Sotheby’s Auction of Sylvester Stallone’s Watches Was a Knockout

The auction house sold all 11 watches from the “Rocky” star’s collection, with his Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime setting a new record.

Lauren McLemore lauren.mclemore@nationaljeweler.com

Sotheby’s sold each of the 11 watches in Sylvester Stallone’s personal collection for a total of $6.7 million at its New York sale this week. Pictured here is the actor’s Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime.

New York—At its flagship sale of “Important Watches,” Sotheby’s sold every timepiece in the collection of Academy Award-winning actor, writer, producer, and director Sylvester Stallone.

The collection of 11 watches garnered a total of $6.7 million, exceeding its high estimate of $6 million, at the sale held Wednesday in New York.

Six out of the 11 timepieces were sold online, and all but one lot topped pre-sale estimates.

Notably, Stallone’s Patek Philippe Ref. 6300G-010 Grandmaster Chime sold for $5.4 million (est. $2.5 million to $5 million) after a four-minute bidding war among a total of five bidders in a “buzzing” saleroom of more than 100 attendees, Sotheby’s said.

In the end, the watch sold to a private collector from Asia.

A slew of accessories accompany the watch including product literature in a large leather portfolio; a collection book; travel case; cufflinks; USB drive; sealed setting pin; hang tag; an Apple iPad with a Patek Philippe leather case with adapter and charger; and Apple EarPods with a Patek Philippe case.

Sylvester Stallone Patek Philippe Reference 6300G-010 Grandmaster Chime — Sylvester Stallone with his Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime, which sold for more than $5 million at Sotheby’s this week.

Sylvester Stallone Patek Philippe Reference 6300G-010 Grandmaster Chime presentation box accessories — The watch was presented in its original single-sealed casing and accompanied by a grand presentation box engraved with Stallone’s name; a Grandmaster Chime book bearing his name on the cover and inside cover; a certificate of origin confirming Stallone as the original purchaser; and several other accessories.

Widely considered a “holy grail” in the watch community, the Grandmaster Chime is the result of a project initiated by Philippe Stern in 2007 to create the most intricate wristwatch in the brand’s history.

The development, production, and assembly spanned 100,000 hours, said Sotheby’s.

Patek Philippe unveiled the Grandmaster Chime in 2014 to commemorate its 175th anniversary, originally launching it as a limited edition.

The watch features a hand-engraved, reversible white gold case adorned with the brand’s signature hobnail pattern. It has 20 complications, including five chiming modes, two independent dials, and six patented innovations.

It’s the third most valuable wristwatch sold in Sotheby’s history, the auction house said.

It set a new record for a modern watch sold by Sotheby’s, topping the $4.5 million sale of a Richard Mille Reference RM53-02 last October.

Stallone’s Grandmaster Chime is the first example of the model to appear at auction, aside from one specifically created for, and sold at, a Christie’s charity auction in November 2019 for CHF 31 million ($35 million).

The timepiece joined Patek Philippe’s permanent collection in 2016 as the Ref. 6300, the company’s most complex watch and the first grande-sonnerie wristwatch added to its current collection.

“The sale of the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime was an unrepeatable celebration, not only of a masterpiece by the most revered Swiss watchmakers of technical excellence, but also of the legendary icon that is Sylvester Stallone, who has been a deeply influential and admired collector for many decades,” said Geoff Hess, Sotheby’s head of watches in the Americas.

“To feel the pulse of collectors racing with excitement in pursuit of absolute top caliber material was tremendous, and an homage to the art of collecting at the highest level.”