OFF THE BLOCK

We keep you up-to-date on the hottest lots under the hammer.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar, Ref 25554BA Auctioned by Phillips in Hong Kong for HK$3.3 million.

Setting a world record for a Royal

Oak Perpetual Calendar at Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo’s Hong Kong Watch Auction: XII, the rarity of this yellow gold wristwatch lies in its smallest details. Crafted in 1986 (only two years after the first production of the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar), there are just 279 examples of Audemars Piguet’s reference 25554 timepieces. This particular yellow gold model is fitted with a black dial and bears a brand signature on the moonphase in a smaller font – a feature of early production pieces. In addition, it may be the only known version with applied gold print on the dial, making it an ultra-covetable find.

British Guiana

One-cent Magenta

Auctioned by Sotheby’s in New York for US$8.3 million.

Stuart Weitzman may be most famous for his exquisite creations as a luxury shoe designer, but he’s also been an avid philatelist and numismatist since the age of 12. A blockbuster sale at Sotheby’s, entitled Three Treasures – Collected by Stuart Weitzman, saw the sole surviving example of the British Guiana One-cent Magenta retain its place as the world’s most famous and valuable stamp. The stamp-collecting equivalent of the Holy Grail, this lot – which dates back to 1856 – carries with it a fascinating provenance, with former owners ranging from the government of France to convicted murderer John Du Pont.