BuyingTime in 30 Seconds
Patek Philippe dominates today’s lineup as its Milan exhibition brings new Aquanaut, Calatrava, Gondolo and grand-complication releases alongside extraordinary enamel and marquetry. Diatom incorporates space-derived materials into its Inner Worlds collection, while Lorige turns racing brake material into a limited-edition watch. Hamilton revisits its cushion-shaped heritage, Christopher Ward celebrates its jumping-hour complication, and Seiko’s UK results show the continued appeal of recognizable quality at accessible prices. Our features remember Günter Blümlein and examine everything from hacking tourbillons to Hublot’s Jeff Koons collaboration. Yesterday’s Chopard remained unsold at US$25,500 against a US$74,888 reserve. Tonight, a 2024 Patek Philippe 5905/1A-001 annual calendar flyback chronograph takes the auction spotlight, with bidding scheduled to close at 8:35 p.m. EDT.
Time Graphing Today’s Watch Universe
The Story Gets Our Attention. The Watch Has to Keep It.
Almost every watch in today’s issue arrives with a story bigger than the object itself. Some promise a connection to space exploration. Others carry the material remains of a racing car, the cultural identity of a city, the imagination of an artist or the memory of an influential watchmaking executive. That is part of what makes this hobby so absorbing. We can begin with a dial and end up discussing Italian architecture, lunar meteorites, industrial design or the rebuilding of German watchmaking.
The interesting question is what happens after that first introduction. A story can make us stop scrolling. It can explain why a watch exists and give us a reason to remember it. Living with the watch asks for something more: proportions we enjoy, functions we use, construction we trust and a price we can accept. Today’s issue offers an unusually broad look at how those two experiences—the attraction and the ownership—fit together.
Start with Patek Philippe’s Italian enamel and marquetry creations. Here, the connection to Italy becomes physical through demanding craft. Buildings, landscapes and decorative traditions are translated into enamel, gold wire and carefully selected wood. The subject draws the viewer in, while the technique rewards a much longer look. Even someone who will never own one of these pieces can leave with a better understanding of the work involved.
The Milan Calatrava trilogy approaches the same setting through color, familiar case design and different levels of complication. The blue Aquanaut makes its connection more immediately visible through a distinctive dial and exhibition identity. These watches share an occasion, but the ownership experiences would be quite different. A collector drawn to the exhibition still has to decide which expression of it makes sense on the wrist.
Diatom’s Inner Worlds collection and Lorige’s BL-Evolution Competition take another route. Their appeal includes material that has already lived a remarkable life. An aerospace component or a piece of racing brake material allows the owner to feel a tangible connection to something otherwise distant. The quality of that connection depends on clear provenance, but its emotional appeal is easy to understand. People have always valued objects that bring history within reach.
There is a different kind of transformation in Hublot’s collaboration with Jeff Koons. Turning the visual language of a balloon sculpture into a mechanical watch requires decisions about volume, surfaces, legibility and construction. Whether the result appeals to an individual collector is a matter of taste. What interests me is the attempt to make an artistic idea shape the whole object. A recognizable image is an effective introduction; a coherent watch design gives the collaboration a chance to remain interesting.
The remembrance of Günter Blümlein brings the conversation back to people. His influence survives because it helped create watches, institutions and standards that continued beyond his own lifetime. That is a substantial form of legacy. Brand histories often concentrate on founding dates and famous references, but the difficult work of deciding what a company should become deserves just as much attention. Collectors are still encountering the consequences of those decisions every time they handle the watches.
At a more accessible level, Christopher Ward’s C1 Jump Hour XV gives an anniversary a practical expression. Its mechanical display changes the way the owner reads the time. Hamilton’s cushion-shaped revival offers the pleasure of winding a compact watch whose form recalls an earlier period. Neither requires the buyer to become an expert historian. The history provides context, while the daily interaction supplies its own reward.
