1933 Rolls-Royce 40/50hp Phantom II Roadster (€111,550).

Of all the lots in the sale, Porsche models reached particularly dizzying heights, with sales including a 1958 356A Super Speedster (€322,000), a 1989 911 3.2-Litre Speedster (€280,000) and a 1993 911 Turbo 3.6-Litre Type 964 Coupé (€195,500). A few Ferraris also changed hands, including a 2006 575 Superamerica F1 (€293,250) and a 1996 F355 Challenge Coupé (€158,500).

The next Bonhams car auction will be held at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK, June 30, 2017.