When History Hammers: Inside The Standout Watches At Phillips’ Spring Auction

Just to avoid burying the lede: This spring’s Phillips Auction is absolutely elite. It’s an electric offering of horological mastery, museum-worthy pieces at nearly every turn, and it demands more deep dives than my fingers are physically able to type out without cramping and carpal tunnel quickly setting in.

We’re looking at 199 lots of pure firepower. An unrelenting onslaught of gears, wheels, dials, and hands that has me salivating like Pavlov’s dogs. I don’t even know where to begin. When Jack and I first scrolled through the lineup, we both fell into the doomscroll trap with every piece cooler, rarer, and more fascinating than the last. My coverage list started swelling to an unmanageable length. The storylines felt almost endless.

That said, this will be a quick roundup of a few highlights, but breakout coverage is coming, because this all-star assemblage deserves it. Honestly, it makes me wish I had the pockets of a venture capitalist during the dot-com boom. Or that I hadn’t sold my crypto in 2017 because what I would do to claim one of these as my own is borderline concerning.

I’m leaving some of the technical heat to Jack because if there’s anyone who can unpack the nuances of the F.P. Journe x THA for Breguet Pendule Sympathique No. 1, it’s him. But when you have a Philippe Dufour Simplicity with a dial crafted from actual butterfly wings, sitting next to a Nautellipse, sitting next to a Rolex Ref. 8171 Padellone, next to a Lange 1815 Emil Lange Moonphase, next to a F.P. Journe Tokyo Edition, an Urban Jürgensen Ref. 2, a Rolex 6238 yellow gold ‘Pre-Daytona’ (with “anti-magnetic” on the dial and the last variant to feature a calculation scale), a Roger Smith Series 1, a Patek Ref. 565… you get the point. Where the hell do you begin?

This past year, I had the privilege of interviewing Logan Baker, Senior Editor for Phillips Watches, who explained that one of the greatest aspects about covering watch auctions is that every piece has its own story. 199 watches on offer means 199 individual journeys — each with its own path to the auction block. And honestly, there’s something pretty romantic about thinking of auctions that way. Of course, we can’t tell them all. But there are a few that definitely stand out. — All right, the preamble is over. Let’s dive into a few of these.

Lot 75: Universal Geneve SAS Polerouter Piece Unique

Last January, Breitling announced it had acquired Universal Genève—the storied brand with a devoted cult following among vintage collectors. Once considered an elite brand alongside many of the biggest names in the industry, Universal Genève had been long dormant. But under Georges Kern’s guidance, it seems to be in the best hands for a revival.

As part of their lead-up to new releases expected in 2026, UG/Breitling reintroduced three pièce unique models honoring the historic SAS (Scandinavian Airlines System) flight—the first commercial journey over the poles from Copenhagen to Los Angeles. On November 15, 1954, SAS began flying directly over the polar circle, slashing flight time from 36 to just 22 hours. Upon landing at LAX, the flight crew was presented with the very first Polerouters, each featuring “SAS” on the dial. These original models have become some of the most sought-after vintage watches in the world, with only a few hundred known to survive today.

Many, myself included, have said that the brand’s revival will hinge on the success of the Polerouter. Thankfully, UG/Breitling have put together a brain trust of some of the most revered UG collectors and historians to help guide their efforts. And based on the three pièce uniques they teased last year, it’s clear they’re on the right track.

The three watches were produced in steel, pink gold, and — this one, now up for auction — in white gold. Each is housed in a historically faithful 33.5mm case with lyre-style lugs, and this model paired with a Laurent Jolliet woven mesh bracelet and old-school clasp. It hits every vintage aesthetic note you’d want from a proper reissue. Inside, UG made the right call again, fitting the watch with a micro-rotor movement, in this case, the caliber UG1-69.

What makes this particular watch stand out is how well it balances the idea of homage versus re-edition. It retains details like the contrasting metal outer track, but moves away from the traditional matte black dial, opting instead for a translucent blue finish with circular satin brushing. And to be fair, there are an uncomfortable number of Polerouter variants out there, but this one finds a way to feel both respectful of history and genuinely fresh.

