Watch Auctions 2026 · New York Autumn Season
TL;DR — Antiquorum New York, 18 October 2026
- Antiquorum returns to the US market for the first time in years with a live sale at The Ned NoMad, New York, 18 October 2026 at 11am
- Eight F.P. Journe watches headline the sale; the Chronomètre à Résonance in platinum is estimated at $316,000–$530,000
- Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1R-001 in 18k pink gold with Tiffany & Co. retail provenance is among the blue-chip lots
- Preview open to public 16 October (2–5pm) and 17 October (1–6pm) at 1170 Broadway, New York — same building used by WatchTime New York
- Bidding available in-person, online, by phone, and by absentee bid
After years of focusing its US presence on secondary-market platforms and international sales, Antiquorum is walking back into the American auction room. The Swiss house — founded in Geneva in 1974 and one of the oldest dedicated watch auction businesses in the world — has scheduled Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces for 18 October 2026 at The Ned NoMad New York. It is an in-room sale with phone, online, and absentee bidding available, and it lands in the same week as WatchTime New York 2026 at Gotham Hall — making mid-October a de facto New York watch week for the first time this autumn.
Why Antiquorum’s return matters
The house celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025, closing that milestone year with sales in Geneva, Hong Kong, Monaco, and Milan. The New York return was announced from its Miami Beach office, with management framing it explicitly as a long-term re-entry rather than a one-off: “We are thrilled to reconnect with the US market, and we are re-entering with a long-term vision, strengthening our global presence.” For American collectors, that matters. US buyers have been doing their serious business at Phillips and Sotheby’s New York; Antiquorum’s return adds a third option with different consignment relationships and a European-calibre catalogue.
The timing is astute. The US watch auction market has been in exceptional form throughout 2026. The Voutilainen 28 Sport is currently bidding at $650,000 at the ongoing Phillips New York Sessions Fall 2026 online auction — 2.7 times its $240,000 high estimate, with five days to run. Before that, the Sotheby’s Hong Kong September sale set a new Asia auction record at HK$426 million. There is appetite in the room. Antiquorum is re-entering into a market running hot.
Eight F.P. Journe watches: the core of the sale
The announced lead in any Antiquorum sale that includes multiple Journe pieces is the Journe section itself. Eight examples are confirmed for the October 18 event, anchored by a Chronomètre à Résonance in platinum (reference 255-02R, movement circa 2002) with a pre-sale estimate of $316,000–$530,000. The Résonance is widely considered among the most intellectually ambitious watches produced in the modern era: two entirely independent movements, built to interact through acoustic resonance rather than mechanical coupling, stabilising each other’s rate over time. The piece carries the auction grading C 2 | D 2-01 | M 2* — the asterisk on the movement grade indicating an exceptional quality assessment — with original box and certificate.
A second confirmed Journe lot is a Centigraphe Souverain in platinum with a salmon-coloured dial. The Centigraphe is the only production watch with a centisecond hand; the salmon dial on a platinum case is among the most sought combinations in the reference. Antiquorum has not published estimates for all Journe lots at the time of writing.
The eight-piece Journe section comes in the wake of the June 2026 Phillips New York Watch Auction XIV, where four Voutilainen pieces exceeded $1 million each and a Journe Résonance sold for $13.9 million. Market confidence in serious independent watchmaking is running higher than at any point in the past decade, and Antiquorum appears to have assembled this section with that benchmark clearly in view. For context on how these pieces have behaved over time on the secondary market, our analysis of watch fair launches and secondary market value is relevant reading.
The blue-chip lots: Patek Nautilus and Richard Mille
Alongside the Journe section, two additional lots have been announced that address the mainstream collector market. The Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 5711/1R-001 in 18k rose gold comes with Tiffany & Co. retail provenance — meaning it was sold through the New York jeweller, which has historically added a layer of collector interest to Patek pieces beyond the standard retail channel. The 5711/1R is the rose gold expression of the Nautilus; less contentious than the steel 5711/1A but consistently traded above retail on the secondary market. For context on the broader Patek landscape relative to other blue-chip brands, our Grand Seiko vs. Patek Philippe comparison covers the value arguments in detail.
