Antique watch among world’s all-time rarest sells for $2.5 million


Vintage watches for sale don’t come much rarer than this. If you’re looking to own a piece of horological history, then it’s going to cost you. The latest example of this is a stunning Patek Philippe watch, reference No. 2499, that sold for $2.5 million at an auction in Hong Kong on May 31.

The Patek Phillippe watch is one of only six models known to have this beautiful casing and has been named “One of the most sought-after vintage wristwatches of all time” by Phillips auction house.

The timepiece was sold within just 30 minutes to an unknown bidder, who was met with a round of applause from the crowd on his new investment. This specific piece is the second oldest of the six models, made in 1968.

The unique dial of this vintage wristwatch is said to be one of the main factors in fetching such a high price. Made from solid ivory coloured enamel, and themoon phasesare “flat” with nosemi-circle indentation.

The rose gold cased watch is the second oldest of the models, made in 1968 and the casing is altogether unblemished and unpolished.

These incredible designs were created between 1951 and 1988, with only 349 of the 2499 examples being made. The last case of a similar timepiece sold in an auction was in 2003, for around 1 million Swiss francs.

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