A Preview of the Upcoming Sotheby’s Important Watches Auction, Including Paul Newman Racing Gear, and Some Gorgeous Breguets

The Sotheby’s Important Watches sale is set to take place on June 9 in New York. A total of 135 lots are set to go under the hammer, with an interesting mix of vintage and modern watches among them. As with any major auction, there are too many great lots to do all of them proper justice, but our editorial team studied the catalog and a handful of watches (and other items) jumped out at us. From unique Paul Newman racing ephemera, to cool clocks and a whole bunch of Breguet, there’s something here for any watch enthusiast (or movie fan) to get excited about. Here are some of the highlights, chosen by Zach Kazan, Blake Buettner, and Zach Weiss.

Zach Kazan

Lots 28 and 29: Paul Newman Racing Ephemera 

While the centerpiece of the upcoming Important Watches sale at Sotheby’s is a Daytona owned by Paul Newman, the lots that make this auction truly unique and special are Newman related, but not actually watches at all. After all, we’ve done the Paul Newman Daytona thing. But what we haven’t done, at least not in a watch collecting milieu, a racing suit. Along with a truly superlative selection of watches, Sotheby’s has some great Paul Newman racing ephemera that goes a long way toward reminding us that the watch that has become synonymous with his name wasn’t a prop, or part of a costume. He wore it because it was a watch for race car drivers, and Paul Newman was a race car driver. 

Lot 49 is a cream colored racing jumpsuit worn by Newman on at least two occasions: his last professional race in 2007, and his final laps taken at Lime Rock Park, his home track in Lakeville, CT, in 2008, just about a month before he passed. In addition to being an obviously very personal item owned by Newman, and thus a special piece for any collector, the suit serves as a sort of biography of the movie star. 

The waistband is embroidered with “Butch,” a nickname traceable to one of his great early roles in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The suit is also embroidered with his initials, “PLN,” and features a number of patches that paint a picture of his life. A McDonald’s patch near the right shoulder is a reflection of his ties to one of the key sponsors of the Newman-Haas Racing team. There’s a patch for the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, which Newman founded as a charitable organization to provide a summer camp experience to children suffering from serious illnesses (it’s still in operation). The Victory Junction Gang logo is a reference to a similar camp, founded by Newman along with stock car driver Kyle Petty, based in North Carolina. 

Lot 28 can be thought of as something of a companion piece to the racing suit, and serves as direct evidence of the seriousness with which Newman took the racing aspect of his career. This trophy, presented upon winning the Rolex 24 at Daytona in 1995, is inscribed 1995 Rolex 24 at Daytona Exxon Supreme GTS-1 Winner, Daytona International Speedway “The World Center of Racing”. Newman won the race along with his teammates Tommy Kendall, Mike Brockman, and Mark Martin, while driving a total of 682 laps in his Roush Racing Ford Mustang. Of course, the Rolex sponsorship of the race is a notable connection to the watches he wore throughout his racing career, and the trophy is a great piece of memorabilia from an important period of Newman’s life. 

The estimate for the trophy is $2,000 – $4,000, while the racing suit is expected to sell at $5,000 – $10,000. Neither lot has a reserve. Lot 28 & Lot 29

Lots 27 and 30: Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytonas

There are two Rolex Daytonas personally owned by Paul Newman in the Sotheby’s auction. The first, lot 27, is a 16520 that Newman won along with the trophy described above. The serial number places it to a vintage of approximately 1993, and it has an inscription on the caseback with the “Rolex 24” logo, Newman’s name, and a reference to him being named the 1995 “Man of the Year.” Any watch owned by Newman is special if you’re a Newman fan, but lot 27 is part of a prize package. It somehow feels less personal knowing he didn’t choose it, knowing what we know about how the Paul Newman Daytona came into his life. 

And that’s why lot 30, in my estimation, is the key watch of the entire sale. This Daytona is white gold, reference 116519, and was gifted to Newman by his wife, Joanne Woodward, just like the 6239 that sold to so much fanfare in 2017. It has a caseback engraving that reads “Drive very slowly,” and signed Joanne, a slightly different version of the famous “Drive carefully Me” engraving on the 6239. The notion that Woodward may have gifted many watches to her husband over the years with similar messages is a wonderful thought. This watch, which was produced in 2006, would have been one of the last watches Newman owned before his death.

The estimate for both of these Daytonas is set set $500,000 – $1,000,000. It will be interesting to see where they land, and indeed which one sells for the higher price. The gold 116519 is a sentimental favorite, but the racing provenance of the 16520 might make it more appealing to collectors. Both watches, along with the other Newman items in the sale, deserve to be closely watched.  Lot 27 & Lot 30

Blake Buettner 

Lot 2: Atmos 561 by Marc Newson

The Atmos series of clocks from Jaeger leCoultre are captivating, even as they range in presentation to a great degree over the course of their 90+ year history. Back in 2008, in celebration of 80 years of the Atmos, Jaeger leCoultre released the Atomos 561, a limited edition done in collaboration with Australian designer, Marc Newson. The special Atmos features a hand blown glass crystal made by Baccarat, allowing a clear view of the mechanism within in its entirety. The result is striking, matching beautifully with the modern approach to the display. 

In the front, a large chapter ring frames the movement inside, with sleek blue hands tracking the time. At the center is a readout for the month, and a moon phase display nested at 6 o’clock. There are 4 rounded feet emerging from the movement plate, holding the mechanism in place within the crystal housing, which bring an organic playfulness to the look giving away Newson’s fingerprints in the project. This is a beautiful work of mechanical art is lot 2, and has an estimate of $10,000 – $15,000. Lot 2

Lot 81: Tornek-Rayville TR-900

The story of the Tornek-Rayville TR-900 is the stuff of legends, often finding itself the subject of discussion over beers between many a dive watch aficionado. Government contracts, Mil-Spec testing procedures, acts of congress, and one wiley American importer all play key roles here, and you can read more about it in this introduction to the modern TR-660. The result is the TR-900, which saw service use in the ‘60s, and surviving examples of which are exceedingly rare these days, for obvious reasons. 

