[ZURICH – NOVEMBER 15TH, 2021, 12PM CET] Ineichen Zurich will host two special auctions of rare timepieces following their main auction to be hosted in Zurich and online November 20-21, 2021.

The first part of the main auction on November 20 will offer vintage and pocket watches from 13:00 to 15:00 Zurich followed by “Alchemy of Gold”, a special auction of wristwatches in yellow metals, from 16:00 Zurich. Likewise, on November 21, the main auction will offer modern watches from 13:00 to 15:00 Zurich followed by “17 Shades of Gray”, a special auction of timepieces produced in tantalum, platinum and steel, from 16:00 Zurich.

The auction features a tailored selection of highly sought-after wristwatches. Collectors will relish the unique opportunity to bid for twin Vianney Halter pieces at the special auctions. The Vianney Halter Antiqua Yellow Gold (estimate CHF 50,000 – CHF 100,000) and the Vianney Halter Antiqua White Gold (estimate CHF 50,000 – CHF 100,000), caused a stir when the independent watchmaker revealed them in 1998. Subtitled “Relic of the Future Past”, the Antiqua line embodies the “spirit of the marine chronometers, linking antique time instruments to the contemporary collector’s wrist”. Halter’s quirky interpretation of the perpetual calendar allows the wearer to read the hour and minutes, month/ leap year, day of the week and the date via four riveted portholes in order of decreasing diameter.

The title of the “Alchemy of Gold” special auction is a nod to medieval alchemists’ efforts to transmute base metals into gold and achieve immortality through an elixir of life or philosopher’s stone. One expert describes the goal of alchemy as transforming the “base or common into the pure or rare”. Accordingly, the gold watches in this special auction, which embody that description, are by esteemed watchmakers Audemars Piguet, A. Lange & Söhne, Patek Philippe, Girard-Perregaux, Vianney Halter, Tissot, Daniel Roth, and Vacheron Constantin.

Similarly, the naming of the “12 Shades of Gray” auction emphasizes the visual content of the collectible models under the hammer, which represent the best traditions of high-end watchmaking. Brands include Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, Breguet, F.P. Journe, Vianney Halter, Konstantin Chaykin, and Urwerk.

Notable among the “17 Shades of Gray” lots are three extremely rare pieces by French watchmaker F.P. Journe. The F. P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance Ruthenium Collection (estimate CHF 200,000 – CHF 250,000) is one of 99 pieces presented from 2001 to 2003. This watch, purchased in 2002, features a case in 950 platinum, a matt textured solid gold dial with dark grey ruthenium coating, and the unique hand-wound Résonance caliber 1499.3. The collection was the last of this watchmaker’s production of movements traditionally made from brass with galvanic coatings.