That brings us to Seiko’s UK results. In a difficult market, the company’s commentary points to the strength of quality, familiarity and value. Those qualities can sound modest beside a minute repeater or a meteorite dial, yet they are persuasive reasons to buy a watch. The guide to parent-friendly watches under US$500 makes the same point through everyday use. A watch that survives a demanding day without requiring attention has fulfilled a meaningful promise.
Today’s podcast discussion about brand ambassadors asks how that initial interest begins. A familiar face can introduce someone to watches, just as a film, a family member or a chance conversation can. What sustains the interest is usually discovery: learning how something works, finding a design that feels personal, meeting other collectors and developing preferences of one’s own. The most productive introduction leaves room for that exploration.
The auction market supplies a particularly direct test. Yesterday’s Chopard had precious metal, diamonds and a recognizable design, yet bidding stopped far below the seller’s reserve. That does not erase the watch’s qualities. It tells us that the audience present at that sale online did not translate those qualities into the required price. Tonight’s complicated steel Patek presents its own combination of mechanical substance, brand appeal and market expectations.
A good story gives a watch depth. A satisfying watch keeps adding to that story after the purchase—through use, familiarity and the memories of its owner. That is the connection I find most compelling in today’s issue. The exhibition ends, the launch moves off the front page and the limited edition sells through. What remains is the object we chose, and whether we still enjoy spending time with it.
-Michael Wolf
News
David Edwards Delivers Stable Seiko UK Sales in His Final Year
Seiko UK recorded revenue of £27 million for its 2025–26 financial year, slightly below the previous year’s £27.6 million, as David Edwards completed one of his final responsibilities for the business before his death in July. The company reported an operating loss of £215,000 and finished the period with net assets of £28 million. Its commentary described trading as consistent with expectations against a difficult UK retail environment and softer luxury-watch demand.
The results also point to a distinction within the market: consumers continued to respond to Seiko’s combination of recognizable quality and value. Globally, the group’s watch division reported first-quarter revenue growth of 16%, with contributions from Grand Seiko, Prospex, Presage and Seiko 5 Sports. The UK performance therefore sits within a broader business showing growth, even as local profitability remains under pressure.
Features
200 Odd Years of Hacking Tourbillons
Stopping a tourbillon precisely enough to set the time presents an intriguing mechanical problem: the regulating organ is moving inside a rotating cage. This historical examination follows the different solutions watchmakers developed, including mechanisms that stopped parts of the going train, arrested the cage or contacted the balance itself. It also distinguishes stopping the mechanism from stopping a separate seconds indication.
The story reaches from early pocket-watch experimentation to modern wristwatches, including A. Lange & Söhne’s Cabaret Tourbillon. Along the way, it shows how a seemingly simple convenience can require considerable ingenuity. For collectors, it is an invitation to look beyond the visual spectacle of a rotating cage and consider how the watch is actually set and used.
Remembering Günter Blümlein, 25 Years Later
Twenty-five years after his death, Günter Blümlein remains a central figure in the story of modern mechanical watchmaking. His work with IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre and A. Lange & Söhne helped shape the identities and ambitions of brands that continue to command collectors’ attention. This remembrance revisits that influence through photographs, personal recollections and the experiences of people who worked alongside him.
A feature-length documentary in development adds another dimension to the tribute, drawing on conversations with longtime associates and figures from the watch community. The lasting interest in Blümlein reflects the substance of his contribution: he helped give historic names a credible future. His legacy can still be examined in the watches themselves.
Hublot, Jeff Koons and the Challenge of Making a Watch Look Inflated
Hublot’s collaboration with Jeff Koons pushes the Classic Fusion into unfamiliar territory, using rounded surfaces and sculptural details to evoke the artist’s Balloon Dog. The project extends beyond decorating a dial, reshaping the watch’s visual character around the illusion of inflated volume. The Balloon Dog editions are priced at US$25,100, while the more elaborate MP-14 Origin carries a US$488,000 price and a production limit of 30 pieces.
