New York auction yields an exceptional result for a Vacheron Constantin watch

The auction held by Christie’s in New York June 15th 2011 confirmed Vacheron Constantin’s strong appeal to international collectors. During this sale in which bidders from around the world displayed a keen interest, the Geneva-based House distinguished itself by setting an absolute record for the pocket watch made for James Ward Packard (1863 – 1928), the famous American automobile manufacturer and devotee of Haute Horlogerie watches. He was one of first American collectors to work directly with the Geneva-based watch manufacturer in order to build up a collection of unique timepieces.

Among the items by Vacheron Constantin that were up for bidding in New York, the 20-carat gold pocket watch (lot n° 100) proved to be the undisputed star of the auction by fetching 1,800,000 USD.

A truly exceptional result for an equally exceptional watch: in addition to displaying the hours, minutes and seconds beneath a rock crystal glass, this timepiece features a personalised combination of complications including hour, minute, quarter and half-quarter repeating, grande and petite sonnerie as well as a 30-minute chronograph register.

The magnificently adorned back of this piece featuring the monogram JWP on blue enamel was executed in Geneva following a sketch made by James Ward Packard himself. This elegant watch is in impeccable condition, having been preserved in the safe of a bank where it had remained untouched for the past 60 years.