Watch Auctions 2026 · Christie’s Hong Kong November 2026
TL;DR
- Christie’s marks its 40th anniversary in Asia with two Hong Kong watch sales: The Iconic 40 Watches Evening Sale on 25 November 2026 (40 curated lots) and The Important Watches on 26 November 2026, both at Christie’s at The Henderson, 2 Murray Road, Central.
- The two sales’ combined low estimate exceeds HKD 330,000,000 (~US$42 million) — the highest seasonal estimate total for watches in Asian auction history.
- The evening sale is led by a Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon in 18k white gold with an upper estimate of HKD 43,000,000 (~US$5.3M), and an F.P. Journe ruby-dial Tourbillon Souverain at HKD 16,000,000–32,000,000.
- Bonhams runs a third sale on the same day as The Iconic 40 — 25 November 2026 — with 100+ lots including a Cartier Mystery Clock and Richard Mille rarities.
- Public preview opens 18 November 2026 at Christie’s at The Henderson, 7th floor, 11:00 am–6:00 pm daily through 25 November. Register to bid at christies.com.
When Christie’s first held a watch auction in Hong Kong in 1986, the category was still a footnote. Forty years later, the house returns for two landmark November sales that together carry the highest seasonal estimate total in Asian watch auction history. The occasion is deliberate: Christie’s is treating its 40th anniversary in Asia as a programmatic statement, anchoring it to a tightly curated evening of 40 watches on 25 November, followed by the broader Important Watches session the following day.
The timing makes sense. Hong Kong’s November auction season now runs from 21 November (when Phillips opens its 329-lot XXIII sale at WKCDA Tower in West Kowloon) through to Christie’s on 25–26 November. That five-day window puts the city at the centre of global collector attention — following a Geneva auction week that produced US$203 million across three days, and picking up directly where Sotheby’s September sale set an Asian watch auction record of HKD 426 million.
The Iconic 40: 25 November, Evening Sale
The evening sale presents 40 watches selected to represent the arc of Christie’s Hong Kong watch collecting over four decades. The catalogue draws heavily on the Kronos: Titans of Time collection, described by Christie’s as one of the most important single-owner consignments it has offered in Asia. Twenty-three of the 40 lots are Patek Philippe; F.P. Journe and A. Lange & Söhne complete the independent-watchmaking tier.
The highest estimate belongs to a Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon in 18k white gold, estimated up to HKD 43,000,000 (~US$5.3M). The piece features Patek’s 12-complication double-dial and has not previously appeared at auction. Running it close is a Patek Philippe Ref. 6104/12G-010 Celestial in white gold with a baguette-cut ruby bezel — Christie’s describes the configuration as possibly unique — estimated up to HKD 24,000,000 (~US$3.1M). A 1931 Patek Philippe observatory tourbillon pocket watch that took first prize at the Geneva Observatory competition that year appears as Lot 4010 with both its original enamel-dial yellow gold case and its competition steel case intact — no other known example retains both.
The independent watch segment leads with an F.P. Journe ruby-dial Tourbillon Souverain in platinum, estimated HKD 16,000,000–32,000,000 (~US$2–4M). The ruby dial is among the rarest dial variants Journe produced on the Tourbillon Souverain; the last significant ruby-dial Journe to sell at auction in Hong Kong made multiples of its pre-sale estimate. Alongside it, a Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon Ref. 6002G-010 and an A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Tourbillon “Handwerkskunst” round out the top of the evening catalogue.
The Important Watches: 26 November
The following day’s Important Watches session broadens the scope considerably — the two sales together present more than 300 lots. The session’s lead lots include a second Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon in 18k pink gold, estimated HKD 8,000,000–16,000,000 (~US$1–2M), a platinum F.P. Journe dual-time wristwatch estimated up to HKD 16,000,000 (~US$2M), and a Cartier panther clock set with emeralds, sapphires, chalcedony and diamonds, estimated up to HKD 12,000,000 (~US$1.5M).
Estimates are pre-sale figures in HKD excluding buyer’s premium. Christie’s notes that non-US-origin watches imported into the United States may attract additional tariffs payable by the buyer.