Roberta Naas’s account of the New York presentation considers both the engineering demands and Koons’s ideas about scale and time. The resulting watches will invite sharply different reactions, which is consistent with the artist’s work and Hublot’s history. The feature offers a closer look at what happens when a watch manufacturer allows an artistic collaboration to influence the architecture of the product.
Watch Gang’s Wheel Makes the Purchase Part of the Entertainment
Watch Gang’s Wheel combines a defined entry-level selection with the possibility of receiving a watch from a higher tier. Buyers select target watches within the available structure, pay the applicable entry price and receive an outcome through the Wheel. The attraction lies in adding surprise to a purchase while establishing what the minimum watch outcome will be.
That structure makes the buying experience part of the product’s appeal. Collectors still need to assess whether they would be happy receiving the lowest-tier selection, since the possibility of an upgrade does not establish the value of the underlying purchase. The model illustrates how watch commerce increasingly incorporates entertainment, participation and anticipation.
New Watches
Converted prices are approximate U.S.-dollar equivalents of the supplied overseas prices, rather than confirmed U.S. retail prices. Local taxes, duties and regional pricing may differ.
Diatom’s Inner Worlds Collection Brings Space History to the Wrist
Diatom’s Inner Worlds collection comprises Mercury, Venus, Earth, Moon and Mars editions, each limited to 450 watches. The 39.5mm stainless-steel models combine planetary-inspired dial treatments with space-derived materials, including meteorites and components associated with historic aerospace programs. Automatic movements provide a 42-hour power reserve, while the collection’s reported journey to approximately 100,000 feet adds another element to its space-exploration identity. Its strongest appeal is the opportunity to combine a wearable watch with a tangible connection to a subject many collectors have followed since childhood. Price: approximately US$2,910 each.
Hamilton Revives the American Classic Cushion
Hamilton returns to a case shape closely associated with its early wristwatches, offering the American Classic Cushion Mechanical in 30mm and 34mm sizes. Both versions measure a slim 8.1mm thick and use the hand-wound H-42 movement, which provides a 57-hour power reserve and a Nivachron balance spring. Small seconds at six o’clock, period-inspired numerals and a choice of dial finishes reinforce the historical connection, while sapphire crystal and 50-meter water resistance support everyday wear. Leather straps and restrained dimensions make this a particularly interesting release for collectors seeking a compact mechanical watch with character. Price: approximately US$1,240–US$1,380, depending on configuration.
Lorige BL-Evolution Competition Turns Racing Material Into Watchmaking
Lorige’s BL-Evolution Competition links its construction to Inter Europol’s endurance-racing program through carbon-carbon material recovered from racing brake components. The case measures 50mm by 42mm and combines that unusual material with a Grade 5 titanium bezel and caseback. Inside, the manually wound LOR-DB03 movement developed with Chronode provides a seven-day power reserve, while yellow and green details connect the display to the team’s colors. Limited to 50 pieces, the watch gives its motorsport association a physical presence in the case itself. Price: available upon request; a U.S.-dollar figure has not been disclosed.
Patek Philippe Gives the Gondolo a Colorful Ladies First Revival
Patek Philippe’s Gondolo reference 7043 collection brings six interpretations of its Ladies First theme to the Milan exhibition. Precious-metal cases, vivid straps and extensive gem-setting give the range a more expressive character, with three diamond-set models joined by three Joaillerie versions. The E15 quartz movement emphasizes convenient timekeeping, allowing the design and decorative work to remain the principal focus. These watches broaden the conversation around Patek’s women’s offerings through color, case shape and jewelry craftsmanship. Price: US$37,510–US$68,768, according to the supplied launch coverage.
Porsche Design and Hodinkee Introduce the Chronograph 1 Utility
The second chapter of Porsche Design’s collaboration trilogy with Hodinkee draws on the visual clarity and functional priorities of military chronographs. Its 40.8mm titanium case houses the WERK 01.340 movement, with a central elapsed-minute hand that recalls the practical display associated with the historic Lemania 5100. A black dial, red accents and an aircraft-shaped chronograph-minute hand give the watch an immediately recognizable identity, supported by COSC certification, a 60-hour power reserve and 100-meter water resistance. Production is limited to 350 pieces, including 100 allocated exclusively to Hodinkee customers. Price: US$9,650.
