- By Arthur Touchot
How well did you sleep the night before the sale?
Tiffany: I was quite tired from the preview and interest meetings, so I did have some rest before
Clara: Between you and I, it wasn’t the most restful night. My mind and my brain kept on playing every scenario possible. And I weigh my words when I say “every scenario”. Fortunately, my vivid imagination was not a premonition and the auction went well.
Marcello: Sleep? Ahahaha….
Do you already have a pre-auction ritual, and if so, what can you tell us about it ?
Tiffany: Having an espresso – have to stay alert! And changing into a fresh shirt.
Clara: I am afraid I don’t have enough auctions under my belt yet or should I say under my gavel to have become an auctioneer of habits and rituals. However, there is one thing, I have to say, I wouldn’t go on the rostrum without: it is my three rubber bracelets from our Flagship New York watch auctions (Winning Icons, Styled & Game Changers). On the day of the sale, I wear them religiously to remind me that we are part of a family, a community of people who are passionate about watches and that there shouldn’t be anything to be afraid of.
Marcello: Two auctions are not really enough to create a “ritual”, but this last time I realised that sitting at the very front of the room for the last couple lots before it is my turn and blocking out everything but the auctioneer does help to calm me down a little and enter “in the right mood”.
Which lot did you enjoy selling the most? Which one would you have wanted to keep for yourself ?
Tiffany: Probably Lot 43, the platinum and pink gold skeletonized Audemars Piguet. We had an idea that there would be good interest, but we did not realize how fierce the bidding would be. As for a watch that I personally like, it would be Lot 89, the Cartier single button chronograph wristwatch.
Clara: I genuinely enjoyed auctioneering every single lot of my session. However, if there was one watch I could bring home, it would have to be Lot 222, the F.P. Journe Centigraphe Sport in aluminium. Not only it is surprisingly light as a feather and precise with its chronograph function measuring up to one hundredth of a second, but also each of its “outside” components are covered with rubber, standing its wearer’s clumsiness when letting it drop without ever damaging the watch. This sounds like the perfect match for my busy lifestyle.
Marcello: I had lots of fun with Lot 126, the pink gold Anniversary Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar, and it is also the one I would bring home form an aesthetic point of view. But the watch nerd in me SO wanted that mint hinged lugs Ulysse Nardin for Turler (Lot 175).
Which watch did you wear and why did you pick it out specifically for this sale ?
Tiffany: My Cartier crash, because it’s light and small enough to not to distract me on the rostrum.
Clara: I was wearing my Rolex Cosmograph Daytona reference 116503 in steel and gold, which I love. As you may probably know, the Cosmograph Daytona model was formerly made for racetrack drivers, allowing them to measure how fast they would drive around each lap. Although, I am not comparing myself to a F1 driver, I like to think of an auction as a sports event; a race for the winning bid. And to this occasion, a chronograph wristwatch seemed, to me, to be the most appropriate.
Marcello: My Patek Philippe Regulateur ref. 5235G. Beyond being my favorite watch (so far), it is offers a mixture of rarity, looks, understatement, intellectuality, historical roots (for case, complication and dial) and technicality that makes it - for me - the ideal choice to wear on the rostrum.
What was your biggest takeaway from this auction?
Tiffany: That quality, along with quirky and unusual pieces sell particularly well. The market has an appetite for great pieces.
Clara: Although we all have been confined at home, not being able to physically interact with the watch community, the collectors nor even our colleagues for the past year, we witnessed unbelievable participation throughout the weekend during The Geneva Watch Auction: XIII. It was such a warm and wonderful feeling to be on the rostrum and acknowledging bids in all shapes and forms from all over the world (absentees, advance bids, room bidders, telephones and online). It was at that moment that I realised that the watch community hasn’t faded for one bit and is here, global and stronger than ever.
Marcello: I realised how physically and psychologically intense auctioneering can be: 30 lots are exponentially harder than the 10 lots I did in November. I can’t imagine how Aurel manages entire sales on his own.
What important lessons from Aurel served you the best during this auction ?
Tiffany: Aurel had coached us from the beginning to the very end so it is so hard to pinpoint just one lesson. He was there every step of the way, and I am particularly grateful for the time he spent with us, week after week. Apart from the technical aspects, which are probably the most important, he taught us to discover ourselves. He encouraged and helped us identify our own styles and to let our personality shine through. I would also like to thank our other two auctioneers, Marcello and Clara. We spent a lot of time practicing with each other and working as a team to improve.
Clara: Aurel is a wonderful teacher and mentor. Every week, ahead of the auction, we spent numerous hours together, sometimes with the help of our colleagues disguised as extravagant bidders rehearsing the auction’s rundown. It wasn’t easy every day but Aurel reminded us that the most important was to remain ourselves and if something would go wrong, we should keep our cool and most importantly keep on smiling. So, that’s what I try to do: smile!
Marcello: Beyond all that he taught us, seeing him in action over the years is probably what best prepared us for the past weekend.
A word from their Professor:
Aurel Bacs: Last weekend's auction was hugely rewarding at every level but I do admit the most emotional part wasn't the many records and the white glove result but how well Marcello, Clara and Tiffany performed on the rostrum. Because of the pandemic and the inability of fellow auctioneers to come to Geneva, we as a team realized how vulnerable we were. So early 2020, we openly asked anyone and every one in the office who is curious to learn becoming an auctioneer and when three arms went up we started, with remarkable discipline, to hold auctioneering lessons via Zoom once a week for two to three hours. The outcome and the amazing performance of the three is now known to the public but to me the most wonderful experience was to see themselves enjoy being on the rostrum, to feel how authentic they were and true to their own individual personalities. None wanted to be a copy of someone else and the numerous compliments, internal and external from bidders, buyers and sellers alike was unanimously positive. Some collectors also asked me given the resounding success of the three if I felt threatened and it surprised me as it never crossed my mind. Instead I was reminded of a conversation that I had years ago with my friend and mentor Jean-Claude Biver who said one should always aim to hire and train people that are better than you and not be scared of them, but rather learn from them because only cowards hire average talent. All in all, I am incredibly pleased and reassured that the PHILLLIPS watch department all the way from the cataloguing process to the rostrum is in the best hands of the next generation.
