Christie’s Middle East will put on auction 46 lots of rare and unusual watch complications created by some of the renowned international watch makers, according to a report.

Christie’s  Jewels and Watches auction will be held on April 28 at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel in Dubai.

“This sale includes a variety of watch ‘complications’, from minute repeaters to perpetual calendars which never fail to fascinate and intrigue established collectors,” said Tim Bourne, international co-head of watches for Christie’s.

“It is also the perfect opportunity for new collectors to buy for the first time with estimates staring at $2,000,” he added.

A private collection of around 20 watches from the Middle East has contributed many of the sale highlights including the most important lot, a platinum, manually-wound tourbillon wristwatch by A Lange & Söhne.

The watch’s movement, described as a ‘cabaret tourbillon’ represents a breakthrough in the tourbillon’s 200-year old history, as it is the first timepiece of its type that can be set precisely to the second. The watch was made in 2008 and is estimated at $120,000-180,000.

A further four lots from the same collection are examples of world time watches, much sought after by frequent travellers across different time zones.

A Patek Philippe yellow gold wristwatch with options to view the time in Caracas, Cairo and Dubai among many other destinations, is estimated at $15,000-20,000.

A Girard-Perregaux platinum wristwatch, with a tourbillon movement and a spectacular enamel dial depicting a prancing horse behind a red racing car, is estimated at $40,000-60,000. The watch includes a minute repeating complication which allows the owner to not only see the time but hear it through an elaborate system of tones and strikes.

The auction will also include a Parmigiani, Bugatti-type watch, with the movement assembled as a cylinder to better resemble the car engine of the Bugatti’s supercar, the Veron.

One of the fastest cars in the world, the Veron has inspired the design of this remarkable watch which is wound by a separate pen which is pushed into the mechanism, similar to the way a Formula 1 car is jump-started.

Only 100 of these watches were made and only ten of these were made with a blue face, estimated at $80,000-120,000.

Yet another complication is a perpetual calendar watch which takes into account the differing lengths of the months and the leap year, tracked by a single wheel inside the mechanism which only moves once every four years.

One example in the sale is by Audemars Piguet, a yellow gold wristwatch with a moon phase display and estimated at $6,000-8,000.

Also on auction is an Omega white gold bracelet watch entirely set with baguette-cut diamonds and emeralds designed for Asprey, with an estimate of $80,000-120,000.

The sale also includes a small selection of ladies watches, the highlight of which is a fine example of Audemars Piguet’s ‘Royal Oak’ design, the distinctive octagonal bezel face made with baguette-cut emeralds, estimated at $32,000-50,000. – TradeArabia News Service