Seiko Prospex “Blue Tears” Adds Ocean Color to a Practical Diver
Seiko’s Prospex “Blue Tears” edition pairs a blue dial with a brighter blue seconds hand in a 41.7mm stainless-steel case. The automatic 4R35 movement provides approximately 41 hours of power reserve, and the watch offers 200-meter water resistance, a screw-down crown and a date display. A steel bracelet and included silicone strap provide two wearing options, while drilled lugs make strap changes easier. Limited to 1,200 pieces for selected Asian markets through the Thong Sia Group, it retains the straightforward specifications and accessible positioning that give Seiko divers their enduring appeal. Price: approximately US$745, based on the quoted Singapore price of just under S$954.
Christopher Ward C1 Jump Hour XV Celebrates a Different Way to Read Time
Christopher Ward marks 15 years since its first proprietary complication with the C1 Jump Hour XV, a 300-piece edition that revisits the jumping-hour display. Its 39mm steel case surrounds a textured dial produced with femtosecond-laser technology, combining a digital hour aperture with a conventional minute hand. The Sellita-based JJ01 movement supplies a 38-hour power reserve, while the case’s contrasting surfaces and layered dial treatment move the design toward the brand’s more ambitious contemporary work. Buyers can choose leather or a steel bracelet, giving the watch either a dressier or more substantial everyday presence. Price: US$2,495 on leather or US$2,695 on a bracelet.
Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5167A Milano Takes on Gradient Blue
Patek Philippe’s Milan exhibition Aquanaut gives the familiar 40.8mm steel sports watch a gradient midnight-blue dial, red minute-track accents and a matching blue composite strap. The self-winding caliber 26-330 S C supplies the time-and-date display, preserving the straightforward functionality that helps define the reference. Production is limited to 250 pieces, with exhibition identification on the sapphire caseback marking its connection to Milano 2026. The result emphasizes a distinctive color combination within an established design, making the dial treatment central to its collector appeal. Price: U.S.-dollar pricing has not been announced in the supplied coverage.
Patek Philippe 5978P-010 Combines an Instantaneous Perpetual Calendar With a Chronograph
The platinum 5978P-010 is one of the most technically ambitious watches in Patek Philippe’s Milan exhibition lineup. Its manually wound movement combines a chronograph with an instantaneous perpetual-calendar mechanism, presenting a complex set of calendar indications within a 42mm case. A navy-blue dial, Italian-language calendar windows and a strap with red stitching connect the watch to the exhibition’s design language. Limited to 120 pieces, it brings a new mechanical expression to the manufacture’s long association with perpetual-calendar chronographs. Price: U.S.-dollar pricing has not been announced in the supplied coverage.
Patek Philippe’s Calatrava Trilogy Salutes the Italian Tricolore
Three white-gold Calatrava editions use red, green and white to interpret the colors of Italy’s flag. The red-dial 7047G-010 minute repeater is limited to five pieces, the green-dial 7147G-010 perpetual calendar to 100, and the white-dial 7007G-010 date-and-center-seconds model to 200. Carbon-pattern dial treatments establish a shared visual identity across watches with very different levels of mechanical complexity. The trio gives collectors several ways to engage with the Milan exhibition, from a relatively direct automatic display to one of watchmaking’s most demanding complications. Price: U.S.-dollar prices were not provided in the supplied coverage.
Patek Philippe World Time Minute Repeaters Depict Milan by Day and Night
Two versions of the 5531G combine Patek Philippe’s world-time minute repeater with cloisonné enamel views of Milan. Each is limited to five pieces and housed in a 40.2mm white-gold case, with the two dial scenes presenting the city in daylight and after dark. The automatic R 27 HU movement enables the repeater to sound the local time associated with the selected city, connecting the audible complication to the world-time display. Distinctive calfskin straps complete the two interpretations, while the enamel work gives each watch a strong sense of place. Price: U.S.-dollar pricing has not been announced in the supplied coverage.