The Richard Mille RM 35-02 Rafael Nadal rounds out the announced highlights. The RM 35-02 is Nadal’s tournament watch — the version worn and destroyed across multiple Grand Slam victories before the partnership ended — in a carbon TPT case with skeletonised CRMA2 movement. Richard Mille pieces in good condition with documented sporting provenance connections have been consistently strong performers at auction across every major house. No estimate has been published at time of writing.
New York watch week: what to do in three days
The October 16–18 window is worth planning around carefully. WatchTime New York runs at Gotham Hall (1356 Broadway) from 5:30pm Friday through to 4pm Sunday, with 46 brands represented including Kari Voutilainen, MB&F, Urwerk, Laurent Ferrier, Ferdinand Berthoud, and Massena LAB. The Friday VIP dinner is sold out; general admission for Saturday and Sunday is $50. The Antiquorum preview opens at The Ned NoMad (1170 Broadway) on Friday 16 October from 2–5pm and Saturday 17 October from 1–6pm — a 25-minute walk from Gotham Hall — before the live sale on Sunday 18 October at 11am. Collectors attending WatchTime on Saturday can walk to the Antiquorum preview in the afternoon.
Practical details for bidders
| Sale name | Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces |
|---|---|
| Date | 18 October 2026, 11:00am ET |
| Venue | The Ned NoMad New York, 1170 Broadway, New York, NY |
| Preview | 16 October, 2–5pm | 17 October, 1–6pm |
| Bidding options | In-person, online, telephone, absentee |
| Lead lot estimate | F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance (platinum): $316,000–$530,000 |
| Auction house | Antiquorum Auctioneers (est. 1974, Geneva) |
| Register to bid | antiquorum.swiss |
Frequently asked questions
Antiquorum celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025 and has been expanding its international calendar with sales in Geneva, Hong Kong, Monaco, and Milan. The US return reflects growing appetite from American collectors and benefits from momentum in the New York watch auction market following record-breaking sales at Phillips and Sotheby’s through 2026.
The two events share the same October 16–18 window in New York. WatchTime runs at Gotham Hall (1356 Broadway) while the Antiquorum preview and sale take place at The Ned NoMad (1170 Broadway), about a 25-minute walk apart. Collectors attending both can preview Antiquorum’s lots on Friday afternoon or Saturday before attending WatchTime.
The $316,000–$530,000 estimate for the platinum Résonance is significant but not out of line with recent results: a Journe Résonance sold for $13.9 million at Phillips New York in June 2026 (a record), while other Résonance examples in platinum have traded above $400,000 at auction in the past two years. Condition and provenance matter enormously; this example carries Antiquorum’s exceptional movement grade. As with all auction purchases, total cost includes buyer’s premium.
Yes. Antiquorum accepts in-person, online, telephone, and absentee bids. Register to bid at antiquorum.swiss ahead of the 18 October sale.
The Phillips New York Sessions Fall 2026 online auction completed on 9 October, closing its 88 lots sequentially from 10am ET. In November, Geneva auction week (6–9 November) brings Phillips, Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and Antiquorum under one roof for what is typically the year’s biggest single auction cluster.
Update — 11 October 2026: Antiquorum’s full 157-lot catalogue is now live. The F.P. Journe Tourbillon Vertical Black Series in platinum (2022) emerges as the highest-estimated lot in the sale at $800,000–$1,400,000 — well above the Chronomètre à Résonance highlighted at catalogue launch, and among the most ambitiously priced pieces on offer in New York this autumn. Nine F.P. Journe wristwatches are confirmed in the final catalogue; full estimates are now published across the section. The preview opens on Friday 16 October, 2–5pm at The Ned NoMad — five days from now. The Sotheby’s Paris Fine Watches sale closed 100% sold last week and set an annual house record, setting the tone for what is shaping up as the strongest October auction week in recent memory.
