Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo is thrilled to welcome you to The New York Sessions, Spring 2026, Online Auction, running from 12:00 PM ET, Wednesday, 1 April, to 12:00 PM ET, Wednesday, 8 April. The sale features more than 60 high-end luxury wristwatches, ranging from A. Lange & Söhne and Breguet to Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe.
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 our jobs. 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 New York Sessions, Spring 2026, Online Auction, our team shares personal favorites ranging from an F.P. Journe Centigraphe to a rare Rolex Day-Date.
Lot 14: A 2010 F.P. Journe Centigraphe Souverain in 18k Pink Gold
Estimate: USD $80,000 - 160,000
Isabella Proia, Head of Sale, New York
One of my favorite things about F.P. Journe watches is that they solve real problems presented by collectors. And one of those conversations was between Journe and an F1 team principal trying to find the perfect chronograph for car racing. For my specialist pick, I've selected the Centigraphe Souverain in 18k pink gold with a matching pink gold dial. The most impressive part about this watch is the manually wound calibre 1506. This is a rose gold movement, which can measure down to 100th of a second. Visually, you have three hands in each subdial moving at different speeds, along with the ergonomic rocker. That makes it so that your finger doesn't have to travel down the whole side of the case in order to stop and start the chronograph function. With the Centigraphe, my finger rests in the divot, and it can start, stop, and reset, all without moving my finger.
Lot 57: A Circa 2004 Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 116518 with Tahitian Mother-of-Pearl Dial
Estimate: USD $20,000 - 40,000
Doug Escribano, Senior International Specialist
Rolex’s Cosmograph Daytona is one of the most iconic and cherished timepieces in the market today. With a history that reaches back to the original Daytona Ref. 6239, released in 1963, this collection has evolved over the last 63 years, and the present Ref. 116518 is a very rare and exceptional example. In 2000, Rolex introduced its first in-house movement, the calibre 4130, replacing the legendary modified Zenith-based calibre 4030, a historic change for the brand. This Y-series Rolex Cosmograph is a stunning lot in the New York Sessions Spring 2026 online auction. It is an early iteration of the reference in a precious metal and highlighted by its uncommon Tahitian black mother-of-pearl dial with a Roman numeral configuration. The 18k yellow gold case, combined with the dial, creates a luxurious appeal beyond the traditional “tool watch” function. This chronograph has remained in a private collection for over 10 years and has been maintained in excellent condition. It is complete with a Rolex warranty dated 18 August 2004, a wooden presentation box, hang tags, and, incredibly, the original caseback sticker. The watch shows little wear and, in our opinion, remains unpolished. We have offered two similar examples of this reference over the last 10 years, this Ref. 116518 with a black mother-of-pearl dial is the first complete with its suite of accessories. It is a Daytona that will elevate any collection.
Lot 11: A Circa 2001 Rolex Day-Date Ref. 18948 Tridor Pearlmaster Meteorite Serti
Estimate: USD $20,000 - 40,000
Jaclyn Li, Consultant
Let's be real. I see Day-Dates weekly, but I've never seen this one in the wild. Today, we have the Rolex Ref. 18948 Pearlmaster, but with a twist. The Pearlmaster has everything a Day-Date has and then some. A date, a date, a three-gold (Tridor) bracelet, a meteorite dial, and diamonds – what else can you ask for? This is a situation where more is more, and you're getting it at a massive value proposition. The dial is not only made of meteorite, but specifically a Gibeon Meteorite. When you look at this watch, it really has a unique shine that no other material can achieve. Rolex rarely makes meteorite dial watches. Most meteorite dial watches are off-catalogue creations reserved for very special clients. The fact that we have a Day-Date Pearlmaster with a very elaborate Tridor bracelet featuring a meteorite dial and diamond setting makes this a really special piece.
Lot 4: A 2025 Patek Philippe 'In-Line' Perpetual Calendar Ref. 5236P-001 in Platinum
Estimate: USD $60,000 - 120,000
Don Kim, Associate Specialist
My specialist pick is the Ref. 5236P "Inline" Perpetual Calendar from Patek Philippe. What I love about this watch is that it's the first-ever inline perpetual calendar wristwatch, which required creating a brand-new movement that earned three patents. The full inline date window is right at the 12:00 o'clock aperture, and to achieve this, they had to use four separate disks, each disk showing a different calendar indication.
Whether we call it a cool feature or a benefit of a fully linear perpetual calendar, it offers complete, intuitive, and extreme legibility, which is sometimes rare in traditional perpetual calendars with subdials, especially in a smaller case size. The case design of this watch is actually heavily inspired by the vintage Ref. 3448. On the wrist, the watch is really comfortable thanks to its angular lugs and how it curves around the wrist. And so I think that any fan of perpetual calendars should have a place for this watch in their collection.
You can view the complete Phillips New York Sessions, Spring 2026, Online Auction catalogue here.
About Phillips In Association With Bacs & Russo
The team of specialists at PHILLIPS Watches is dedicated to an uncompromised approach to quality, transparency, and client service. Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo holds the world record for the most successful watch auction, with its Geneva Watch Auction: XIV having realized $74.5 million in 2021. Over the course of 2021 and 2022, the company sold 100% of the watches offered, a first in the industry, resulting in the highest annual total in history across all the auction houses at $227 million.