Superstar Auction
We take a look at the record-setting auction featuring watches owned by Steve McQueen, Paul Newman and others.
Setting Records
Celebrity owned watches are always in demand at watch auctions. And the recently concluded Phillips ‘Racing Pulse’ auction proved exactly that, with watches owned by Hollywood A-listers setting new records.
Owning a watch previously owned by a celebrity makes perfect sense to those who participate in the activity of collecting watches. If the celebrity is famous enough, not only you get a high-quality timepiece but also a brag-worthy history of its ownership, which is quite important for collectors. And when it comes to collecting watches owned by movie stars, it can’t get better than those owned by screen icons, such as Paul Newman and Steve McQueen.
Le Mans
Now, the watch most associated with Steve McQueen, the Heuer Monaco, was a gamechanger for the Heuer brand when it was introduced in 1969. One of the world’s first self-winding chronograph wristwatches, the Monaco became iconic for its square case – it was also the first waterproof square case watch in the world – and colour theme of the dial, hour markers, and hands. Between the case and the colour scheme, the Monaco looked unlike anything else in the world of watches at that time.
No wonder then that McQueen chose the Monaco as the watch of his choice for his classic racing movie – Le Mans. To keep the movie as realistic as possible, McQueen, at times, wore the watch while driving at the speed of well over 300km/h. After the filming ended, McQueen gifted the watch to his personal mechanic – Haig Alltounian – as a mark of appreciation for keeping him safe throughout the filming. And at the Phillips Racing Pulse, the watch sold for over $2.2 million (approximately `16,12,00,000), setting a new record for the most expensive Heuer watch ever sold at an auction.
‘Big Red’
While talking about celebrity watch collectors, it’s impossible not to mention Paul Newman, who was known for his love of the Rolex Daytona, which he wore every day for decades. At the auction, his personal ‘Big Red’ Daytona – it was gifted to him by his wife Joanne, with an inscription that read, ‘Drive Slowly Joanne’ – made an appearance. The ‘Big Red’ was auctioned for nearly $5.5 million (approximately `40,30,00,000), making it the third most expensive Rolex watch ever sold at an auction.
The Stallone Collection
Hollywood action star Sylvester Stallone also auctioned a part of his extensive watch collection – the Panerai worn by him in the movie Daylight and several Richard Mille timepieces, including the one considered to be amongst the most complicated timepieces ever made by the brand. And with each of his Richard Mille bringing in near million dollars, the auction was certainly a huge success both for him and the auction house.
Panerai PAM5218-201/a
Richard Mille RM032-TI
Richard Mille RM025-01 Tourbillon
Richard Mille RM052-01 Tourbillon
Richard Mille RM025-01 Tourbillon