Norqain Expands the Wild One With Titanium and Meteorite
Norqain introduces 39mm and 42mm Wild One Skeleton Titanium models alongside a 42mm Meteorite Titanium edition. The watches retain the collection’s layered, shock-absorbing construction and 200-meter water resistance, using titanium elements to give the familiar architecture a different appearance. COSC-certified automatic movements provide approximately 65 to 70 hours of power reserve, while the skeleton and meteorite dials offer contrasting visual experiences. The skeleton editions are limited to 400 pieces each, with strap and clasp choices affecting the final price. Price: approximately US$6,720–US$7,650 across the quoted configurations.
Comparisons
Nine Watches Under US$500 Built for the Realities of Parenting
The most useful watch for a busy parent may be the one that asks for the least attention. This guide considers affordable digital and analog choices through the practical demands of spills, water, rough handling and long days on the move. Models ranging from the Casio F-91W to the Citizen Promaster Diver illustrate how different budgets can buy different levels of durability and capability.
Legibility, comfortable straps, dependable power and appropriate water resistance matter more here than elaborate finishing or prestige. The guide also recognizes that inexpensive watches involve tradeoffs, including limited water protection on some models and greater bulk on others. Its value lies in matching the watch to the day its owner actually has.
Reviews
Artem Refines the Classic HydroFlex Strap
Artem’s updated Classic HydroFlex brings its FKM-rubber construction and sailcloth-style texture to a slimmer, conventional two-piece strap. Five colors, quick-release spring bars and an updated tang buckle provide a range of combinations without changing the central objective: comfortable daily wear with strong resistance to moisture and perspiration. The quoted European price translates to approximately US$252.
The review focuses on how reduced bulk and greater flexibility affect the wearing experience, particularly on watches that can be overwhelmed by a thick strap or large clasp. A strap change can alter the character of a familiar watch substantially, and this update concentrates on the details that remain noticeable after the first few days. The visual appeal of sailcloth is paired with the practical benefits of rubber.
G-Shock’s Blue Rose Project Takes the Square Into Sapphire
Casio’s MRG-D5000 Blue Rose Project moves one of watchmaking’s most familiar digital shapes into an extraordinary material setting. The transparent blue sapphire construction uses interlocking components inspired by Japanese joinery, while preserving the functional identity of an MR-G through solar charging, radio-controlled timekeeping and everyday digital features. Production is limited to 20 watches at US$80,000 each.
The review also considers related models that bring parts of the Blue Rose theme to lower price points: the US$6,600 MRG-B5000SA-2 and US$770 GMW-B5000SB-1A2. The flagship’s considerable thickness and rubber strap are part of the wearing equation. Its fascination lies in watching Casio apply ambitious material engineering to a design originally celebrated for toughness and utility.
Seiko Speedtimer HBJ008 Pairs Deep Blue With Orange
The European limited-edition Seiko Speedtimer HBJ008 uses a deep-blue dial and orange accents to give the 39mm solar chronograph a lively sporting character. Its V192 movement offers approximately six months of operation on a full charge, while the steel case provides 100-meter water resistance. Production is limited to 4,000 pieces, with the quoted €880 price equivalent to approximately US$995.
The review finds much to appreciate in the dial color, solid construction and comfortable proportions. It also identifies practical areas for improvement, including clasp adjustment and easier strap changes. With a steel bracelet and complementary leather option, the watch offers an approachable way to enjoy racing-inspired chronograph design without the upkeep of a mechanical chronograph.
Voxel Meridion VX01-E Changes Its Face Every Twelve Hours
Voxel’s Meridion VX01-E uses a proprietary module to change its dial between 12-hour and 24-hour displays. The complication sits above a Soprod Newton automatic base and gives the watch a different visual identity as the day progresses. Its angular 41.4mm case combines 904L steel with Grade 5 titanium, while the movement provides a 44-hour power reserve.