Full catalogue highlights — 11 October 2026
With estimates now public across the Journe section and the blue-chip lots, this is where the money is concentrated going into Sunday’s sale.
| Lot | Watch | Pre-sale estimate (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 156 | F.P. Journe Tourbillon Vertical Black Series, platinum, 2022 | $800,000–$1,400,000 | Highest estimate in the sale; Black Series is a strictly limited production run |
| 155 | F.P. Journe Centigraphe Souverain, platinum, salmon dial, 2011 | $600,000–$1,000,000 | Rarest dial/case combination in the reference; salmon only on platinum |
| 152 | F.P. Journe Vagabondage II, 18k pink gold, limited to 68 | $500,000–$800,000 | Among the most collectible of Journe’s jumping-hour series |
| — | F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance, platinum, ref. 255-02R, c. 2002 | $316,000–$530,000 | Movement grade M 2* (exceptional); box and certificate; the intellectual centrepiece of the Journe oeuvre |
| 157 | F.P. Journe Octa Calendrier, early platinum | $400,000–$800,000 | Early production with desirable dial finishing |
| 23 | Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 5711/1R-001, 18k rose gold, Tiffany & Co. signed, 2017 | $200,000–$400,000 | Tiffany retail provenance historically adds a collector premium |
| 153 | Richard Mille RM 35-02 Rafael Nadal, Carbon TPT, 2017 | $150,000–$250,000 | Tournament edition; estimate now published |
| 12 | Rolex Daytona Ref. 6241, c. 1969, 14k yellow gold, black dial, Tiffany & Co. double-signed | $100,000–$200,000 | Rare double-signed Tiffany example in yellow gold |
The Tourbillon Vertical Black Series deserves particular attention. The Black Series designation signals a strictly limited run produced with blacked-out movement finishing, platinum case and a tightly controlled distribution — the combination that consistently commands the highest premiums in the independent watchmaking market. For how these dynamics play out over time, our analysis of watch fair launches and secondary market value provides useful context. The Vagabondage II, limited to 68 examples worldwide, was produced in such restricted numbers that any appearance at auction tends to attract competitive bidding above estimate.
The broader October auction week has already validated the market temperature. Sotheby’s Paris Fine Watches closed 100% sold and set an annual house record. Sotheby’s Paris and Bonhams New York together offered standout lots in the days preceding Antiquorum’s sale. And Phillips New York Sessions Fall 2026 completed on 9 October with the Voutilainen 28 Sport clearing well above its $240,000 high estimate. Antiquorum steps into the room with the wind firmly at its back.
Sources: HauteTime — October’s Watch Auctions: Nine F.P. Journes at Antiquorum (4 October 2026) · Antiquorum Returns to US Auction Market with New York Sale (WatchPro, 1 October 2026) · Antiquorum lot 1-641SXY — F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance (Antiquorum, October 2026) · Antiquorum auction calendar (Antiquorum, 2026).
Update — 14 October 2026: Two Cartier Crash New Special Order pieces that did not appear in the 11 October catalogue highlights have now been verified in the full 157-lot lineup. Lot 77 is an 18k yellow gold commission (Ref. WGCH0170, 2025, estimate ~$400,000) and lot 78 a white gold example with grey fumé dial and green painted Roman numerals (Ref. WGCH0135, 2026, estimate ~$400,000–$620,000), listed as property of an Asian collector and described as potentially unique. Full details below.
