Article | Specialists Picks Tiffany To Marcello De Marco Phillips Geneva Watch Auction Xxiv November 2026

Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo is delighted to present The Geneva Watch Auction: XXIV, a live auction taking place on 7–8 November 2026 at the Hotel President in Geneva. Featuring more than 220 exceptional luxury timepieces from leading makers including Patek Philippe, Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Cartier, and F.P. Journe, the sale includes the six timepieces featured in this story.

Some watches stand out because they are rare. Others because they survive in exceptional condition, or because a particular combination of case, dial, signature, and complication puts them in a different league. In Part Two of our Specialists’ Picks from The Geneva Watch Auction: XXIV, Tiffany To and Marcello de Marco explain what separates a great example from a truly exceptional one.

Tiffany To, Head of Sale, Senior International Specialist

Collecting is a funny hobby because you are always asking yourself: can I do better? Can I upgrade? With these two watches, I don't think you ever have to.

They sit at the very top of their respective categories in terms of condition, quality, and rarity. These are the kinds of watches where, when they arrive on your desk, you stop wondering whether a better example is out there.

Lot 129: A circa 1952 Rolex Ref. 6062 “Stelline” in 18k yellow gold

Estimate: CHF 600,000–1,200,000

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The first is a Rolex Ref. 6062 “Stelline.” Along with the Ref. 8171, the 6062 belongs to the very small family of Rolex triple-calendar watches, but the 6062 distinguishes itself with its Oyster case and, in this instance, those wonderful star-shaped hour markers that give the “Stelline” its name.

When the consignor first sent me photographs of this watch, I was gobsmacked. I had simply never seen an example preserved like this.

The case has this beautiful layer of patina running through it, almost mother-of-pearl or oyster in tone, while the hallmark remains crisp. The dial has a wonderfully textured surface, with the star numerals and their lume dots beautifully preserved.

It was found in Japan from the original owner, which adds another layer to the story. Watches like this are already difficult to find, but when you discover one in this kind of condition, the collectability goes to another level.

For me, this is one of those watches you can wait an entire career to see.

Lot 20: A circa 1969 Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 6241 “John Player Special” in 14k yellow gold with a black Paul Newman dial

Estimate: CHF 800,000–1,600,000

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The second is a Paul Newman Daytona, but not just any Paul Newman. It is a Ref. 6241 “John Player Special” in 14k yellow gold.

You have the black dial, the champagne registers and outer track, and those wonderful Art Deco-style numerals. Just like the 6062, what really sets this watch apart is the condition. The lugs are big and full, the lume plots are still present and beautifully defined, and the dial has been exceptionally well preserved.

Then there is one additional detail that I love: the watch comes on a Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet with its inventory number on the clasp.

Either of these would be a major vintage Rolex. Put the two together, and I think they answer that collector's question of whether there is something better to upgrade to. With examples like these, you don't have to keep looking.

Marcello de Marco, Senior International Specialist

Here we have four Patek Philippe chronographs – two split-seconds and two conventional chronographs – and you can see just how much material, case design, dial configuration, retailer signatures, and complication can change the character and collectability of watches that, at first glance, belong to the same family.

And there is another thing they all have in common: if you know, you know.

Lot 179: A 1949 Patek Philippe chronograph Ref. 1463 in stainless steel with Breguet numerals

Estimate: CHF 250,000–500,000

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Let's start with the Ref. 1463. This example is in stainless steel with applied Breguet numerals – already a serious combination for a complicated vintage Patek Philippe.

One of the defining characteristics of the 1463 is its waterproof case with screw-down back, which gives it a more sporting appearance than many Patek Philippe chronographs of the period. The case has strong, purposeful lugs, but there is still a great elegance to the overall design.

Then you add stainless steel, which is enormously sought after in complicated Patek Philippe watches, and the Breguet numerals. It is a combination that immediately pushes the watch into another category.

Lot 196: A 1954 Patek Philippe chronograph Ref. 1463 in 18k pink gold with a pulsometer scale, retailed by Freccero

Estimate: CHF 200,000–400,000

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Beside it is another Ref. 1463, but the personality is completely different.

This one is in pink gold, which is actually rarer than stainless steel for the reference, and it has a pulsometer dial signed by Freccero. Pink gold was particularly appreciated in South America during this period, and the handful of pink gold watches retailed by Freccero are extremely sought after today.

Add the pulsometer scale and you have an already rare version of the 1463 with an even more unusual dial configuration. For me, it is one of the top examples of the reference.

Lot 195: A 1959 Patek Philippe split-seconds chronograph Ref. 1436 in 18k yellow gold, retailed by Tiffany & Co.

Estimate: CHF 400,000–800,000

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Then we move to the Ref. 1436, and immediately the architecture changes.

The 1436 is one of the rarest wristwatches made by Patek Philippe, with only around 120 examples believed to have been produced. This yellow gold example has the smoother, more curved case profile that I associate with the gold versions of the reference.

Of course, there is no such thing as a standard Ref. 1436: each one is a major watch. But here you also have the Tiffany & Co. signature on the dial.

Double-signed watches are highly sought after in their own right. Put that retailer signature on a complicated Patek Philippe split-seconds chronograph and it becomes a very different proposition.

Lot 95: A 1945 Patek Philippe split-seconds chronograph Ref. 1436 in stainless steel

Estimate: CHF 2,000,000–4,000,000

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And finally, we come to the stainless steel Ref. 1436.

Although it shares the same reference number as the yellow gold watch, the case has a markedly different character. The lugs are narrower and almost pointed, giving the watch a more aggressive, tonneau-like profile. That difference may come from the use of different case makers, but also simply from the different way steel and gold have to be worked.

Then there is the rarity. A stainless steel complicated Patek Philippe from this period sits at the very top of vintage collecting. Add the split-seconds chronograph complication and the exceptional condition of both the case and dial, and you understand why this is such an important watch.

For collectors of vintage Patek Philippe, this is crème de la crème territory. And yet, like all four of these watches, it does not need to shout about what it is. If you know, you know.

You can learn more, place a bid, and view the entire Geneva Watch Auction: XXIV catalog here.