Four pieces by legendary watchmaker Philippe Dufour to be offered at Phillips' Geneva auction

British auction house Phillips has announced that it will be offering four works by Philippe Dufour at its Geneva auction, scheduled for Friday, November 5th and Sunday, November 7th, 2021. This will be an extremely rare occasion, bringing together four watches made by one of the greatest watchmakers of our time, offered by a private collector.

A rare opportunity that may never come again

　Phillips has announced that it will be offering four watches created by Philippe Dufour simultaneously at its Geneva Watch Auction XIV, scheduled to take place on Friday, November 5th and Sunday, November 7th, 2021. All of these pieces are new to the auction market and were offered by a private collector who has been collecting Dufour's works for many years.

　Philippe Dufour is considered one of the greatest watchmakers living today. He popularized the term "independent watchmaker," and his many creations are highly prized by collectors around the world.

　He became an independent watchmaker in the late 1970s, starting by restoring old clocks, and about 10 years later he began making pocket watches and wristwatches. He released a pocket watch and wristwatch equipped with a grande sonnerie, the "Duality" which incorporated the world's first double escapement, and the "Simplicity" with beautiful classical decoration. These are the only four watches that bear his name.

　Aurel Bacs, Senior Consultant at Bacs & Russo, and Alexandre Ghotoubi, Head of Watches for Europe and the Middle East at Philips, jointly commented:

"To us, and to many around the world, Philippe Dufour is the watchmaking equivalent of Michelangelo, and the significance of his work is immeasurable. Offering this set of four Philippe Dufour watches is a monumental milestone for us. The opportunity to offer these four pieces—a Grande Petite Sonnerie pocket watch, a Grande Petite Sonnerie wristwatch, a Duality, and a Simplicity—is humbling. Dufour is a living icon in the world of watchmaking, and his work is as coveted as those of the great artists of our time. To be able to offer the first Grande Petite Sonnerie wristwatch is an incredible achievement. We are honored to have been entrusted with this collection by an owner with the vision, passion, and perseverance to build such an unparalleled collection. Dufour created fewer watches in his lifetime than the paintings of masters like Modigliani and Manne, and for Dufour enthusiasts, this collection represents a grand slam of Dufour's work."

Grande Petite Sonnerie Pocket Watch No. 1

　Philippe Dufour's first foray into creating Grande Sonnerie pocket watches began in the early 1980s, when he created five pocket watches for major brands. In the late 1980s, he created his own Grande Petite Sonnerie pocket watches. This unique piece is the first of these and the only one to feature the Philippe Dufour name on the dial.

　The Grand Sonnerie automatically chimes the hour and quarter hour, while the Petite Sonnerie mode switches it to just the quarter hour chimes. The case back reveals an inscription featuring his name and the number "No. 1."

Grand Petite Sonnerie Wristwatch No. 1

　Between 1989 and 92, the company undertook the difficult task of miniaturizing a pocket watch movement with a grand sonnerie into a wristwatch size, resulting in the Grande Petite Sonnerie No. 1.

　This is a world first, and the model being auctioned this time is the world's first genuine Grande Petite Sonnerie. Only five were ever made: two in white gold, one each in yellow gold, pink gold, and platinum. While significantly smaller than a pocket watch, it offers exactly the same functions.

Duality Number 8

　The inspiration for the Duality, characterized by its two balance wheels side by side, came from several school watches from the watchmaking school he graduated from. Like the Grande Sonnerie, he worked to reduce the size of a wristwatch to the double escapement, in which one gear train transmits power to two escapements via a differential gear.

　The idea was realized in 1996. Initially, 25 examples were planned to be produced, but only nine were ever made, including one with the movement number "00." One of these examples was put up for auction at Phillips Auctions in 2017, where it sold for nearly $1 million. The example being offered this time is number 8, the last one left.

Simplicity 37mm Number 57

　Following the Grande Sonnerie, Dufour worked on complex watches with double escapements, but in 2000 they began producing the Simplicity, a simple, hand-wound, three-hand watch. The gentle curves of the bridges supporting the gears, the bold inward and outward angles, the red ruby, and the surface finishes create a captivating harmony.

　Because everything from the production of parts to finishing and assembly is done by hand, the annual production of Simplicity watches produced at his workshop in the Vallée de Joux is around 10. The watch on display here, equipped with movement number 57, is one of the earliest Simplicity models.

　The estimate for this extremely rare Philippe Dufour piece is expected to reach at least 30 million yen, and a maximum of nearly 200 million yen. How much will it fetch and who will buy it at the auction scheduled for November? We eagerly await the results.

About Philips

　Phillips is a British auction house with over 200 years of history. It specializes in 20th and 21st century art and design, and provides a platform for the global buying and selling of art. It employs experts in areas such as modern art, photography, books, watches, and jewelry. It holds auctions and exhibitions at salons in New York, London, Geneva, and Hong Kong. It has offices around the world and provides support in cities other than those mentioned above, such as Tokyo.

　The company also provides an online auction platform that can be accessed from anywhere in the world, and not only provides opportunities for buying and selling through auctions, but also offers services such as intermediary services for private sales, appraisals and valuations of items for sale.