According to Phillips, the proceeds of this sale will benefit CFP Arts in Geneva, “which teaches applied arts, ensuring critical knowledge of watchmaking savoir-faire exists for generations.” One of the best re-editions of a historically important and downright stunning watch that supports charity, sign me up please.

Lot 151: Blancpain Fifty Fathoms

I’ve expressed my love for this watch more times than I care to count. And to all the detractors standing on their soapboxes shouting that the Fifty Fathoms wasn’t the “first” dive watch, or that Blancpain is not as old as it claims, you can stay right where you are. Even with the uncertainty and, admittedly, somewhat shaky historical claims Blancpain likes to make, this watch remains an incredibly important piece of horological history.

The reality is — if you ask me (and Logan Baker, who did a deep dive on this lot), Blancpain may not have made the first dive watch, but they defined what a dive should be. Luminous hands, a big rotating bezel, bold markers, this is the foundation every dive watch since has been built on. And there’s something to be said for that kind of blueprint-setting influence.

What takes this particular Fifty Fathoms a few more leagues under the sea is the fact that it isn’t just any vintage variant, this one comes with a story. In 1957, Blancpain’s CEO, Jean-Jacques Fiechter — a diver himself — was instructing an amateur diver, Mr. Matthouse, off the coast of the South of France. As the story goes, Mr. Matthouse wasn’t wearing a dive watch, so Fiechter offered to sell him one. The amateur agreed, and the watch he bought at “factory price” is this watch, now up for auction. This isn’t just any Fifty Fathoms, it’s one sold directly by the man who invented the damn thing.

At 41mm, with a stainless steel case, original bakelite bezel, and a black lacquered dial that’s aged the way we all wish our wine would, this watch also comes with service records, diving logs, and original photos of it being worn. When we talk about watches that tell stories, watches that were there during pivotal moments in history — this is exactly what we mean. This is history on a strap. And I couldn’t be more excited to see what it eventually hammers for.

Lot 62: A 1938 Breguet Chronograph in Yellow Gold, Lot: 63 A 1972 Breguet Triple Calendar Chronograph in Stainless Steel

Breguet is back, baby. Well, to be fair, I’m not sure they ever truly went away. But as they kick off their 250th anniversary, they’re making it crystal clear: they’re here. And in this May’s auction, they’re bringing some serious historical firepower.

While I’ll leave the deep technical dive on the 1991 F.P. Journe x THA for Breguet Sympathique Clock No. 1 to the technical prowess of Jack Forster, I couldn’t help but pick not one, but two other Breguet lots to highlight—two pieces sitting at nearly opposite ends of the Breguet spectrum. One is a 1938 yellow gold chronograph, the other a 1972 triple calendar in stainless steel.

As I was browsing the catalog, these two watches called to me—and my wallet—like sirens luring sailors into the depths of Hades. When we picture Breguet today, especially anything neo-vintage or modern, we think of engine-turned dials and heavy classical aesthetics, which, admittedly, isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But for those who know the brand’s history, Breguet stands on a pedestal as the metaphorical torchbearer for one of the founding fathers of watchmaking itself: Abraham-Louis Breguet, who founded his namesake company in 1775.

Breguet’s innovations laid the foundations for modern horology He is credited with creating the self-winding “perpétuelle” watch (1780), the tourbillon (patented in 1801), the “pare-chute” shock protection system (1790), and the Breguet overcoil balance spring (1795) — all of which are still very prevalent in watchmaking today.

And for the true history buffs: Breguet is perhaps most famously associated with the Marie Antoinette watch — The Breguet No. 160 Grand Complication. Commissioned for the Queen herself, the watch took 19 years to complete. Tragically, (well, I suppose that is up to interpretation) Marie Antoinette never saw it finished as she was executed nine years before its completion. The masterpiece included 823 components and incorporated every known complication of the era. Breguet also created what is considered the first wristwatch, for Caroline Bonaparte, Queen of Naples, in 1812.

I could go on (and believe me, I want to), but the point is that wearing a Breguet means wearing history. (I may proclaim myself the king of cliches at this point in my writing career). And when they look this good, well—that’s just icing on the cake.

