Fine Watches by Famous Makers will be in Miller & Miller's Online Luxury Watches Auction November 19

Information may not be reliable

Two rare and desirable men’s Swiss wristwatches – a Patek Philippe Ref. 5396G Annual Calendar and a Rolex Ref. 116515 Cosmograph Daytona – are the expected headliners in Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd.’s online-only Luxury Watches auction scheduled for Saturday, November 19th, beginning promptly at 9 am Eastern time.

“Our November 19th auction of wristwatches features a curated selection of 77 important Swiss luxury timepieces from Rolex, Patek Philippe, Omega, Heuer, Cartier, Hublot, Tiffany & Company and IWC, among others,” said Ethan Miller of Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. “Included is a fine selection of vintage Rolex Submariners and GMT-Master sports models.”

Miller added, “Highlights will feature a stunning Ref. 5513 Rolex Submariner with provenance from the 1972 Olympic games. We are also excited to offer the aforementioned Patek Philippe, Ref. 5396G Annual Calendar. The offering is stacked with exclusively high luxury content and will provide great opportunities for collectors and investors to add to their growing collections.”

The aforementioned Patek Philippe Ref. 5396G Annual Calendar watch is the undisputed star lot of the auction, with a pre-sale estimate of $85,000-$100,000. The patented watch, with self-winding mechanical movement, moon phases and 24-hour display, was launched in 1996 and has been a success story ever since, having emerged as one of Patek Philippe’s flagship models.

All estimates quoted in this report are in Canadian dollars.

The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona watch was introduced in 1963, designed to meet the demands of professional racing drivers, who could use it to measure average speeds up to 400 kilometers (or miles per hour). The case of the watch on offer is 18kt Everose gold, made and patented by Rolex and cast in its own foundry. The wristwatch has pre-sale estimate of $50,000-$60,000.

The Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, regardless of year, movement or reference, is one of the most desirable watches in existence. There are several other examples in the auction. They include:

- Ref. 116520, circa 2008-2009, in a stainless-steel 40mm case, box and papers included (est. $38,000-$45,000).

- Ref. 116523, circa 2002, an exceptionally well cared for example offered from the original owner, complete with box and papers and the receipt from a 2019 service by the original retailer, Ashley Jewellers, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada (est. $19,000-$24,000).

- Ref. 116520, circa 2009, has a stainless-steel case on a stainless-steel oyster band, complete with box and papers, offered without reserve (est. $28,000-$23,000).

The Rolex Day-Date “President” wristwatch is another classic that will be represented more than once in the auction. The model made its debut in 1956 and was the first wristwatch to display the date and day of the week spelled out in full in a window on the dial. The elegant design and precious metals conspired to make the Day-Date a most desirable wristwatch among celebrities.

Two Day-Date “Presidents” in the auction include Ref. 18038, circa 1988, with 18kt yellow gold case and bracelet and champagne diamond dial, serviced by Rolex in August 2002 (est. $28,000-$35,000); and Ref. 18238, with 18kt yellow gold case on an 18kt yellow gold President band. A recent service included all new crystal, crown, crown tube and gaskets (est. $16,000-$20,000).

Rolexes will be plentiful on auction day, but so will watches by other famous makers, such as:

- De Grisogono, Grande ladies’ watch, Swiss, circa 2001, with an 18kt rose gold case and pink sapphires, box and papers included (est. $23,000-$27,000). The Grande is instantly recognizable for its gently curved silhouette. It was designed with perfect proportions.

- Tag Heuer, Ref. 2446C Autavia GMT, Swiss, 1972, with a stainless-steel case on a leather strap and a Mark 4 dial (est. $18,000-$20,000). This model has steel hands with red accents, red chronograph hand and stepped sub-dials. Color pops on the Pepsi bezel.

- Cartier, Ref. 1353.1 Pasha Chronograph, Swiss, circa 1998, with 18kt yellow gold case and bracelet (est. $14,000-$18,000). In 1943, a round wristwatch was introduced into the Cartier collection. The inspiration for the modern Pasha comes from this elegant design.

Returning to Rolexes, a Ref. 1675 GMT-Master watch and a Ref. 16760 GMT-Master II watch are expected to change hands (or wrists) for $25,000-$30,000 and $20,000-$25,000, respectively. The original GMT-Master, designed in 1954, was a collaboration with Pan Am Airways. The watch was issued to their crews on long-haul flights and was later embraced by other pilots.

A 1968 Rolex Ref. 5512 Submariner and a circa 1971 Rolex Ref. 5513 Submariner have pre-sale estimates of $20,000-$25,000 and $14,000-$17,000, respectively. Both have a stainless-steel case on a stainless-steel oyster band. The latter watch was awarded as a prize for qualifying as the Canadian sailing participant in the 1972 Olympics. The trials were held in Kingston, Ontario.

One more Rolex that’s worthy of mention is the circa 2016 Ref. 80319 Datejust Pearlmaster with an 18kt rose gold case and factory diamond dial and bezel. The smooth lines of the case and bracelet created a feminine interpretation of the emblematic Datejust (est. $22,000-$27,000).

As this is an online-only auction, there will be no in-person event to attend, but bidders can tune in to the live webcast on auction day to watch lots close in real time. A live, in-gallery preview will be held on the day prior to auction, Friday, November 18th, from 12 o’clock noon until 5 pm Eastern time, in the Miller & Miller showroom, at 59 Webster Street in New Hamburg, Ontario.

Internet bidding will be thru the Miller & Miller website (www.MillerandMillerAuctions.com), as well as LiveAuctioneers.com. Phone and absentee bids will also be accepted. Here is a link to the auction: https://live.millerandmillerauctions.com/auctions/4-6OTR3T/luxury-watches. 

Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd., has two major auctions planned for the rest of this year and early next year. They include an Automobiles, Advertising & Toys auction (featuring The Gary Archer Collection) on December 3rd; and a Canadiana & Folk Art auction on February 11, 2023.

To learn more about Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. and the November 19th auction, please visit www.millerandmillerauctions.com.