Three dial colors make up the 300-piece production run, and buyers can select an Alcantara strap or integrated bracelet. Preorders opened October 1, with deliveries scheduled for February 2027. Prices convert to approximately US$2,825 on the strap and US$3,220 on the bracelet, excluding taxes, positioning it as an unusual option for collectors interested in alternative time displays.
Living With the Favre Leuba Raider Harpoon 42
The Raider Harpoon 42 asks its owner to learn a different reading habit. A prominent minute hand works with a moving hour ring, allowing the display to communicate both hours and minutes without the conventional pair of central hands. Its modified Sellita-based FL301 movement places that distinctive mechanism inside a substantial cushion-shaped case.
This owner’s review examines whether the novelty remains satisfying after extended use. Strong lume, 300-meter water resistance and assertive 1970s-inspired styling support its identity as a capable sports watch, while its nearly 15mm thickness makes strap choice and fit important. The conclusion is rooted in ownership: the display takes adjustment, but the overall design can become more convincing with time on the wrist.
Events
Patek Philippe Celebrates Italy Through Enamel and Marquetry
Patek Philippe’s Watch Art Grand Exhibition in Milan presents an opportunity to examine decorative watchmaking well beyond the conventional wristwatch. Table clocks, dome clocks, pocket watches and wristwatches interpret Italian subjects through cloisonné enamel, miniature painting, gold-wire work and intricate wood marquetry. Scenes and motifs draw on Milan, Ravenna, Venice and the Amalfi coast, giving the collection a wide geographical and artistic range.
The attraction is as much about technique as subject matter. These objects demonstrate how tiny pieces of wood, carefully controlled color and painstaking metalwork can create recognizable landscapes and architectural detail. The exhibition runs October 2–18 at CityOval in Milan, with complimentary admission requiring online registration.
Podcasts
Fratello Talks: Can Brand Ambassadors Create a New Generation of Watch Enthusiasts?
Fratello’s hosts examine the difference between putting a watch in front of an audience and encouraging someone to become interested in watches more broadly. Actors, athletes and musicians can introduce brands to people who rarely encounter specialist watch media, but credibility and an authentic connection influence what happens next. The discussion considers whether that initial exposure develops into curiosity, collecting and lasting involvement.
Social media and independent creators complicate the traditional ambassador model by offering different kinds of access and personal connection. This episode is a useful companion to today’s stories about artistic collaborations and brand identity, asking how watch companies can turn attention into a relationship that lasts.
Scottish Watches #819: Andy’s Watches on Life, Collecting and Following Your Passion
Andy from Andy’s Watches joins Scottish Watches to discuss the path from personal enthusiasm to sharing watches with a much larger audience. His story includes the influence of seeing Panerai in a Bruce Willis film, building a collection around meaningful pieces and developing a recognizable style on social media. Encounters with fellow collectors and public figures add color to a conversation grounded in personal experience.
The episode also explores leaving an unsatisfying job, committing to content creation and paying attention to mental health along the way. Independent watchmaking and H. Moser feature in the discussion, but the broader subject is how an interest can become an important part of a person’s working and social life.
Videos
Happy Jewelers: One Hour Behind the Scenes
Happy Jewelers presents an hour-long, unfiltered look inside its business. The extended format offers viewers a different perspective from a short product presentation, with the retail setting itself taking center stage. For readers interested in the people and activity surrounding watch buying and selling, this is today’s longer viewing selection.
Fratello: Can Brand Ambassadors Bring New People Into Watches?
The video edition of Fratello’s ambassador discussion considers how public figures influence watch awareness and whether that influence can develop into lasting enthusiasm. It is a subject with relevance across celebrity partnerships, social media and the way collectors first discover a brand. Readers who prefer to watch the conversation can follow the same debate in its visual format.
Chisholm Hunter: Guess the Watch Price and Keep It
Chisholm Hunter turns watch pricing into a guessing challenge, placing the audience’s sense of value at the center of the entertainment. The format invites viewers to make their own estimates before the answer arrives. It is a lighter addition to an issue that repeatedly returns to the distance between appearance, expectation and price.