Bonhams on the Same Day
Running concurrently with The Iconic 40 on 25 November is Bonhams’ “Echoes of Time: Rare Timepieces from the Pages of History”, a live sale at an as-yet-unannounced Hong Kong venue. Bonhams’ highlights include a Cartier Paris “Model A” Mystery Clock from c.1914 in a rock-crystal case with Delion family provenance (HKD 2,000,000–4,000,000), a Richard Mille RM011 AH WG from c.2011 (one of 10; HKD 2,500,000–5,000,000), and a Gérald Genta Ref. G3026.7 perpetual calendar with minute repeater making its auction debut (HKD 300,000–600,000). The same houses ran back-to-back in October in New York and Hong Kong, and the November pairing again gives collectors with broad interests a full week in the city.
Viewing, Registration and Practical Details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Evening sale (The Iconic 40) | Tuesday 25 November 2026, 6:00 PM HKT |
| Day sale (The Important Watches) | Wednesday 26 November 2026 |
| Venue (both sales) | Christie’s at The Henderson, 2 Murray Road, Central (auction: 6th floor) |
| Public preview | 18–25 November 2026, 11:00 AM–6:00 PM daily (7th floor) |
| Lots (combined) | 300+ across both sessions |
| Combined low estimate | HKD 330,000,000+ (~US$42M) |
| Register to bid | christies.com/en/calendar/2026/11 |
The Henderson, opened in 2024 on Murray Road in Central, is Christie’s permanent auction space in Hong Kong — a step up from the temporary venues the house used through most of its Hong Kong history, and a signal that the city is now a full-season, full-infrastructure market rather than an outpost. For collectors travelling specifically for auction week, the Phillips preview (16–22 November at WKCDA Tower in West Kowloon) and the Christie’s preview overlap between 18 and 22 November — both are viewable in the same trip.
Whether the combined HKD 330M+ estimate translates to results at that level depends on the same factors that have driven Asian auction records higher each cycle: mainland-linked demand for Patek Philippe complications and F.P. Journe rarities, strong bidding by institutional and family-office collectors in the region, and the competitive dynamic that emerges when two or more major houses run in the same week. If the sell-through follows recent form — the Sotheby’s September 2026 session set the region’s record at HKD 426M, and top-tier complications consistently outperform secondary market comparables — the November week could become the second-largest Hong Kong auction week on record.
Frequently Asked Questions
Christie’s holds two sales: The Iconic 40 Watches Evening Sale on Tuesday 25 November 2026 at 6:00 PM HKT, followed by The Important Watches on Wednesday 26 November 2026. Both take place at Christie’s at The Henderson, 2 Murray Road, Central, Hong Kong.
The Iconic 40 is a tightly curated evening sale of 40 watches marking Christie’s 40th anniversary in Asia. The catalogue is dominated by Patek Philippe (23 of 40 lots) alongside F.P. Journe and A. Lange & Söhne, led by a Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon in white gold estimated up to HKD 43,000,000 (~US$5.3M).
Registration is through Christie’s website at christies.com. You will need to provide identification and may be required to provide a financial reference depending on the lots you intend to bid on. The public preview runs 18–25 November 2026 at the 7th floor of The Henderson, 2 Murray Road, Central, 11:00 AM–6:00 PM daily.
The highest-estimated lot is a Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon in 18k white gold from the Kronos: Titans of Time collection, with a pre-sale estimate up to HKD 43,000,000 (~US$5.3M). The F.P. Journe ruby-dial Tourbillon Souverain in platinum, estimated HKD 16,000,000–32,000,000 (~US$2–4M), is a close second in collector interest.
The combined low estimate of HKD 330,000,000+ (~US$42M) across the two Christie’s sales is described as the highest seasonal estimate total for watches in Asian auction history. For context, Sotheby’s set the single-sale Asian record at HKD 426M in September 2026, and the November week also includes Phillips’ 329-lot HK XXIII sale running from 21–22 November.
Sources: Christie’s Marks 40 Years in Asia with “The Iconic 40” — WatchesbyJX (produced in partnership with Christie’s), 4 November 2026; Patek Philippe Timepieces to Headline Two Christie’s Hong Kong Sales — Rapaport, 18 October 2026; Hong Kong Watches Sale — Echoes of Time: Bonhams press release.