The 1938 yellow gold chronograph measures 33.5mm, with a slim, coined-edge case that feels like something pulled straight out of The Great Gatsby (and while I’m more of a Faulkner guy myself, we’re going with Gatsby here because, well, more people get the reference). The olive-shaped pushers are like the chocolate swirl on a sundae, they absolutely make this watch. They embody everything a dress chronograph should be. (Side note: olive pushers have never actually looked like olives to me, but that’s the terminology we’re stuck with.)

The dial is a reminder of a time when design and function were truly intertwined, and the proportions are so perfect, so precise, that they’d make a Renaissance master blush. It’s the kind of symmetry that would’ve made Da Vinci pause mid-sketch, the proportions pulling everything into effortless balance, like a horological Vitruvian Man.

And yet, what really makes me salivate is what I’m calling the sunburst crown. My god—the contrast between the sunburst crown, the coined-edge case, and those olive pushers just sends the design nerd in me into a tailspin. It’s as close to perfect as it gets.

This specific example has stayed miraculously intact for nearly 100 years, with the movement, case, and dial all bearing matching 4094 markings.

What I find most interesting is the contrast to Breguet’s modern chronograph offerings. Today, when you think of a Breguet chronograph, the first (and generally most accessible) model that comes to mind is the Type XX—a horological legend in its own right. But the Type XX leans into sportiness. This 1938 chronograph, to me, is what a Breguet chronograph should be: elegant, refined, functional, and deeply historical.

The second Breguet I needed to highlight—the 1972 Triple Calendar in stainless steel—is unlike any Breguet I’ve seen before. I actually laughed when I read Logan Baker’s writeup, which opened with, “You don’t see many Breguets like this.” He wasn’t kidding.

Breguet is practically synonymous with what we call “high horology”—a term I’m not exactly in love with, but one that essentially means the upper echelons of the watchmaking world. And with that status usually comes precious metals, especially for watches produced in the 1970s. Most Breguet’s from this period were cased in gold, so to see a stainless steel example is wildly rare.

Inside beats the reliable Valjoux 88, the updated version of the famed Valjoux 72C (which, if you didn’t know, powered the Rolex Dato-Compax). This movement was also used by companies like Baume & Mercier, Eberhard & Co., Heuer, Longines, Lucien Picard, Ulysse Nardin, and Universal Genève and according to Grail Watch Reference — 13,218 examples of Cal. 88 were produced, much higher than the similar but simpler Cal. 72C.

Now, Breguet may not be the king of triple calendars — I’d give that crown to Jaeger-LeCoultre, but this watch feels like an incredible amalgamation of what we love about complicated dress watches. It borrows design cues from heavy hitters like the Patek Philippe 1518 and 2499, yet it remains unmistakably Breguet.

And what seals it for me? That oversized Breguet logo across the dial—an absolute showstopper.

Lot 89: R.W. Smith Series 1 in Pink Gold

At some point or another, the deeper you get into watches, you will come across the name R.W. Smith. And it may be the writer in me, who feels that anyone who abbreviates their first and middle name, in a professional sense, means business, and the same can be said for R.W. Smith.

Operating from the Isle of Man, Roger W. Smith is the spiritual successor to George Daniels, the inventor of the co-axial escapement. Smith has continued Daniels’s legacy while innovating on his own. His Series 1, 2, and 4 watches are modern interpretations of classic British watchmaking, featuring hand-engraved dials and cases crafted entirely in-house. Smith’s production is so limited that owning one often requires years (we are talking close to a decade now) of waiting.

Smith is among the few watchmakers who create their timepieces entirely in-house. Every single component, down to the smallest screw, is crafted and assembled within his workshop—nothing is outsourced, a practice virtually unheard of even among the industry’s largest brands.

“The quality of every element in our watches comes before anything else,” Smith explained in an interview with InsideHook. “For instance, a single dial might take up to a month to perfect, and finishing one component can take several days—just one out of the 250 or more parts in a watch. Inevitably, some parts don’t make the cut, even after weeks of work, and those are discarded.” He admits this rigorous process, which ensures every piece meets his exacting standards, isn’t feasible for mass-market brands. “Modern mechanical wristwatches are largely mass-produced, which leads to a certain uniformity and lack of character.”