Time+Tide: Inside Panerai’s Military Lab, With Two Limited Editions
Time+Tide explores Panerai’s military-development story alongside the PAM01734 and PAM01794 limited editions. The presentation connects the brand’s familiar visual language with the engineering and testing themes that support its tool-watch identity. It also gives viewers a closer look at two releases whose appeal rests on the relationship between historical purpose and contemporary execution.
Menta Watches: Is It the Right Time to Buy an Omega Speedmaster?
Menta Watches considers the Speedmaster through the perspective of a prospective buyer, focusing on market timing and the appeal of one of the most recognizable chronograph families. The question invites viewers to think about the particular reference they want, its condition and its place among the alternatives. For anyone already considering a purchase, the discussion provides another perspective to weigh against their own priorities.
Rolex’s Most Delightfully Different Watches
This selection turns attention toward the less predictable side of Rolex design. The theme offers an opportunity to consider the brand beyond the familiar references that dominate everyday collecting discussions. For enthusiasts who enjoy unusual details and departures from a house style, it provides a different route through a very well-known name.
Auctions
Antiquorum Returns to the U.S. With an October 18 New York Sale
Antiquorum is returning to the U.S. auction market with an Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces sale at The Ned NoMad in New York on October 18. The lineup includes eight F.P. Journe watches alongside pieces from Patek Philippe, Richard Mille, Rolex, Cartier and Vacheron Constantin. Previews are scheduled for October 16–17, with bidding available in person and through remote channels.
Highlighted watches include a salmon-dial F.P. Journe Centigraphe Souverain, a rose-gold Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1R-001 and a Richard Mille RM 35-02 Rafael Nadal. Antiquorum describes the sale as part of a renewed commitment to the American market. For collectors, it adds another venue to an increasingly busy autumn auction calendar.
Mel Blanc’s Patek Philippe Brings a Familiar Voice to FutureGrail
FutureGrail’s October 2–6 sale includes a yellow-gold Patek Philippe 1579J associated with Mel Blanc, the performer whose voices helped define Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and many other animated characters. Described in the auction coverage as a 1943 watch, the manually wound chronograph carries an estimate of US$70,000–US$110,000. Its appeal combines the interest of a vintage Patek chronograph with a particularly memorable ownership history.
The wider sale spans early wristwatches and contemporary independents, including a Greubel Forsey Balancier Convexe S2 Titanium with an estimate of US$200,000–US$400,000. Watches from F.P. Journe, Parmigiani Fleurier, Dominique Renaud and MB&F broaden the selection. The Blanc watch nevertheless supplies one of the catalog’s most immediately recognizable human connections.
Auction Results
Chopard Alpine Eagle Remains Unsold, With Bidding 65.9% Below Reserve
The October 1 auction of the 2024 Chopard Alpine Eagle 41 Frozen Diamond, reference 295363-5011, ended without a sale. Bidding reached US$25,500 against a reserve of US$74,888. That left a US$49,388 shortfall, with the highest bid representing approximately 34.1% of the seller’s minimum and falling 65.9% below it.
The size of that gap shows how far apart buyer participation and seller expectations remained in this particular offering. Precious metal, elaborate gem-setting and a recognizable sports-watch design create an impressive object, but the resale audience must still be willing to support the required price. Expensive materials and a high retail position cannot, by themselves, produce competitive bidding.
The US$25,500 figure is an unsuccessful high bid, rather than a completed transaction or a definitive valuation of the reference. Equally, the reserve expresses the seller’s minimum rather than proving that a buyer will pay it. The result records a substantial disagreement over price, leaving the watch unsold.
Auction Report
Complicated Steel, Green Dial, Real-World Value: Patek Philippe’s 5905 Takes the Stage
Today’s featured auction is a 2024 Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Flyback Chronograph, reference 5905/1A-001, pairing a 42mm stainless-steel case and bracelet with a sunburst olive-green dial. The 5905 family debuted in platinum in 2015, expanded into rose gold in 2019 and gained this steel interpretation in 2021. That progression brought an established complicated watch into a more casual setting, combining the visual presence of a bracelet watch with two functions that have a practical place in daily life.
