When Christie’s Geneva Rare Watches sale opens on May 9, the sheer number and variety of highlights—including vintage Rolexes, modern Patek Philippes, rarefied Royal Oaks and Cartier Crash replica watches for sale that could set a new benchmark for the model—may surprise seasoned collectors.
“In the past, this sale would have been hard to do because it was the same people buying the same watches,” Keith Davis, head of high quality fake watches for Christie’s in the Americas, tells Robb Report. “Today, however, the focus is so broadened that you can have many different high-level offerings. Our goal is to speak to a wide group of people in an intense way at the highest level we can.”
The Replica Rolex Daytona Trilogy Watches
While it’s difficult to single out the sale’s big draw, it’s safe to say that a trio of yellow gold cheap Swiss replica Rolex Daytona watches is expected to attract the lion’s share of attention. Never before seen together and at the same time at auction, the trilogy includes a Ref. 6269 “Jack of Diamonds” with a low estimate of 1,100,000 Swiss francs (about $1,167,000), the Ref. 6264 with “Tropical Lemon Paul Newman” dial and the Ref. 6241 with “Champagne Paul Newman” dial.
“One of these maybe comes up once in two years,” says Davis. “To have all three together is quite extraordinary.”
Made for the French market in the mid-1980s, Lot 38, the manually wound 18-karat gold luxury copy Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 6269 “Jack of Diamonds” watches features a diamond-set bezel and pavé diamond and sapphire-set dial. It’s one of only two examples known publicly bearing French importation marks and the Rolex France logo “Sté*R” for “Société Rolex.” Beyond the elusiveness of the reference, the piece bears additional special marks, such as a caseback stamped with the French “owl” importation gold marks and both a caseback and bracelet clasp stamped with the Rolex France Logo.
Lot 129, the 18k gold Paul Newman Tropical Lemon Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 6264 (Est: CHF 900,000-1,800,000) embodies the rarity and singularity of the finest best Rolex replica watches. Held by the original owner until around 2012, the piece was acquired by a well-known European Rolex collector and is now regarded as one of the most important gold Paul Newman Daytona wristwatches in existence.
To round out the trilogy, Christie’s is offering Lot 128, the wholesale super clone Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 6241 “Champagne Paul Newman Dial” (Est: CHF 700,000-1,200,000) watches. Produced for around three years between 1966 and 1969, the reference 6241 is already rare — that this model appears in 18k gold and bears a champagne dial featuring gilt printing vaults it into a realm of extreme rarity.
Says Christie’s: “The overall appeal of this superb timepiece is completed by the very rare Mark 1 bezel, highly sought-after by collectors.”
Fake Cartier Crash Watches
Lovers of AAA top replica Cartier’s shaped watches—notably, the highly sought-after Crash, whose apocryphal origin tale stretches back to London in the mid-1960s and does, indeed, include a car accident—would no doubt agree in the value of a good story. Which may explain why Lot 133, a c. 1990 London Crash, is expected to fetch at least CHF 180,000.
“That’s going to be important 2022 fake watches and hopefully a new benchmark for that model,” says Davis. “Earlier models from the 1960s are trading for $800,000 to $1 million. We expect an interesting result.”
