Sotheby’s to Auction $9M Collection of Single-Owner Watches

By JCK News Desk | October 20, 2026

Sotheby’s will offer a collection of 30 high-end watches—nearly all of which were retained by their original owners since purchase—at auction in New York on Dec. 7. Dubbed “The Original Owner Collection,” the group, which is expected to fetch more than $9 million, includes two Patek Philippe models making their auction debuts.

Leading the collection is a Patek Philippe Ref. 5374/300P-001 Grand Complication Minute Repeater Perpetual Calendar, which carries a $2.5 million to $5 million estimate. The platinum timepiece combines a minute repeater and perpetual calendar with baguette-cut diamonds and sapphires. Sotheby’s said this example is being offered at auction for the first time.

Patek Philippe Reference 5374 300P 001 Grand Complications — *Patek Philippe Reference 5374/300P-001 Grand Complication Minute Repeater Perpetual Calendar*

Another auction debut is a Patek Philippe Ref. 5260/355R Aquanaut Luce Rainbow Minute Repeater, estimated at $1.4 million to $2.8 million. Introduced in 2023, the pink gold model is set with 52 multicolored baguette-cut sapphires, 112 baguette-cut diamonds, and 160 brilliant-cut diamonds.

Patek Philippe Reference 5260 355R 001 Aquanaut Luce Rainbow — *Patek Philippe Reference 5260/355R Aquanaut Luce Rainbow Minute Repeater*

A pink gold Ref. 5208R-001 Grand Complications, combining a minute repeater, perpetual calendar, and monopusher chronograph, is estimated at $900,000 to $1.8 million.

Sotheby’s is emphasizing provenance as a central attraction of the sale. Unlike watches that have passed among multiple collectors, every timepiece in the group has remained with the person who originally purchased it.

Leigh Safar, Sotheby’s global head of important watch collections, said that unbroken ownership gives the watches “a level of provenance and authenticity that cannot be replicated.”

The collection contains numerous Patek Philippe watches retailed by Tiffany & Co., reflecting a relationship between the two companies that dates to 1851. Among them is one of 170 Patek Philippe Ref. 5711/1A-018 Nautilus watches created in 2022 to commemorate the 170th anniversary of their partnership. Distinguished by its Tiffany Blue dial, the stainless-steel watch is estimated at $1 million to $1.6 million.

Patek Philippe Reference 5711 1A 018 — *Patek Philippe Reference 5711/1A-018 Nautilus*

Several other Tiffany-signed models will make their first auction appearances. They include a Patek Philippe Ref. 5164G-001 Aquanaut Travel Time and a Ref. 5821/1AR-001 Cubitus, both estimated at $150,000 to $300,000. An extensively gem-set Ref. 7118/1451G-001 Nautilus, adorned with 1,500 diamonds and 876 sapphires and retailed by Tiffany, carries an estimate of $400,000–$800,000.

The JCK News Desk uses AI to help research and produce the first draft of articles. This story was then reviewed by staff writer David Blomquist.

Top: Reference 5260, Reference 5208, and Reference 5374 (photos courtesy of Sotheby’s)