The automatic CH 28-520 QA 24H movement combines a column-wheel flyback chronograph with an annual calendar that distinguishes between 30- and 31-day months and requires correction at the end of February. Its vertical clutch supports the chronograph mechanism, while a large 60-minute counter and an arc of calendar windows organize the dial. A 21-karat gold rotor winds the movement, which provides approximately 45 to 55 hours of power reserve. The watch measures 14.13mm thick, giving it substantial wrist presence despite the relatively restrained dial arrangement.
The U.S.-located auction example includes its box, papers, product literature, hangtags and setting pin. It is described as pre-owned, with an excellent dial and light scratches on the case and bracelet. The bracelet description states that all links are pictured, which should not be interpreted as confirmation that every original link is included; usable bracelet length remains a detail to establish. The listing’s general condition language allows for possible servicing or polishing but does not confirm either, making documented history and the actual condition of the surfaces relevant to comparison with other examples.
For market context, the available WatchCharts data places this steel reference at approximately US$47,300 against a reported retail benchmark of roughly US$71,600, a difference of about 34%. That market estimate is a reference-level guide, not a guaranteed sale price or a specific appraisal of this lot. This example’s year, accompanying items, bracelet length, condition and total acquisition cost will determine how it compares with alternatives. Its appeal is clear: a complicated Patek in steel with a distinctive green dial and useful functionality, offered in a market where the secondary price can sit well below retail. The auction is scheduled to end at 8:35 p.m. EDT tonight, Friday, October 2, 2026.
Current bid: $19,250
Losing Time
Today’s Big Losers at Auction on Grailzee
Four watches, four failed sales, and four reminders that an asking price is a wish until someone agrees to pay it.
The 2026 Ulysse Nardin Blast 45MM arrived with a $44,999 ask and attracted a final bid of $10,000—a $34,999 shortfall, or 77.8% below asking. The skeleton dial offered an excellent view of the movement, but apparently no clear explanation for the price. A current-year watch, it seems, can still encounter a very old problem: buyers declining to fund the seller’s expectations.
The 2022 Ulysse Nardin Diver X L.E. 44MM delivered the largest percentage miss. Against an $18,200 ask, the $2,700 high bid fell $15,500 short, or 85.2% below asking. “Limited edition” described the watch; “limited enthusiasm” described the bidding. Buyers offered less than 15 cents for every dollar requested.
The 2019 Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 41MM in rose gold produced the biggest dollar gap. Its $79,950 ask met a $40,600 final bid, leaving $39,350 on the table—a miss of 49.2%. That was the strongest performance relative to asking among these four, which is a rather diplomatic way of saying it got only halfway there. Even the Royal Oak name couldn’t persuade this bidding audience to bridge the difference.
The Arnold & Son Nebula 41.5MM, with no year provided, drew $6,500 against an $18,000 ask. That left a $11,500 gap, or 63.9% below asking. Plenty of mechanical artistry on display; considerably less financial appreciation in the bids.
Together, the sellers wanted $161,149, while the final bids totaled $59,800—62.9% below the combined asks. The Ulysse Nardin pair showed the widest proportional disconnect, while the Royal Oak attracted the strongest relative offer. These failed auctions don’t establish definitive market values, but they do establish that these buyers weren’t buying these expectations. The sellers can revisit their pricing or wait for a different audience. Optimism, fortunately, carries no service interval.
Closing Time
Thank you for spending part of your Friday with BuyingTime. Today’s watches connect us to cities, artists, racing teams, space exploration and the people who helped shape modern watchmaking. The best discoveries also remind us to enjoy the simple experience of wearing something that feels right. Give a favorite watch some wrist time this weekend, stay curious about the unfamiliar names, and we’ll see you Monday for another look at the watch world.