Christie's
London, United Kingdom · Est. 1766
Founded by James Christie
Christie's is one of the world's two leading fine art and collectibles auction houses, founded in London in 1766. Its watch department holds major sales in Geneva, New York, and Hong Kong, regularly achieving record prices for important vintage and modern timepieces.
- Founded
- 1766
- Headquarters
- London, United Kingdom
- Group
- Other
- Price Segment
- Mid
- Status
- Active
Key Collections
- Important Watches — Flagship biannual auction series in Geneva and New York featuring the world's most significant collector timepieces.
- Online Watch Auctions — Regular themed online sales making rare and vintage watches accessible to a global collecting audience.
Timeline
- 1766 — James Christie founds Christie's auction house in London.
- 1990 — Christie's establishes dedicated watch auctions, capitalising on the growing collector market.
- 2017 — Sells the Paul Newman Rolex Daytona for $17.75 million, a world record for any wristwatch at auction at the time.
- 2019 — Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime sells for $31.19 million at Christie's Only Watch auction, setting a new all-time record.
Frequently Asked Questions about Christie's
- Is Christie's a watch brand?
- No. Christie's is a fine art and luxury auction house. In the watch world, it is one of the 'Big Three' auction houses (alongside Sotheby's and Phillips) that sell rare and collector timepieces.
- Where does Christie's hold watch auctions?
- Primarily in Geneva (May and November) and New York, with additional online-only sales throughout the year.
- What are some record-setting watch sales at Christie's?
- Christie's has overseen numerous record-breaking watch sales, including the Paul Newman Daytona (Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Reference 6239) which sold for $17.75 million in 2017, and the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A-010 which sold for $31.19 million at the Only Watch 2019 charity auction, the highest price ever paid for a watch at auction.