On October 29, the live auction "Complications: Skeletons & Tourbillons" will take place at Ineichen Auctioneers in Zurich, which will include 50 luxurious timepieces. Discover six highlights of this exciting offer here:
The design of this DB28-RSS from De Bethune is reminiscent of the logo of the popular science fiction series Star Trek. The DB28 model was introduced by De Bethune in 2010 and featured a number of innovations, most notably the "floating", spring-loaded lugs, which allow for a particularly comfortable wearing experience. The present watch comes from the early production of the DB28.
Another De Bethune treasure is this Dreamwatch Three Tourbillon, which is an early tourbillon of the brand and is also extremely rare: just 19 pieces have been made since its launch in 2009. The ultra-light tourbillon weighing only 0.18 grams, which was not even originally planned, is also one of the fastest tourbillons of all.
This Tank Louis Cartier Skeleton watch with a platinum case is a one-of-a-kind custom-made product from 2007. The client at the time recalls: “Yes, I remember liking the original Tank Louis Cartier Skeleton design that was produced as a limited edition for the HK [Hong Kong] market , but these were sold out when I went decided to buy it, so I commissioned a custom order and asked Cartier to make a special, one-of-a-kind watch for me […] so I prepared a custom design to preserve the fine line pattern of the openwork bridges and baseplate." The watch is part of the Collection Privée Cartier Paris (CPCP), which from 1998 to 2008 combined historic Cartier designs with modern technology in very small editions or even as individual pieces at the customer's request. Understandably, these watches are highly coveted by collectors.
Another highlight with a rectangular case is the Vintage 1945 Jackpot Tourbillon by Girard-Perregaux, for which the highest and precise art of watchmaking was combined with the randomness of a game of chance. While the tourbillon can be seen through a round window at 6 o'clock, at 12 o'clock there is a slot machine with three reels, each with five symbols, resulting in 125 possible combinations. The function, which is accompanied by a chime, can be activated any number of times without affecting the other functions.
This 18-karat rose gold watch from Girard-Perregaux is considered one of the finest complicated timepieces among sports watches with an integrated bracelet. Both attractive and rare, the Laureato Flying Tourbillon Skeleton wristwatch was produced in limited numbers from 2017 to 2022 and features luminous hands and indexes over an anthracite skeleton movement with a flying tourbillon at 11 o'clock.
Finally, this Legacy Machine Perpetual Calendar by the Swiss haute horlogerie watch brand MB&F (Maximilian Büsser and Friends) should also be mentioned, which was launched in 2020 in an edition of only 25 pieces. The blue three-dimensional dial has an hour display at 12 o'clock, a day display at 3 o'clock, a month display at 6 o'clock and a date display at 9 o'clock. There is also a power reserve indicator and a leap year indicator at 4 o'clock and 7 o'clock respectively. In fact, the watch features a unique perpetual calendar mechanism invented by movement designer Stephen McDonnell for MB&F, which is extremely complex.
The live auction "Complications: Skeletons & Tourbillons" will take place on October 29 at 2 p.m. (CET) at Ineichen Auctioneers, Stadthausquai 11, Zurich.
