On October 24, 2017 Heritage Auctions will offer extraordinarily rare and exciting pieces to the block. Leading the way, and forming the pinnacle of this single owner collection from a well-known tech entrepreneur is a pair of minute repeaters from Patek Philippe. The Ref. 3974J is both a design and technical tour de force, a masterpiece of haute horology, and rightly considered one of the most beautiful and important wristwatches from the manufacturer over the last 50 years. This example is one of only circa 90 made, in yellow gold, during its 13-year production run and was created to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Patek Philippe.

The complexity of the automatic perpetual calendar moon phase, combined with the minute repeating complication, points to nearly 4 years of research and development of the Caliber R 27 Q featured in this timepiece. Alongside this is the Ref. 5013R from 2007, an automatic retrograde date minute repeater fashioned in a rose gold tonneau shaped case. With 515 movement parts, it was previously one of the most complicated wristwatches Patek had produced at that time. These two amazing timepieces are just part of the extraordinary single owner collection offering.

26388PO (see our hands on with it here) and 26288OR, these new Royal Oak Offshore Tourbillon Chronograph watches come in stainless steel and 18k rose gold respectively, and feature a brand new case design which has a thinner bezel and hence a more open dial. Even so, the distinctive Royal Oak Offshore design traits are all undamaged. The 45mm instance is still angular, the bezel remains octagonal, and there’s no missing those vulnerable hexagonal screws around the bezel. Completing the look are black porcelain pushers to your chronograph and a screw-down crown. Water resistance is also 100m. On the dial, one can see the vulnerable motion and the tourbillon in 9 o’clock. Opposite the tourbillon in 3 o’clock is your 30-minute counter for the chronograph. Also clearly visible are both mainspring barrels. The skeletonized bridges extend from each of the eight screws in a means that’s quite distinctive and ties the design of the case, dial, and movement together in a way few watches manage to do so.These watches are powered by the in-house hand-wound Caliber 2947, which is an open-worked version of the Caliber 2933 found at the Royal Oak Offshore Tourbillon Chronograph Ref. Royal Oak Offshore fanatics are definitely eager to know the costs, and we’ll update the article when we can confirm. Every Audemars Piguet Watch Band Replacement Royal Oak Offshore Tourbillon Chronograph 25th Anniversary version is limited to 50 pieces.

Other highlights from Patek Philippe include an ultra-rare Ref. 5204P Split Second Chronograph in Platinum. This watch has rightly become a modern day icon, a grail piece for collectors, and easily the most desirable perpetual calendar on the market. Also available is a stunning pair consisting of the Ref. 5004P and Ref. 5004R. One is a double sealed rose gold example and the other a platinum version, as well as two Ref. 5970P and Ref. 5970R watches in rose gold and platinum and a pair of Ref. 5960P and Ref. 5960R models also in rose gold and platinum. Additionally, in this same collection is a gorgeous white gold Ref. 5270, and one of the best-known examples of a Ref. 1579R to come to auction. Finally, the well-known and loved Calatrava Ref. 570R, with center seconds from the late 1950s, still factory sealed from the Patek Philippe service center, will be of great interest in the auction room.

For the modern wristwatch collector, Heritage Auctions will be offering a Platinum Jaeger-LeCoultre Gyrotourbillon 2 No. 58/75, and an Audemars Piguet Carbon Concept Tourbillon. These are two completely different, but industry-changing applications to the tourbillon regulator from two of the most respected manufactures producing timepieces today.

Every important watch brand will be represented, with an especially strong selection of sports watches from Rolex. This includes multiple Submariners, GMTs and Daytonas, in varying combinations of era and specification, as well as a vast array of Bubblebacks and classic Datejust models.

Of particular interest to the vintage chronograph collector will be the ‘Nina Rhindt’ Compax by Universal Genève. This highly collectible wristwatch, with its signature “panda” dial, has increasingly been on the collector radar. For the Omega and space enthusiast, the actual Omega Speedmaster 40th Anniversary Ltd Ed No. 11 that was presented to astronaut Buzz Aldrin in 2009 by Omega will also be available. Here, the limited edition Number 11 is obviously significant due to Buzz Aldrin’s history-setting Apollo 11 mission to the moon.

The auction will be held online and in the Lotte New York Palace Hotel on October 24, 2017 at 1 pm, with previews on the 22nd, 23rd and 24th of October at Heritage Galleries: 445 Park Avenue, New York NY. ha.com

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