Radar Horológico — 3 November
The day in brief
A pocket watch made around 1613 for James I of England goes to auction at Bonhams in London on 3 December. In Prague, the Salon Exceptional Watches brings together more than 1,500 watches on Friday and Saturday, and in Geneva Christie's will auction the 21 unique watches of Watches for ELA on 9 November. In the industry, Christopher Ward expects to reach $100 million in sales this financial year. Among the launches, H. Moser & Cie. adds a chronograph and a three-hand watch to the Heritage collection.
Watch made for King James I of England goes to auction in London, more than 400 years on
The work of David Ramsay, clockmaker to the court of James I, it heads the Historical and Extraordinary Watches sale on 3 December, with an estimate of £250,000 to £350,000. Oval, in silver and gilt metal, it has the king's portrait engraved on the inner cover and is one of three known examples commissioned at the same time. According to Bonhams, it stayed in the same family for generations, down to the current owner, who lent it to the British Museum in 1961 and to the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1974.
SEW show brings more than 1,500 watches to Prague's Žofín Palace on Friday and Saturday
The 12th edition of the show, which describes itself as the largest in Central and Eastern Europe, brings together well-known brands, microbrands and independent AHCI watchmakers on 6 and 7 November, with names such as Sinn, Maurice Lacroix, Czapek Genève and Bell & Ross. The conference programme gives Friday mainly to Czech brands and on Saturday features Rado, Longines and Chronoswiss, among others. The show opens on Friday from 12:00 to 18:00 and on Saturday from 10:00 to 18:00, with admission at 290 Czech koruna online and 350 on site.
Independent watchmakers join Zidane's Cartier in Geneva auction for ELA
The sale is part of Christie's Rare Watches auction at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues, on 9 November at 12:30 in Geneva, 11:30 in Lisbon, and the proceeds go to the European Leukodystrophies Association. Zinedine Zidane's Cartier Pasha is now joined by details of four pieces by independents: the Dual Time Art for ELA by Atælier Haute Complication, the Abyss by Cédric Johner, the Projekt 01 by Kollokium and the Seneca II by Konstantin Chaykin, with estimates between 4,000 and 40,000 Swiss francs. The watches can be viewed at the same hotel from 5 to 8 November.
Christopher Ward expects to reach $100 million in sales this financial year
The British brand expects to close the financial year ending in March 2027 with sales of $100 million, about £75 million, according to WatchPro, and managing director Mike France has set the next targets at £100 million within two years and then £250 million. Its physical network now has seven spaces, four of them in the United States, and the ambition is to reach 30 in North America. The pricing policy stays the same: watches should not cost more than three times their manufacturing cost.
H. Moser & Cie. adds a chronograph and a three-hand watch to the Heritage collection
These are two limited series in steel, with a 42 mm case and a notched crown bearing an "M". The Heritage Chronograph White Fumé, in 100 pieces, has the 1947 logo, blue indications, a tachymeter scale and subdials at 3 and 9 o'clock, with the HMC 220 automatic calibre and a Dubois Dépraz chronograph module, at 21,600 vibrations per hour. The Heritage Centre Seconds Espresso Fumé, in 200 pieces, has applied Globolight numerals and a kudu leather strap, with the HMC 200 automatic calibre, visible through the sapphire case-back. Both offer at least three days of power reserve.
Find out more on the brand's website.
What deserves attention
Two events mark the coming days in Geneva: the ceremony of the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève, on Saturday 7 November at 19:00 in Geneva, 18:00 in Lisbon, hosted by Stéphane Bern and Arianne Alcorta and streamed live on the official website, and the auction for ELA on Monday. The 84 nominated pieces remain on show until 15 November at the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire in Geneva, and the winners go on to London from 18 to 23 November.
Later, on 30 November, the Milanese auction house Faraone Casa d'Aste will sell 325 lots of jewellery, watches and silver, including a 1925 Cartier Art Deco and a Cartier Tonneau Dual Time from the 2000s. Gerald Charles is marking Gemma Triay's 59th title, won on 31 October at the Kuwait Major with a Mini Maestro on her wrist, which makes her the most decorated player in the history of women's padel.
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