A Patek Philippe pink gold Sky Tourbillon wristwatch on Thursday sold for $1.24 million, a record for a wristwatch auctioned in the United States. Originally sold in 2003, the rare, oversized, minute-repeater gentleman’s double-dialed watch has a one-minute tourbillon regulator, perpetual calendar with fly-back retrograde date, nocturnal sky chart of the Northern Hemisphere, moon phases and lunar orbit, time of the meridian passages of Sirius and moon, and solar mean and sidereal time.

The watch was sold at the summer auction in New York of Antiquorum, a leading international watch auctioneer, which raised nearly $8.6 million for the 289 collectible timepieces offered in the sale.

Bids came from around the world, including Italy, Malta, Singapore, and the Netherlands, by telephone, room, Internet, and commission bidders. The results show that the United States has become important to serious watch collectors, said Julien Schaerer, auctioneer and watch director for Antiquorum USA.

Other Patek Philippe watches did well, too, at the auction. A yellow gold tonneau minute repeater (1992), with moon phase, perpetual calendar, retrograde date, and leap year display went for $383,600, while one from 1952 sold for $344,400. Two gold so-called “TV watches” (referring to case shape) together achieved a world record price of $232,400.

Among other top 10 sales were a rare Richard Mille Tourbillon Split-Seconds Chronograph ($299,600); an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept watch ($232,400) and a Harry Winston platinum Opus 4 ($232,400).

JCK