文章 | Specialists Picks The Phillips Watches New York Sessions Fall 2026 Online Auction

What makes a watch – or in some cases a watch-adjacent object – stand out to someone who spends every day surrounded by them? For our latest Specialists’ Picks, we asked five members of the Phillips Watches team to choose a single lot that caught their attention in the New York Sessions, Fall 2026.

As you will see, their choices offer a glimpse into what catches a specialist’s eye – and why certain pieces demand a closer look even in a catalogue full of possibilities.

Lot 22: Voutilainen 28Sport Limited Edition in stainless steel

Estimate: USD $120,000–240,000

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Paul Boutros, Deputy Chairman, Head of Watches, Americas

My pick is something very exciting and sporty: a limited edition 28Sport made by one of today’s most sought-after independent watchmakers, Kari Voutilainen.

One of only eight examples made in stainless steel, it has a stunning handmade dial with an onyx center and seconds subdial, both framed by a blue guilloché chapter ring.

Turn the watch over and you can’t help but be impressed by the exquisitely hand-finished, in-house Caliber 28. It’s what collectors’ dreams are made of, with an oversized balance wheel secured by a mirror-polished bridge and wonderful hand finishing on every visible and hidden surface.

Consigned by the original owner, the watch is preserved in superb condition and offered complete with its wooden box and guarantee certificate. It’s a perfect watch for the connoisseur of independent watchmaking who is looking for something sporty yet exclusive and extremely rare. It’s a watch that you can’t help but love!

Lot 7: Franck Muller Perpetual Calendar Retrograde Chronograph Ref. 7000 QPE in platinum

Estimate: USD $8,000–16,000

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Isabella Proia, Head of Sale, Senior International Specialist

This is a really impressive watch, especially when you consider that it came only five years after Franck Muller established his own brand.

Here we have a Franck Muller Ref. 7000 QPE, a perpetual calendar chronograph with a leap-year indicator, 24-hour indicator, moon phases, and an equation of time display. It’s an early example, sold in August 1996, and the original certificate that accompanies it is actually signed by Franck Muller himself.

The first time I saw this watch, I was really struck by how multi-tonal the dial is, moving from a grené finish to straight guilloché.

This isn’t one of the double-dial examples, so when turn it over and you can see the rotor through the sapphire caseback. The rotor itself is made from platinum, its additional weight helping to increase winding efficiency.

For me, this is a watch for someone who admires the ethos behind creating something like this only five years after starting your own brand – and innovating in a way that very few people were doing at the time.

Lot 18: Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse lighter Ref. 9507 in 18k yellow gold and blue enamel

Estimate: USD $10,000–20,000

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Doug Escribano, Senior International Specialist

I like this lot because it embodies the spirit of the Golden Ellipse collection while offering another example of Patek Philippe’s extraordinary craftsmanship.

Patek Philippe’s iconic Golden Ellipse collection has evolved considerably since it was first introduced in 1968, becoming one of the brand’s most successful designs. Based on the mathematical concept of the “Golden Ratio,” the radical elliptical shape sits somewhere between a circle and a rectangle, creating the harmonious proportions for which the design has become known.

Over the years, Patek Philippe has produced multiple versions for both men and women, with manual and automatic movements and a wide variety of dials, including the elegant Golden Ellipse Rare Handcrafts Ref. 5738/51G in white gold, with a Grand Feu enamel dial decorated with hand-engraved arabesques and volutes.

Patek Philippe’s watches are highly collectible today, but so too are the client gifts and luxury accessories that accompanied them, including pens, cufflinks, ashtrays, and lighters such as the present lot.

The Golden Ellipse design provides the perfect canvas for these lighters. This Ref. 9507 in 18k yellow gold and shimmering blue enamel is offered in excellent condition and belongs to a wider family of Golden Ellipse lighters that includes examples in red enamel (Ref. 9506), green enamel (Ref. 9508), “Ocean” (Ref. 9504), “Chevrons” (Ref. 9505), and special editions featuring the Khanjar emblem (Refs. 9511 and 9512-1).

Lot 80: A. Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Date Ref. 148.038 in 18k white gold

Estimate: USD $30,000–60,000

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Jaclyn Li, Consultant

If you’re familiar with the world of German watchmaking, then you’ve probably heard the saying “Never stand still,” a guiding motto of A. Lange & Söhne. My pick is the brand’s Zeitwerk Date, introduced in 2019, ten years after the original Zeitwerk.

In 2009, the Zeitwerk won the top-prize Aiguille d’Or at the GPHG, the most prestigious awards in watchmaking. Here we have the completely revamped caliber L043.8, with finishing that includes solarization, anglage, gold chatons, blued-steel screws, and, of course, freehand engraving.

There really is nothing else quite like it in contemporary watchmaking. If you’re looking for something different, something steeped in history, truly German, and representative of high artisanal watchmaking, then this watch is for you!

Lot 38: SpaceOne Jump Hour “Perpétuel Gallery” Prototype in titanium

Estimate: USD $4,000–8,000

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Donald Kim, Associate Specialist

It may look like a miniature spacecraft for your wrist, but this is actually the unique prototype behind one of SpaceOne’s most distinctive limited editions.

This prototype was used to finalize the distinctive green titanium case and orange numerals that would eventually appear on the 25-piece limited edition created for Perpétuel Gallery in Dubai. Behind that unique, fun design is real independent watchmaking, with a jump-hour complication designed by Théo Auffret.

There is quite literally no other case shape like it. Despite that striking visual presence, it remains very wearable thanks to its lightweight titanium construction, while the color gives it a distinctly sporty character.

For me, this unique prototype brings together high-end independent watchmaking, entrepreneurial spirit, and contemporary watch-collecting culture in a single piece.

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