The example seen in lot 81 of this Sotheby’s auction is an exceptional bit of kit, which includes full records of its service including images and military documentation, as well as some incredible ephemera like the double hose closed circuit regulator and Cressi-sub scuba mask. Condition is also excellent thanks to the relatively late issue date in the late ‘80s. As a result the estimate for this TR-900 is $80,000 and $120,000. Lot 81

Zach Weiss 

If there was one brand that I feel like every watch collector should have at least a passing interest in, and perhaps they do, it’s Breguet. The brand founded by the man himself, Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1775. While this isn’t the place to do a full recount, there are literal books on the topic, the significance of the name and his impact on the industry is hard to understate. Yet, despite this the “modern” watches of Breguet, say starting in the mid-20th century, though mostly from the 90’s on, are an undervalued treasure trove of fine horology that has yet to be given its day in the sun. 

Well, it seems the sun has begun the crest over the horizon, likely brought up by a renewed interest in Daniel Roth, who was responsible for rekindling the maison beginning in the mid-seventies. And with that said, in the upcoming Sotheby’s Important Watches Auction there are a few Breguet pieces that are worth a closer look as they demonstrate just a glimpse of the breadth of the brand’s archives.

Lot 6: Breguet Tradition ref. 7027

Starting with the newest, though you wouldn’t know by looking at it, the Tradition 7027 in yellow gold is an absolute horological feast for the eyes. Launched in 2005, making this specific watch from 2006 an early production, the Tradition line is an homage to the Souscription pocket watches made by Breuget two centuries prior. The design is characterized by the symmetrical layout of the openwork dial, framing the large barrel at center, with a dial side escapement and eccentric hour and minute display at 12. 

While the gilded movement, matched to the 18k yellow gold case, which features a subtle blasted finish, mirrored anglage on bridges, heat blued screws, hand engraved text and numerals might steal the show, it’s not the only point of interest. The eccentric time display surface is solid gold, guilloched on a rose-engine lathe, which is then silvered and spectacular under a loupe. A close look at the escapement will also reveal two Breguet innovations, first the Breguet overcoil, and second a recreation of the “parachute” shock protector.

The 7027 reference was the first of the Tradition line, and perhaps the purest in execution, featuring a 37mm case and manual winding with power reserve indicators on both the front and back of the movement. Estimated at $8-12k, I would expect it to go for closer to $15, and regardless is an exceptional value for such an exotic and high end watch. Lot 6

Lot 51: Breguet Classique Tourbillon ref. 3350 

Taking a step back into the nineties, the ref. 3350 is a double-hitter of horological significance. The tourbillon is of special importance to the Breguet brand as Abraham-Louis Breguet invented it in 1775. Created for the practical purpose of counteracting the effect of gravity on an escapement in a stationary position (held in a pocket), in modern times it’s a hallmark of brand’s watchmaking capabilities. Given this, in the late 1980s Daniel Roth set about developing a tourbillon movement for use in a Breguet wristwatch. Launched in 1990, the ref. 3350 was that watch, making it the first Breguet wristwatch with a tourbillon. Breguet, Roth, first tourbillon wristwatch… I guess it’s really a triple-header of significance.

And, it’s utterly beautiful. Featuring a surprisingly small 36mm coin case in 18k white gold (as per this example), the rose-engine turned dial features off-set hour an minutes making room for the large one-minute tourbillon at six. The hand-engraved movement is visible beneath the tourbillon, which features a three-point hand to chart the seconds along an arcing index. From the back, a single, large engraved plate acts as a canvas for more incredible engraving, including “Tourbillon Breguet” in large letters. The movement on this example is also numbered “031”, which, if sequential, could indicate an early production, with the papers noting date of purchase in 1995. Note this is different from the serial of the watch, which is indicated with 282 on the dial, and 282 D along the case back.

The estimate of $20 – 40k seems like a generous range, with these typically selling in the $30s. A truly envy inducing timepiece. Lot 51

Lot 80. Breguet Type XX ‘Big Eye’ from 1965 

The oldest of the group is perhaps the most contemporary in style, the Type XX. While quite a bit removed from the time and aesthetics of Abraham-Louis Breguet himself, the Type XX is still a watch of great significance to the brand and is a highly collectible piece of military-associated ephemera. In the 1950s Breguet was contracted by the French MOD to produce pilot’s chronographs with various specifications including bi-directional rotating bezels, luminous arabic numerals and hands, a 38mm case, and a flyback chronograph mechanism commonly referred to as “Type 20” watches, of which there were not the only supplier. Approximately 2000 were ordered.

While there appear to have been a few different versions made with Breguet on the dial, including two and three register variations, different hands, bezels and crowns, those it is widely agreed that these watches were in fact all sub-contracted out to Mathey-Tissot, something the recent Massena LAB collab celebrated. According to Bhanu Chopra’s article on Quill and Pad, early models with Breguet branding were sold to civilians rather than issued to military, and that the naming “Type XX” vs “Type 20” was created for this distinction.

With context out the way, this example is said to come from the family of the original owner and looks deliciously vintage. The lume has aged to a mottled golden tone and faint hints of the black fill are still present in the bezel. For patina junkies, this has a lot of charm. The dial is the two-register “big eye” variant, which is perhaps the most balanced of Type XX executions. Estimated at $20 – 30k, these are quite rare, so hard pin down what it might end up going for. Lot 80

All images courtesy Sotheby’s