WATCHES BY WORLD-CLASS MAKERS TO BE SOLD BY NOONANS

A white gold chronograph wristwatch by A. Lange & Söhne is among the highlights of Mayfair Auctioneers Noonans, sale of Jewellery, Watches and Objects of Vertu on Tuesday, June 14, 2022. It is estimated to fetch £12,000-18,000.

The manual winding wristwatch dates from circa 2005 and is in an 18ct white gold case with a sapphire display back and 18ct white gold buckle.

As Joanne Lewis, Watch Expert at Noonans comments: “Established in Glashütte, Saxony by Ferdinand Adolph Lange in 1845, A. Lange & Söhne produced some of the most sought-after watches in the world.  The company was forced into a 40-year hiatus when a bomb at the end of the Second World War destroyed their workshops. In 1990, Walter Lange, the great grandson of Ferdinand Adolph Lange, revived the brand. Lange watches are still created in-house to the traditional high standards of the earlier generations of pocket watches. Today, as throughout their history, A. Lange & Söhne produce high quality precise timepieces. We are very pleased to be offering this exquisite watch on behalf of a private London collector.”

The sale will include examples for both men and women by famous makers such as Cartier; Rolex; Omega; Longines; Vacheron Constantine; Jaeger-Lecoultre; Movado; Breitling; Breuget; Heuer and Panerai.

A lady’s white gold and diamond-set rectangular wristwatch by Tank Americainé dates from circa 2000 and is estimated at £3,000-5,000. The 18ct white gold watch is bezel set with brilliant-cut diamonds. While a stainless steel and gold automatic Datejust Oyster wristwatch by Rolex with bracelet and ‘pyramid dial’ circa 1990 carries an estimate of £4,000-6,000.

One of the more unusual pieces is a silver open-faced explorer’s keyless deck watch by London-makers Lund & Blockley dating from 1883. Estimated at £2,000-3,000, it inherited from the seller’s grandfather 

As Joanne Lewis explains: “These so called ‘Travellers’ watches were sold by Herbert Blockley from the late 1870s until around 1925. The Royal Geographical Society purchased approximately 28 pieces from Lund & Blockley and their successor. Their robust construction with protective crown cover meant they were ideal watches for use on expeditions. The Society lent these watches to their members for Polar and African expeditions.”

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