First Look: Ten Top Lots From The Phillips Geneva Watch Auction Two, Including A Steel Split Seconds Patek, The Hermes Paul Newman, And A True Bond Submariner
It's almost October, and that means the Geneva auctions are just around the corner. Today we are happy to show you some of the highlights of Phillips' second Geneva auction, and boy are there some killers. First, you may remember that in Phillips' first sale this may, several records were set, including the most expensive steel watch and the most expensive Daytona. You can read about all that here to set the stage for the details of the highlights to come this November. We have a dream watch in a split-seconds steel chronograph from Patek, we have a Submariner actually worn in a James Bond movie, a first series Patek 2499, and some incredible Vacherons and Cartiers. Let's have a look. Patek Philippe Reference 1436 Split-Seconds Chronographs In Stainless Steel 1 OF 17 The 1436 is one of only two production split-second chronograph references made by Patek Philippe in the 20th century. They are by far most commonly found in yellow gold, with the occas

Hands-On: With The New F.P. Journe Octa Sport And Centigraphe Sport In Titanium (Live Pics, Full Specs, & Pricing)
When F.P. Journe unveiled his Octa Sports line of watches back in 2011, we (the royal watch collecting "we") could simply not believe how light they were. After all, the F.P. Journe "lineSport" pieces, being the Octa Sport and the Centrigraphe (CTS), were made entirely of aluminum. Yes, aluminum! They were so light, they almost felt fake (seriously). They were not fake, they were just absurdly light, and absurdly cool. In fact, the very first aluminum CTS sold at Christie's for over $467,000. Yeah. That cool. But, all things must evolve, and today we have a look at the new line of sports pieces from Journe �C the very same models, but instead of the incredibly lightweight aluminum, they are now in titanium. 2 OF 18 The switch from aluminum to titanium was indeed a structural move. The soft qualities of aluminum posed some difficulties and Mr. Journe felt a completely titanium watch would still provide the incredible lightness the lineSport lovers were used to, without any

Patek 5196 has all the DNA of the original 96
I acquired the 5196R by chance in some ways 2 weeks ago, at the same time as my 5164R.I have seen numerous posts on the 5196 vs Lange 1815, Saxonia, VC Patrimony, I do not intend to repeat those forum topics already addressed but I would just like to simply add that this piece really has a vintage aspect to it. The others have a much more modern feel to them (even the 5296 etc are very modern in their presentation).If you prefer a vintage looking piece but a current line up, you may want to consider the 5196. The curved, silver-brushed linen dial, the golden minute dot indexes, the baton hour indexes, the dauphine hands really stand out in natural daylight and is absolutely a direct descend of the 96 in its DNA. You have to see it in person to appreciate these details. And it is so comfortable to wear and surprisingly easy to match for a daily watch. I am enjoying every moment of it.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Advice on selling my reference 5055
I have a 5055, white gold, black face, deployment buckle that I want to sell. It definitely needs a polishing and the strap needs to be replaced. Would you recommend having it polished and changing the strap if sell it to a AD? Or am I wasting money making the watch look new again as a dealer realizes exactly what needs to be done to get the watches appearance back up to snuff. Also, if anyone could point me in the direction of any dealers that I could contact for a possibly sale. Thanks in advance.

Are watches that important in your life?
I’m reading all of these posts regarding waiting lists, lack of availability of stock etc. Is owning a new Rolex that important? I mean it’s just a watch. I’m fine with the rolexes and other watches that I own. I never thought I’d ever own 1 Rolex no less 3 of them. BTW I do believe I’ll be purchasing the new 39mm OP with a black dial. I love the simplicity and size of that model. I think it’s one of the winners of Basil this year.