Watch Auctions 2026 · October dispatch
TL;DR
- Sotheby’s Paris Fine Watches closes 7 October at 2 pm CEST — 108 lots led by a Rolex Daytona “Paul Newman” Ref. 6241 with box and papers (est. €120,000–260,000) and an F.P. Journe Centigraphe Souverain in platinum (est. €150,000–300,000).
- Bonhams New York “Fine Watches: Discovery of Time” closes 8 October at noon ET — headline lot is an H. Moser & Cie. Pioneer Tourbillon “Miami” Ref. 3805-1202, No. 1 of 28 (est. $50,000–70,000).
- Phillips New York Sessions Fall 2026 remains open for bids until 9 October; the Voutilainen 28 Sport has already hammered at $650,000.
Between Wednesday and Thursday this week, two auction houses close lots that deserve collector attention. Sotheby’s Paris and Bonhams New York go to the hammer within 22 hours of each other — and together they offer one of the more varied moments of the autumn season, from a documented Daytona in steel to a limited H. Moser designed around the Miami palette.
Sotheby’s Paris Fine Watches — closes 7 October 2026
Sotheby’s Paris opens its timed online sale of 108 lots to close at 2 pm CEST on 7 October, with lots ending one minute apart. The format has become familiar: bids run for weeks, but the final day is where the price action concentrates, so experienced buyers are watching the bid ladder closely today.
The most discussed lot is Lot 368: a Rolex Daytona “Paul Newman” Ref. 6241 in steel, circa 1968, consigned with its original box and papers. The “Paul Newman” designation refers to the exotic dial variant — a three-colour sub-register layout, a railway-track seconds ring, and art-deco-styled hands — and the Ref. 6241 is one of the rarer iterations, produced from 1965 to 1969 with a manually-wound Cal. 722-1 and a fixed black bezel. Our complete guide to the Paul Newman Daytona covers every reference; among them, box-and-papers examples have historically pushed toward or above the high estimate. Sotheby’s carries a range of €120,000–260,000 (approximately $128,000–278,000 as of October 2026), which looks plausible for a black-dial 6241 with documentation, though the Paul Newman market is notoriously sensitive to individual dial condition. Our Rolex Daytona buying guide has the full reference context, and our Rolex investment analysis benchmarks where Daytona values have moved in recent years.
Lot 367 is arguably the more mechanically distinctive offering: an F.P. Journe Centigraphe Souverain in platinum, circa 2014, estimated at €150,000–300,000 (approximately $160,000–321,000 as of October 2026). The Centigraphe Souverain is a column-wheel chronograph with a dedicated hundredths-of-a-second display — the hundredths hand sweeps a full rotation in 20 seconds, making it one of Journe’s most legible and technically demanding complications. Platinum examples have shown strong consistency at auction, and the estimate range reflects that floor rather than capping the ceiling.
The rest of the sale is broad. Lot 388 is a Panerai Luminor Marina Ref. 6152-1 in steel from circa 1960 — a vintage reference predating the brand’s commercial re-launch. Lot 389 is an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” Ref. 5402SA from 1978, one of the original Genta steel Royal Oaks. A Patek Philippe grand complication pocket watch from 1873 and a Ulysse Nardin Astrolabium Galileo Galilei round out the collector highlights.
| Lot | Reference | Description | Estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 367 | F.P. Journe Centigraphe Souverain | Platinum, circa 2014 | €150,000–300,000 |
| 368 | Rolex Daytona “Paul Newman” Ref. 6241 | Steel, circa 1968; box & papers | €120,000–260,000 |
| 388 | Panerai Luminor Marina Ref. 6152-1 | Steel, circa 1960 | On request |
| 389 | Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” Ref. 5402SA | Steel, 1978 | On request |
| 364 | Patek Philippe grande complication pocket watch | Yellow gold, 1873; perpetual calendar, minute repeater, chronograph | On request |
Bidding is via Sotheby’s online platform; enquiries to Camille Jucker (head of sale) at Bids.Paris@Sothebys.com.
