Patek Philippe ref. 2499 first series: the rarest chapter of a 34-year legend
A perpetual calendar chronograph that defined a collecting era The Patek Philippe ref. 2499 is one of the most studied and sought-after wristwatches ever made. Produced from 1951 to 1985 in only 349 examples across all metals and series, it remains the benchmark against which collectors measure every perpetual calendar chronograph. The first series — […]
Audemars Piguet ‘Coussin Tortue’ platinum monopusher chronograph sells for CHF 2,134,000 at Christie’s Geneva
A record result for one of AP’s rarest surviving watches Following the whirlwind partnership between AP and Swatch last weekend let’s focus on what truly defines the brand’s DNA. On 12 May 2026, Christie’s Geneva sold a platinum cushion-shaped single-button chronograph by Audemars Piguet — one of the first three wrist chronographs the manufacture ever produced […]
Royal Pop: Audemars Piguet and Swatch launch a bioceramic pocket watch
Two Swiss icons, a unique horological object Announced in Biel in May 2026, the Royal Pop is the result of a collaboration between Audemars Piguet, a manufacture founded in 1875 in Le Brassus, and Swatch, the watchmaking group responsible for democratizing “Swiss Made” and reviving the mechanical watch in the 1980s. The collection consists of […]
F.P. Journe Souscription Résonance No. 18 sells for CHF 4,875,500 at Phillips Geneva
A new auction record for the Souscription Résonance series At Phillips Geneva on May 9–10, 2026, lot 6 — the F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance “Souscription No. 18” — sold for CHF 4,875,500 all-in, against a pre-sale estimate of CHF 450,000–900,000. The result sets a new auction record for any watch in the Souscription Résonance […]
The Agassiz world time for Charles de Gaulle: lot 24 at Phillips Geneva, May 2026
Four watches made for four victors At the Phillips Geneva Watch Auction on 9 and 10 May 2026, lot 24 is an Agassiz pocket watch with a polychrome cloisonné enamel world time dial depicting Joan of Arc, dedicated on the caseback to General Charles de Gaulle and dated 1939–1945. It is one of four unique […]
John Jacob Astor IV’s Patek Philippe pocket watch sells for over $1 million at Freeman’s
A record sale in the United States in April 2026 Freeman’s sold, on April 22, 2026, in Chicago, the Patek Philippe for Tiffany & Co. pocket watch found on John Jacob Astor IV’s body after the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912. The final price exceeded $1 million, setting a record for a U.S.-based […]
The Cartier Crash sets a new world record at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 24 April 2026
A record result for the rarest Cartier shape At Sotheby’s “Important Watches” sale in Hong Kong on 24 April 2026, a 1987 Cartier Crash — one of only three made — sold for HK$15,616,000, establishing a new world auction record for the reference. The result is the latest step in a price trajectory that has […]
The end of the Rolex GMT-Master II “Pepsi”: a historic decision
Rolex announced at this 2026 edition of Watches & Wonders the end of the GMT-Master II “Pepsi”, its iconic reference with a red-and-blue two-tone bezel. This decision brings to a close a lineage spanning more than seven decades and representing one of the most continuous threads in the brand’s history. A reference born in 1954 […]
Watches & Wonders: History and Evolution of the World’s Leading Watch Fair
Watches & Wonders is now the dominant annual showcase for fine watchmaking, bringing together the industry’s major houses in Geneva every spring. Understanding how the event reached its current form requires tracing a genealogy that spans over six decades, through changes in format, transfers of ownership, and a fundamental repositioning regarding the actual target audience. […]
Geoffroy Ader, founder of Aderbot
Geoffroy Ader is a renowned figure in the art and collectibles market, whose professional trajectory combines auction house expertise with technological innovation applied to valuation.