Our final live auction of the spring 2026 season, The Phillips New York Watch Auction: XIV, takes place on 13–14 June at our Manhattan headquarters, bringing together more than 150 exceptional watches in a carefully curated sale. Ahead of the auction, we’ll be highlighting some of its most compelling timepieces and stories, including the lots featured in this article.
By Sophie Furley
Our brains our wired to love the ordered spectrum of a rainbow. These rare arcs that appear in the sky after a storm have a pleasing and calming effect on us. But rainbows do more than just delight us, they compel us to instinctively call out: “Look there’s a rainbow!” to absolutely anyone who will listen! It is one of the few moments of pure wonder that we announce without hesitation, regardless of age, gender, situation, or location.
The same is true of rainbow watches. I challenge anyone to cast an eye on one and not say: “Oh look, a rainbow bezel!” It is hard wired into us, so don’t even try to resist!
For the upcoming Phillips New York Watch Auction: XIV, there are four exquisite examples of rainbow settings where you can exclaim joy and wonder to your heart’s content, especially if you visit the preview from 10 - 11 June that will be held at Phillips, 432 Park Avenue. But no worries if you can’t make it, read on and cast your eyes on this quartet of rainbow wristwatches.
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona “Rainbow”
In the late 1990s through the 2000s, Rolex used the Cosmograph Daytona for its gemological experimentation, always in very small quantities and with extreme attention to quality and execution.
This Rolex Cosmograph Daytona from 2012 is a first-generation rainbow model and fresh to the market. It is set with 36 perfectly graduated colored sapphires around the bezel and comes with 56 diamonds on the lugs, crown guards, and hour markers on the dial. Each gemstone is internally flawless and is perfectly cut to fit into the bezel without the use of any prongs.
The gradient of colour from one sapphire to the next is quite astounding as, like a natural rainbow, their hues seamlessly blend into each other. Sourcing the exact colored gemstones to achieve this is extremely difficult and time-consuming, resulting in very low production numbers. But then again, rainbows are supposed to be rare!
Patek Philippe Ref. 7968/300R-001 Aquanaut Luce "Rainbow" Chronograph
First introduced in 2022, the Patek Philippe Aquanaut Luce Chronograph marked a milestone for the maison as it introduced the first in-house, self-winding, flyback chronograph movement designed for women. It was also the first Patek Philippe model to be adorned with a rainbow bezel.
This 2025 iteration, along with the reference, make their auction debut at Phillips this June. The watch is fitted with a white mother-of-pearl dial engraved with the classic Aquanaut checkerboard pattern and is framed with two concentric rows of gemstones.
The inner circle features 2.41 carats of internally flawless white baguette-cut diamonds, while the outer ring showcases 2.62 carats of invisibly set, multi-colored, baguette sapphires arranged in a radiant rainbow formation. Baguette-cut sapphires have also been used to mark the hours, continuing the rainbow palette across the dial.
Originally positioned for women, the 39.9mm case size has proven universally appealing, transcending traditional gender categories and attracting collectors across all demographics.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Frosted Gold Double Balance Wheel Openworked “Rainbow”
Audemars Piguet’s Frosted Gold finish is another example of something that was designed with women in mind, only to be fully commandeered by men! It was a technique brought to the maison by Florentine jewelry designer Carolina Bucci. The technique looks almost like the watch has been dusted with diamond powder, but is in fact crafted using a tiny hammer to give the shimmering effect.
The Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked debuted in 2016, the same year as the Frosted Gold technique. It wasn’t until 2021, when Audemars Piguet introduced the reference 15412 in 18-karat yellow, white, and pink gold, that the Frosted Gold finish and baguette-cut, multi-colored sapphire bezel were united in this beautiful wristwatch.
This edition from the same year marks the first appearance of a yellow gold model on the auction market. Property of the original owner, it is in like-new condition and was a boutique-only release.
Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch “Rainbow Moonshine Gold”
Never published in the brand’s catalogue, and only available to select Omega VIPs at a limited number of boutiques, the Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch “Rainbow Moonshine Gold” has remained somewhat elusive since its launch in 2022.
This pristine model in unworn condition from 2025 features a rainbow setting of 47 graduated trapeze-cut, colored sapphires and 1 ruby on the bezel, along with 22 baguette-set sapphires and two rubies on the dial. And if that wasn’t enough dazzle, there is also a 0.14 briolette orange sapphire embedded into the crown!
The combination of all these colored gemstones with Omega’s Moonshine Gold – a softer hued alloy of gold, silver, copper and palladium – is simply a sight to behold!
You can learn more about these timepieces, place a bid, and view the entire Phillips New York Watch Auction: XIV catalogue right 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 DECADE ONE (2015–2025) sale having realized $83 million in 2025. The annual total for watch auctions in 2025 exceeded $290 million, marking the first time any auction house's Watches department has surpassed US$200 million in annual sales for five consecutive years.
About Sophie Furley
Sophie has spent the past 20 years covering watches and jewelry for leading print and digital titles, including Revolution, Telegraph Time, India Today and WorldTempus. She joined Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo in early 2025 as Head of Digital Marketing. Originally from the United Kingdom, she now lives on the outskirts of Geneva with her family and their dog.
Recommended Reading
A Deep Dive into Rolex’s First “Rainbow” Cosmograph