Freddie Mercury’s Plastic Seiko Hits £15k at Auction
And there’s still 48 hours to go…
If reports are to be believed, Apple — who, as much as we may not like to recognize or admit it, is one of the world’s largest watch companies — will be releasing their newest Apple Watches. These little smartwatches are, whether you have any interest in them or not, massively capable and genuinely one of the most impactful healthcare devices of the last decade (I know, it’s hard to believe it hasn’t even been a decade since the introduction of the Apple Watch).
Small, wearable, light, and affordable, the Apple Watch has changed the way many people approach the space on their wrists. Replete with a battery of sensors and features, the Apple Watch is now used as a fitness device, health monitor, GPS, phone, and iPod. If you go for the “Ultra,” it can even be used as a dive computer. That said, the Apple Watch is far from the first wrist-borne rectangular health sensor available with a Velcro strap.
Some of you might remember that a few weeks ago, I introduced you all to a very interesting red plastic Seiko — a Seiko Pulsometer Ref. S22905001, to be specific.
The watch in question belonged to Freddie Mercury, the legendary Queen frontman and is currently up for auction at Sotheby’s. At that time, the watch had already blown past its estimate and was sitting pretty with a top bid of £6,500.
While that is certainly no small number for a watch estimated to sell for below £500 and which can be had on eBay for a couple of hundred bucks, it turns out that was far from the ceiling. In what I am now certain is a record for the model, Freddie Mercury’s red plastic Seiko is, at the time of writing, sitting at £15,000.
There are still just under 48 hours left in the sale, so if you are feeling inspired, you still have a shot at owning what is rapidly becoming a historically notable watch (check out and bid for the watch here). Just remember that buyer’s premiums and taxes are certainly a thing, so be prepared to shell out for what is apparently a very desirable red plastic Seiko.
Oh, and just in case you were wondering if this excitement was restricted to one lot, it’s probably also worth knowing that a silver Tiffany mustache comb (shown above), estimated to sell for about £600, is currently bid up to £100,000. You can read more about the comb here.
Update: Well, it looks like we had a ways to go on this particular lot, and, after a flurry of late bidding activity and several extensions of the lot close time, we have a final sale price for Freddie Mercury’s Seiko. With all said and done, the only wristwatch in the massive estate sale sold for £35,560 (around $44,000), including buyer’s premium. It’s a staggering result and one that continues to reinforce the value of provenance.
The comb sold for £152,400.