Due to his production process and the low volume of watches he produces, it’s understandable that his watches don’t show up very often at auction. As far as my research shows, only two Roger W. Smith Series 1 watches have ever come to auction—both through Phillips. Number 17, a pink gold edition, sold in 2021 for CHF 730,250. Then in 2022, Number 32, a unique white gold version, went for £660,000. That’s it. Just two watches. Two massive results.

The Series 1 is an exercise in simplicity, showing only the hours, minutes, and a small seconds dial. It was designed to be the ultimate gentleman’s watch and a distillation of three centuries of British watchmaking tradition. Every piece, of course, was built and finished entirely by hand, by Roger Smith himself and a small circle of trusted artisans.

The example up for auction is a pink gold Series 1 with a matching pink gold chapter ring and according to Phillips is one of just three made in 38mm pink gold, and the only one known with this specific case and dial pairing. With an estimate of $184,000-$367,000 if I was a betting man, which I am, I am slamming the over on this gem.

Lot 27: Patek Philippe Ref. 5975G-001 Anniversary Multi-Scale Chronograph

In 2014, Patek Philippe celebrated its 175th anniversary. Now, I don’t know what I’ll be doing on my own 175th birthday—maybe pulling a Bilbo Baggins and fleeing to live with the elves while sending my nephew on a suicide mission into the mountains of Mordor—or maybe, just maybe, I’d mark the occasion by releasing a 400-piece limited-edition, multi-scale white gold chronograph.

The 5975 in question doesn’t just nod to Art Deco design—it practically steals the dials right off the walls. Housed in a 40mm white gold case, it features three distinct scales: a pulsometer (to measure, if you couldn’t have guessed, your pulse), a telemeter (to calculate distance based on the speed of light or sound — one day I need Jack to explain this to me over a cocktail), and a tachymeter (to measure speed over distance). Oh, and don’t forget the chronograph itself. If you’re someone who likes to measure things—pulse, speed, distance, existential dread—this is the watch for you.

Inside ticks the caliber CH 28-520, a movement that uses a vertical clutch, meaning you can run the chronograph without any impact on timekeeping accuracy. (You’ll also find this movement doing work in references like the 5968 and 5980.)

The dial is described as “silver opaline” with an “enamel-like shimmering effect”—but as with almost every watch that catches my eye, it’s never just about the headline features. There’s always one small detail, one hidden little love note that seals it for me. Sure, it’s a limited edition. Sure, it has all the bells and whistles—a presentation box, an attestation, even a commemorative coin that your local Coinstar definitely won’t accept.

But what really does it for me is the lugs.

I’m an absolute sucker for good lug design. Weird lugs. Bold lugs. Teardrop lugs. Stepped lugs. Lugs that actually matter. I’ve said it before (shoutout to MB&F’s Longhorns) and I’ll say it again… we, as a community, seriously need to up our love for lugs. These stepped lugs look like they were pulled right off the ornate molding inside the Beacon Theatre—and they absolutely make this watch.

Honestly, that’s about all I have to say. I would spend $100K on the lugs alone, never mind the fact that it’s a limited-edition, anniversary Patek Philippe.

It’s Almost Auction Time

As you can probably tell by now, this May’s Phillips auction is not just another watch sale—it’s a parade of horological heavyweights, each lot carrying a story, a legacy, and in some cases, a shot of pure adrenaline straight to the collector’s soul.

From the rebirth of Universal Genève to the irreplaceable tales tucked inside a Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, from the untouched elegance of a 1938 Breguet to the almost mythic craftsmanship of an R.W. Smith Series 1, this catalog reads less like an auction and more like a love letter to everything that makes this hobby endlessly addictive.

And while I’ve only been able to scratch the surface here, trust me: there’s plenty more buried in this lineup waiting to be uncovered. Some lots will make headlines. Some will quietly disappear into private collections, not to be seen again for decades. But every single one, whether it hammers for five figures or seven, represents a little piece of the past fighting its way into the future.