文章 | Collectibles For The Watch Connoisseur Phillips Geneva Fall 2026 Online Auction

Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo is pleased to present The Geneva Sessions, Fall 2026, an online auction running from 4–11 September. Featuring more than 90 exceptional luxury timepieces from leading makers including A. Lange & Söhne, Audemars Piguet, F.P. Journe, and Patek Philippe, the sale includes all five lots featured in this story.

For the seasoned watch collector, the next object of interest need not necessarily be another watch. The culture of collecting has always extended beyond the wrist, encompassing clocks and objects that measure time in different ways, as well as those designed to complement, house or simply share the sensibilities of a carefully assembled collection.

Here, we explore five such objects from The Geneva Sessions, Fall 2026 – each offering a different way to take a passion for watches beyond the watches themselves.

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When Patek Philippe established its Electronic Division in 1948, its remit extended beyond conventional watchmaking, taking in photoelectric, electronic, and even nuclear timekeeping. Among the most intriguing products of this period of experimentation was the solar-powered Dome Clock, first produced during the 1950s.

The principle behind it was pretty forward-looking. A solar panel positioned on top of the clock supplied energy to a rechargeable accumulator, which powered a motor that wound the mainspring of the mechanical caliber 17-250. Once the mechanism was fully wound, the energy generated by the photoelectric cells was stored in the accumulator. The distinctive cylindrical case topped by a rounded dome provided an immediately recognizable housing for the technology.

The present Ref. 725 dates to 1965 and takes the idea in a ludic direction. Rather than the cloisonné enamel decoration closely associated with Patek Philippe's Dome Clocks, its gilt-brass body is covered in green leather and decorated in turn by four applied gilt-brass panels depicting the Kings of hearts, diamonds, spades, and clubs – hence its “Bridge Cards” name.

The unusual leather finish is confirmed by the Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives, which also records the clock's manufacture in 1965 and subsequent sale on November 30, 1966. Leather-clad Dome Clocks are particularly scarce, with only a small number having returned to the market.

The ensemble makes for a seductive combination of substance and style: experimental mid-century tech housed inside a Patek Philippe object decorated, just maybe, for a convivial evening around the card table.

Four in One

Keeping track of the time is only one of the jobs assigned to this fetching Cartier desk clock from the 1950s. Arranged across its square gilt-brass case are four separate instruments: an eight-day mechanical clock with alarm, a thermometer, a barometer, and a hygrometer.

The configuration makes it a miniature desktop information center of its era. Alongside the hour, its owner could set an alarm for the next appointment, check the temperature, gauge atmospheric pressure, and monitor relative humidity. Each function receives its own square display, while the clock is designed to stand upright using a folding support at the rear.

There is plenty of period character in the details, too, from the elegant, blued hands and applied gilt indices to the crisp typography and graphic design of the four displays, with conditions plainly stated as “Stormy,” “Rain,” “Change,” “Fair,” and “Very Dry.”

Measuring 11.7cm by 10.6cm and accompanied by its original Cartier fitted box, it would certainly jazz up a desk – and add just a touch of Mad Men to the working day.

Diamonds by the Minute

The hourglass has been measuring elapsed time for centuries, but De Beers found a somewhat more extravagant substitute for sand when it created the “Starburst Diamonds 2000” around the turn of the millennium.

Inside its acrylic tube are more than 2,000 clear, naturally formed octahedral rough diamonds, suspended in silicone fluid. By turning over the gold-plated brass hourglass, the stones gradually make their way through the liquid, taking approximately ten minutes to complete their journey. Small lights set into the plinth illuminate the diamonds as they descend.

There is a neat simplicity to the idea: De Beers took one of the oldest visual representations of passing time and replaced its most ordinary ingredient with the material for which the company is best known.

House Your Collection

Building a collection is one thing; deciding where to keep it is another. And if a collection of watches deserves a home of its own, Cartier provides a stylish one here.

The watch box is housed inside a red grained-leather outer case, whose removable lid reveals a black lacquered box beneath. Viewed from above, its hinged lid is decorated with an ivory-toned chemin de fer motif – the railway-track design familiar from the minute tracks of numerous Cartier models.

Open the lid and the horological connection continues. Eight individual watch compartments, each with a removable padded cushion, are arranged within a blackened wooden surround whose grain remains visible beneath the dark finish. Below them is a larger compartment for the other paraphernalia that naturally accompanies a collection.

The interior and underside of the lid are finished in a soft dark lining, with a Cartier signature providing the finishing touch.

This is essentially a Cartier watch dial translated into a piece of limited-edition furniture for watches – right down to the chemin de fer framing the collection before you have even opened the box.

Going Digital

And finally, having tried to depart from it, we find ourselves back at the wrist, albeit by a rather different route.

This Apple Watch x Hermès set pairs connected technology with the French maison's famed leather goods through its Kelly Doll Picto bag.

The Picto, introduced in 2022 as a reinterpretation of the earlier Kelly Doll, takes its name and character from its pixel-inspired treatment, with geometric facial details, contrasting blocks of color, and the Kelly's familiar form transformed into something deliberately whimsical.

Here, that digital visual language makes an apt companion for the Apple Watch. The set extends beyond the device itself to include the Picto bag, detachable shoulder strap, and matching leather pouch.

For the collector already well served by mechanical watches, it offers another proposition entirely: a wrist-borne hub for communications, notifications, and activity tracking, given the full Hermès treatment – with the accessories to match.

You can learn more, place a bid, and view the entire Geneva Sessions, Fall 2026, catalog here.