Bonhams New York “Fine Watches: Discovery of Time” — closes 8 October 2026
Bonhams New York’s autumn watch sale follows on 8 October at noon ET. The headline lot is exceptional in a small-sale context: Lot 136, an H. Moser & Cie. Pioneer Tourbillon “Miami” Ref. 3805-1202, numbered 1 of 28, estimated at $50,000–70,000 (SGD 67,500–94,500 as of October 2026).
The Pioneer Tourbillon “Miami” was produced exclusively for Bucherer in 28 examples. It pairs H. Moser’s flying tourbillon calibre in a 40mm steel case with a lacquered aqua-green dial that references the Miami ocean palette. Consigning No. 1 of 28 adds first-example premium to an already scarce lot. Bonhams’ $50,000 floor reads cautious; secondary market comparables for limited Moser tourbillons suggest the final figure could exceed the high estimate in a well-attended room.
| Lot | Reference | Description | Estimate (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 136 | H. Moser & Cie. Pioneer Tourbillon “Miami” Ref. 3805-1202 | Steel, flying tourbillon, No. 1 of 28 | $50,000–70,000 |
Phillips New York Sessions Fall 2026 — still open until 9 October
The week’s auction activity doesn’t end with Sotheby’s and Bonhams. Phillips’ New York Sessions Fall 2026 — 88 lots, described as the highest-value online auction the New York team has run — closes on 9 October at 10 am ET. The Voutilainen 28 Sport has already hammered at $650,000, but the Patek Philippe Ref. 5270J, the Rolex Cosmograph Daytona “Platona,” and the F.P. Journe Octa Quantième Perpétuel are all still live.
What comes next
After this week’s trio, the next major sale is Antiquorum’s 18 October New York room auction, which features nine F.P. Journe pieces — including a Tourbillon Vertical Black Series estimated at $800,000–1,400,000. Then comes Geneva auction week: Phillips, Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and Antiquorum all converge on Geneva from 6–9 November 2026 for the season’s largest cluster of results. For a longer view on how event-season launches translate to secondary prices, our secondary market analysis is the reference to bookmark.
The Ref. 6241 is a manually-wound Rolex Daytona produced from 1965 to 1969, notable for its fixed black bezel and, in its most collectable configuration, an “exotic” dial with the three-colour sub-registers and art-deco hands associated with Paul Newman. With original box and papers, steel examples regularly achieve six-figure sums at auction. Our complete Paul Newman Daytona guide covers every reference variant and what to check at auction.
F.P. Journe produces in very small annual batches, and the Centigraphe Souverain — a column-wheel chronograph with a dedicated hundredths-of-a-second display — is one of the brand’s most mechanically demanding references. Platinum cases carry additional premiums. The combination of scarcity, complexity, and a tight collector community underpins the €150,000–300,000 estimate at Sotheby’s Paris in October 2026.
The H. Moser & Cie. Pioneer Tourbillon “Miami” (Ref. 3805-1202) was a Bucherer Exclusive limited to 28 pieces, with a flying tourbillon calibre in a 40mm steel case and an aqua-green lacquered dial. The lot at Bonhams New York on 8 October 2026 is piece No. 1 of 28, estimated at $50,000–70,000.
Lots begin ending at 2:00 pm CEST on 7 October 2026, closing one minute apart. Bidding is via Sotheby’s online platform at sothebys.com; new bidders need to register and provide a credit card in advance.
Antiquorum holds a room sale in New York on 18 October 2026 (nine F.P. Journe lots including a Tourbillon Vertical Black Series estimated at $800,000–1,400,000). Geneva auction week runs 6–9 November 2026 with Phillips, Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and Antiquorum all presenting major sales. See our Antiquorum preview for October details.
Sources: Sotheby’s Paris Fine Watches auction page (sothebys.com, accessed 6 October 2026); HauteTime: Watch Auctions October 2026 (hautetime.com, published October 2026); Bonhams New York Fine Watches: Discovery of Time (bonhams.com, accessed 6 October 2026).
