The Facts
Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo's The Geneva Watch Auction: XXIV, held on November 7 and 8, 2026, achieved a total of CHF 92,045,568 ($112,277,184), becoming the first live watch auction to surpass $100 million. The two-day sale at Hotel President in Geneva achieved a white-glove result with all 217 lots sold, setting 24 world records. Seventeen lots exceeded CHF 1 million, led by the F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance "Régence" at CHF 8,680,500 ($10,588,474), marking the fifth consecutive Phillips live auction with a watch selling for more than $10 million. Other top lots included a stainless-steel Patek Philippe Ref. 1436 split-seconds chronograph at CHF 6,267,000 and Cartier's Portico Mystery Clock No. 4 at CHF 4,815,000, a world record for any Cartier timepiece. The sale drew 2,121 registered bidders from 69 countries.
The Signal
The result cements Phillips' dominance in the high-end watch auction market, surpassing its own record set just six months earlier. The strong performance of independent watchmakers—F.P. Journe alone totaled CHF 31.8 million across 13 lots—signals sustained collector appetite for contemporary independent creations alongside vintage Patek Philippe and Rolex. The sale's 100% sell-through rate and the number of lots exceeding CHF 1 million (17) underscore the depth of demand for exceptional condition, rarity, and provenance, reinforcing Geneva as the global epicenter for watch collecting.
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- People: Aurel Bacs, Alexandre Ghotbi, Tiffany To
- Auction Houses: Phillips
- Locations: Geneva
- Prices: $112,277,184, CHF 92,045,568, CHF 8,680,500, $10,588,474, CHF 6,267,000, CHF 4,815,000, CHF 6,146,000, CHF 5,057,000, CHF 2,334,500, CHF 1,968,500, CHF 1,905,000, CHF 1,524,000, CHF 1,270,000
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