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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.
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.
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 with his Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime, which sold for more than $5 million at Sotheby’s this week.
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.”
Hess himself went home with one of Stallone’s watches, the winner of a five-minute bidding battle for the actor’s Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 5711/1300A001, pictured below.
This instance marks only the second time this model has been made available on the open market, Sotheby’s said.
The 2021 stainless steel watch featuring an olive-green dial and diamond-set bezel sold for $492,000. It was estimated to go for up to $400,000.
Stallone’s collection, assembled over the course of more than 20 years, also included timepieces from Rolex, Audemars Piguet, and Piaget, as well as unique and screen-worn watches from Panerai.
One highlight was the actor’s Audemars Piguet Reference 26730OR.OO.1320OR.01 Royal Oak Tourbillon. It sold for $228,000, exceeding its pre-sale high estimate of $200,000.
The piece, created for the 50th anniversary of the Royal Oak in 2022, was “chased by clients over the phone, in the room and online,” Sotheby’s said.
This Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tourbillon features a self-winding flying tourbillon, created specifically for the 50th anniversary of the Royal Oak in 2022.
It features a pink gold case and smoked blue dial with a grande tapisserie pattern, as well as a special gold rotor with a “50 Years” mark.
Also a standout of the sale, a Panerai reference PAM00382 Luminor Submersible 1950 timepiece worn by Stallone in “The Expendables 2” was sold to an online buyer for $96,000, topping its pre-sale estimate of $30,000-$60,000.
The “Bronzo” is the first instance of a Panerai sports watch crafted entirely from bronze.
Stallone’s Panerai “Bronzo” watch displays the age and patina of its “extreme use” during filming, the auction house said.
While the PAM 382 model was limited to 1,000 pieces, Stallone’s piece was numbered N0000/1000, which suggests it could be a prototype or the first of the series ever produced, Sotheby’s said.
Sotheby’s sale of Stallone’s watch collection attracted more than 200 bidders.
Coming up, the auction house will host its “Magnificent Jewels” sale in New York on Friday, offering a 3.36-carat oval-shaped fancy intense pinkish purple diamond dubbed the “Lavender Dream.”
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