Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo is thrilled to welcome you to The Hong Kong Sessions, Fall 2025, and IWC: Back to the 80s online auctions, running from 12:00 PM HKT, Wednesday, 17 September, to 2:00 PM HKT, Wednesday, 24 September. The sales feature nearly 150 different high-end luxury wristwatches, covering everything from A. Lange & Söhne and F.P. Journe to Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe, including the staff favorites highlighted below.
Every season, our specialists comb through the sale to highlight the watches that speak to them most – pieces that might not always be the headliners, but reveal something essential about why we love this field. Sometimes it’s a technical breakthrough, sometimes a design detail, sometimes just the way a watch makes you feel when it’s on the wrist.
In this edition of Specialists’ Picks for the Hong Kong Sessions, Fall 2025, and IWC: Back to the 80s online auctions, our team shares personal favorites ranging from aluminum tool watches to neo-vintage masterpieces and timeless icons.
Lot 8017: A Circa 2017 Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 5180/1G-010 in 18k White Gold (Hong Kong Sessions, Fall 2025, Online Auction)
Estimate: HK $400,000 - 700,000
Gertrude Wong, Head of Sale, Specialist, Hong Kong
The Ref. 5180 is one of the most stunning modern skeletonized watches in the Patek’s catalogue. It’s clever, it’s ultra-thin, and most important of all, it’s easy to read. Often skeletonized dials priorities the artisanal aspect more so than readability. I love how the hour markers are integrated into the framework of the case so it’s not disturbing the beautiful, handcrafted details. The mesh bracelet is beautifully crafted and drapes perfectly on the wrist and can be adjusted with removable links.
Lot 8086: A Circa 2004 Blancpain Perpetual Calendar Split-Seconds Chronograph in Platinum (Hong Kong Sessions, Fall 2025, Online Auction)
Estimate: HK $120,000 - 220,000
Alvin Lau, Specialist
Derived from Blancpain's original six masterpieces, this watch is certainly one to watch for. Under the leadership of Jean-Claude Biver and in collaboration with movement maker Frédéric Piguet during the neo-vintage era, it marked a revival of old-world craftsmanship in response to the rise of quartz movements.
The reference 5581 pushes the boundaries of traditional watchmaking by integrating multiple complications purely for the sake of horological artistry, uniting two of the most prestigious complications in horology: the perpetual calendar and the split-seconds chronograph.
With a 34mm diameter, it is exceptionally elegant on the wrist and impressively accommodates such complications within its compact case. Crafted in platinum, it offers the perfect heft for a piece of this complexity. Often underrated in the market, this watch comes from its original owner and serves as a discreet yet impressive dress watch.
Lot 8044: A 1993 Audemars Piguet Cobra Ref. 14438BA in 18k Yellow Gold (Hong Kong Sessions, Fall 2025, Online Auction)
Estimate: HK $150,000 - 250,000
Hiu Yan Ng, Cataloguer
The Audemars Piguet yellow gold “Cobra” stands out for its sculptural elegance and rare craftsmanship. Its soft, woven integrated bracelet creates a mesmerizing rice bead pattern, reminiscent of knitted wool. The bracelet connects seamlessly to the case, ensuring comfort and a cohesive design.
Master bracelet maker Roland Gilbert Gaschen (GRG) produced this piece, and his hallmark appears on the clasp as an understated mark of exceptional artisanship. The champagne dial adds warmth and refinement, while the matte finish gives the watch a soft, luxurious glow and balances the opulence of the diamond-set indexes.
First introduced in 1971 by Gérald Genta, the “Cobra” remains a timeless and artistic creation. It outstandingly blends vintage charm and precious materials with a bold wrist presence.
Lot 7: A 1979 IWC-Porsche Design Compass Watch Ref. 3510 in Black PVD-Coated Aluminum (IWC: Back to the 80s)
Estimate: HK $40,000 - 80,000
Daniel Sum, Senior Consultant
In its matte black PVD coated aluminium case, exceptionally lightweight, the Porsche Design IWC 3510 was a radical statement in an industry dominated by gold and steel. The integrated bracelet, also in black PVD coated aluminium, completes a monolithic, stealthy silhouette that remains fiercely contemporary over 40 years later. It is the purest fusion of Porsche’s minimalist, function-first design philosophy and IWC’s engineering prowess. Ok, now that we got that out of the way, let me just state the glaring obvious and what the boy in me is dying to shout out - when was the last time you saw a watch with an ACTUAL, FULLY FUNCTIONAL COMPASS IN a watch?! Yes, my thoughts exactly. It’s even got an emergency beacon mirror. This watch was released in 1979, the same year that the legendary film “Alien” was released, and before you tell me, yes, I know Ellen Ripley didn’t wear this watch in that movie, but imagine for one moment she had - oh yes, she would have totally rocked it in her olive green jumpsuit.
You can view the complete Phillips Hong Kong Sessions, Fall 2025, Online Auction catalogue here.