Crowning glory

With total sales of 32.6 million CHF, the Geneva Watch Auction: Five saw spirited bidding in the room, online, and on the phone from worldwide bidders keen to compete over some of the world’s finest watches, including a heady selection of Rolex royalty that was up for grabs. The sale’s top lot, the unique Rolex ‘Bao Dai’ achieved 5,066,000 CHF following a 13-minute bidding war, planting the flag as the most expensive Rolex ever sold at auction.

What’s more, the gold and lemon-dialled Rolex Daytona, aptly referred to as ‘The Legend’, grabbed a new World-Record price for the model when the hammer dropped at 3,722,000 CHF, more than double the pre-sale estimate. In one night, Phillips sold the first and second most expensive Rolexes at auction, with the record-setting also extending to Patek Philippe, as four new top prices were set in an auction that saw five watches sell for over 1 million CHF. It was certainly a night to remember, and only time will tell if we'll see these new records fall once again…

Photos: Phillips