Two Cartier Crash Special Orders: the unannounced story
The Crash is the watch Cartier made once and has never quite stopped explaining. Introduced by Cartier London in 1967, its asymmetrical oval case has polarised collectors since the day it appeared; today Cartier makes it almost exclusively through its New Special Order programme, which requires a relationship with the maison and typically a multi-year wait. Both lots 77 and 78 are NSO commissions, making Antiquorum’s New York sale the densest concentration of bespoke Crash pieces assembled in a single American auction in recent memory.
| Lot | Reference | Year | Case | Dial | Movement | Estimate (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 77 | WGCH0170 | 2025 | 18k yellow gold | Silvered, ghost grey Roman numerals | Manual-wind Cal. 1917 MC | ~$400,000 |
| 78 | WGCH0135 | 2026 | 18k white gold | Grey fumé, green painted Roman numerals | Manual-wind Cal. 8970 MC | ~$400,000–$620,000 |
Lot 78 (WGCH0135) arrives as new, with full Cartier documentation — fitted box, certificate of origin, warranty card, loupe, cleaning cloth, hang tag, and instruction booklet. It is listed as property of an Asian collector and may be unique in this configuration. The 2026 production date and immediate appearance at auction suggests a commissioned piece that moved quickly into the secondary market — not unusual for NSO work. Lot 77 (WGCH0170) is a 2025 piece in yellow gold using the 1917 MC calibre; graded very good overall, the case carries light wear consistent with the roughly 12 months it may have spent on a wrist since delivery.
For market context: Christie’s set the current world record for a Cartier Crash in May 2026, when a 1990 “London Crash” in 18k gold sold for $2,028,800 at its Geneva Rare Watches sale — the most expensive Cartier watch sold at auction. That was a vintage piece with 36 years of history; the Antiquorum lots 77 and 78 are modern NSO commissions with estimates at ~$400,000–$620,000 each, well below the vintage ceiling. Two NSO pieces in the same room in New York has no recent precedent to price against. Whether the competitive dynamic between them pushes either above estimate is the most interesting open question in Sunday’s sale. For context on how Cartier’s design language has evolved since 1967, our full Tank history traces the through-line of Cartier’s approach to case design.
Sources (14 October 2026 update): Lot 77 — Cartier Crash NSO WGCH0170 at Antiquorum via Barnebys · Lot 78 — Cartier Crash NSO WGCH0135 at Antiquorum via Barnebys · Antiquorum.swiss — October 2026 New York sale catalog · Hypebeast — Christie’s sells most expensive Cartier Crash ever at $2M+ (May 2026).
Update — 18 October 2026, morning: The sale opens today at 11am ET at The Ned NoMad. Two lots not featured in earlier coverage emerge from the full catalogue as quiet stories worth watching. Lot 11 is a Rolex Ref. 5514/5513 Submariner “Comex”, steel, 1974, no escape valve, case no. 4092961, estimated at $80,000–$120,000. The Comex programme — Compagnie Maritime d’Expertises, the French commercial diving company that partnered with Rolex from the 1960s through the 1990s — produced Submariner and Sea-Dweller examples for working professional divers. The absence of the escape valve places this among the earlier production Comex pieces; examples with clean provenance and unpolished cases tend to command the strongest premiums. Lot 20 is a Patek Philippe Ref. 96J Calatrava, 18k yellow gold, manual-wind, dated to 1932, movement no. 161 566, silvered dial with blued-steel leaf hands — described in the catalogue as “possibly unique” — estimated at $30,000–$50,000. The Ref. 96 was the watch that established the Calatrava as a coherent design language for Patek Philippe; pieces from 1932 predate most collectors’ search windows entirely and rarely appear without significant auction history attached. This example arrives essentially cold. Looking ahead 19 days: Phillips Geneva Watch Auction XXIV (7–8 November, Hôtel President Wilson, Geneva) brings a potential CHF 4,000,000 Patek Philippe Ref. 1436 split-seconds chronograph in stainless steel — described as one of only two known examples — as its top lot, opening the year’s biggest single auction cluster.
Sources (18 October 2026 update): Antiquorum New York October 2026 — live lot catalogue (Antiquorum, 18 October 2026) · HauteTime — October’s Watch Auctions: Nine F.P. Journes at Antiquorum (4 October 2026) · Phillips — Geneva Watch Auction XXIV highlights (September 2026) · Rapaport — Patek Philippe Watch Could Fetch $4.9M at Phillips (September 2026).
