Auction
An Apollo XI astronaut’s Omega Speedmaster ‘Apollo XI’.
Read MoreIn October 2022, this site will be shutting down and we’ll be going newsletter only (via Substack). To keep following along, subscribe to my newsletter. Named one of the best single operator newsletters on the internet.
The vintage chronographs from Heuer, Omega, and Universal Geneve you should be collecting
Read MoreFrom Buzz Aldrin’s Speedmaster to President LBJ’s ‘President’, the watches we’re still searching for.
Read MoreIt’s a commonly-repeated trope: Muhammad Ali wore a Cartier Tank. And if the Heavyweight Champion of the World can wear a dainty dress watch, so can you.
But apparently, Ali also owned at least one other smaller, dressy watch: this vintage time-only Omega. It’s a simple, stainless steel Omega with a subsidiary seconds and silver dial.
This watch came up for auction at GWS Auctions in November of last year, an auctioneer that specializes in celebrity, royal, and other generally famous-people assets. Honestly, had I seen it then, I would’ve personally bid it up way higher than the $5,000 it sold for.
The watch is engraved Ali 10/30/1974 on the caseback. This is the date that Ali knocked out George Foreman in the iconic Rumble in the Jungle to become the World Champion for the second time.
According to GWS Auctions, the watch came from the estate of Louis "Booty" Beltrami. Booty Beltrami was a big sports fan and a longtime friend of Ali’s. Presumably, Beltrami gifted his friend Ali the Omega after he became World Champion for the second time. Here’s one anecdote on the pair’s friendship from Beltrami’s obituary (he died in 2016):
"His favorite quote was one that Muhammad Ali wrote for him on a picture," son Michael [Beltrami’s son] said. ‘Service to others is the rent we pay for our room here on earth.' My Dad lived by that. That treasured photo was signed by Ali ‘To My Main Man,’ and dated Sept. 21, 1977.”
The watch came with a handwritten letter of provenance from Al Beltrami, Booty Beltrami’s nephew, who inherited the watch when his uncle died.
A watch with this kind of provenance — tied to one of the greatest figures (beyond just sports) of the 20th Century — is an important historical artifact, not just horological artifact.
With that, a huge congrats to whoever acquired Muhammad Ali’s Omega.
h/t to Charlie for the tip-off.
Alton Brown is auctioning off a couple of his personal watches to help food service workers that have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Read MoreOur recent picks of the best dive watches for small wrists got us thinking about something else: What are the best accessibly priced dive watches, full stop?
Read MoreIn the run up to the Geneva auctions, we posted our preview of some of the best lots from the three big auction houses, featuring (1) under the radar lots (under $10,000), (2) next up (under $100,000), and (3) top lots. With the results in, it’s time to take a look at how all the lots performed.
We already took a look at the results from Phillips’ Geneva Auction X, but below is a more comprehensive look at the results from Geneva’s big week.
Additionally, you can find the results for every vintage Rolex Daytona up for auction from Phillips, Christie’s and Sotheby’s here.
In general, I was glad to see some under-the-radar (at auctions at least, not amongst the collector community more generally) chronographs perform particularly well. Below, you’ll see a Zenith A386 El Primero, Movado 95M and Grana Split Seconds that all out performed estimates.
Read MoreWith the fall 2019 Geneva auctions fast approaching, it’s time we give a preview of what’s to come over the auctions from Christie’s, Phillips and Sotheby’s from November 10-12. There are roughly 200 lots per auction, meaning there’s quite a bit to get through. As such, we’ll divide this preview into three categories: (1) Top Lots, (2) Next Up (pieces with estimates under $100,000) (3) Under the Radar (pieces with estimates under $10,000 or so).
We’ve already created our “Vintage Daytona Database” highlighting all vintage Rolex Daytona (and pre-Daytona chronographs) up for auction this fall, so we’ll largely eschew discussing those in this preview, though some are too good not too highlight.
While most previews start at the top and move down, we’ll do the opposite, starting with watches that are flying under the radar. Unlike in past previews, I’m giving quick hits of each piece, instead of going in-depth on a smaller subset of watches.
Read MoreMaybe you’ve heard, but July 20 marked the 50th anniversary of mankind first stepping foot on the moon. From NASA’s Instagram:
Today, at 10:56 p.m. EDT 50 years ago, Apollo 11 took that one giant leap – making history for all of mankind. 🌔👨🚀 On the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing, we salute the heroes, visionaries and explorers who made the seemingly impossible, possible.
Pretty cool. People have been “celebrating” by posting wrist shots of their Speedmasters all week. After all, is there a more American way to celebrate one of the great achievements of this country than flaunting our blatant consumerism and a Swiss company’s opportunistic profiting off such an achievement?
Well, perhaps one: An auction where those who own the same watch the astronauts wore on that fateful day can resell their timepieces at heavily inflated prices because of a bubble fueled by the consumerist habit of buying and flaunting said watches mentioned in the previous paragraph.
Anyway, let’s take a look at some of the best Omega Speedmasters that sold at Sotheby’s “To the Moon and Back | Celebrating 50 years since Apollo 11” auction form July 19.
Read MoreSure, Watches of Knightsbridge has its monthly online auctions, which often have some nice watches in their own right. But a few times a year, they offer a larger platform, hosting a live auction in their native London. The next live auction is July 20’s Fine, Rare, and Collectible Timepieces, featuring 217 lots. There are three Rolex Submariners on the catalog cover, which might hint at the general theme of this auction. Let’s take a look at a few of the best watches up for auction.
Read MoreIt’s that time of year. Far and away, our most popular article of 2018 was The Best Everyday Watches of 2018. Turns out a lot of people are searching for the best everyday watch, the best go-anywhere-do-anything (GADA) watch, or the watch to make the perfect one-watch collection (yes, you can have a one-watch collection. That’s a hill I’ll die on).
With the 2019 trade shows (meh as they were) in the rearview mirror, it’s time to update the list for 2019. In 2018, I looked at the best watches that you could still buy new. For 2019, we’re changing the rules. I’m going to look at the best vintage, pre-owned, and new everyday watches out there.
A reminder: there are no real requirements for an everyday watch besides general durability and comfort. We’re talking about watches that can be dressed up or dressed down. Watches that look as good with a suit as they do alongside a t-shirt and jeans. Lume and water resistance are nice, but not necessary. An everyday wearer can come on a bracelet or strap, as long as it sits comfortably on the wrist. And while we’re willing to pay good money for a watch we’re going to be wearing every day, we can’t spend so much that we feel we have to baby it through every door jamb.
First, up, the best everyday watches you can buy new. I’ve broken them down into three categories: (1) the Under $2,000 Club, (2) the Microbrands, and (3) the Classics.
Read MoreThe approaching of May means the approaching of the spring auction season in Geneva. Christie’s, Phillips, and Sotheby’s are all hosting equally exciting auctions between May 12-14. Today, I’m taking a look at the lots coming up at the Christie’s sale. Christie’s has a bunch of exciting watches on the high end: Daytonas and Pateks of course, but also this a watch owned by Andy Warhol (more on that below), as well as an online-only auction with a bunch of accessibly-priced vintage timepieces. I’m going to highlight a few of my favorites from each auction. So let’s dig through all the “fine and rare” superlatives these auction houses love to shower upon their lots and see what’s actually worth a look.
Read More