⌚Monaco's Legendary Watch Auction is Revealed!

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The Monaco Legend Fall Auction - an exercise in sublime taste

The Monaco Legend auction is exactly what its name suggests - an auction where people can expect to either buy a legendary piece or cry over the legends that they can’t afford to own.

Their Autumn catalogue lives up to this well-earned reputation and I have it on good authority that more than one old-money heiress fainted at the mere sight of some of the auction lots. A few of the more memorable items include an 18k gold Rolex Day-Date 18038 with a Lapis Lazuli Dial, a UAE Quraysh Hawk Daytona 6265, and an absolutely ridiculous Patek Philippe 130 Chronograph in pink gold. And those three are just the tip of the horological iceberg.

Take a look at the catalogue, if you dare.

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Omega’s Seamaster Planet Ocean Dark Grey is phenomenal

Granted, much of what Omega has released over the past few years has been fairly uninspiring pretty goofy, from a design perspective.

I can count on one finger the recent debuts from Omega that have made my jaw drop. Clue: it’s this one. The new Planet Ocean Dark Grey feels like a revenge watch. Like a “you thought you could count us out?” release that could finally be Omega’s break into the realms of modern, risqué aesthetics. The case is made entirely from silicon nitride ceramic - harder and lighter than its predecessor, Zircon - while the 8906 GMT movement and dial are built out of Titanium. Safe to say, it’s a hard-wearing, endlessly enjoyable watch and if you’re not an idiot, you’ll bet every penny of your savings on the races to buy this thing. Or rob a bank.

I don’t have all the answers, I just know you’re worth the $22,200 that Omega is asking. Make it happen.

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Watch Fact

The Vacheron Constantin Reference 57260 has 57 complications, including a perpetual calendar, a minute repeater and a tourbillon, hence it is one of the most complicated watches of all time.

3-Watch Collection

3 Watch Collection Edition: Ceramic Edition

Ceramic is, in many ways, the material of the future for many watches but it’s not exactly conventional… This begs the question - does a truly great, all-ceramic 3-watch collection even exist?

Tudor Black Bay Ceramic (Sport watch) - As simple and unassuming as a sports watch can be, the Black Bay Ceramic is a lesson in stealth design…and a must-have fashion piece for wannabe Marines. Get all that ceramic and all that lume for just $5,025.

Zenith Defy Skyline Ceramic (Dress watch) - Hardly a conventional dress watch, the Defy Skyline Ceramic is still simple enough and slick enough to turn heads from under a suit cuff. Realistically, at $15,000 it’s whatever you want it to be, suit or not.

Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ceramic (Everyday watch) - Lightweight, reliable, and endlessly stylish, this Bulgari puts the ‘design’ in ‘designer watch’. Its matte black hue is a deep and unending pool of dreams and if you desire it enough, it can be all yours for $18,200.

Total Collection Cost (USD): $38,225

Watch News Bites

Quick Bites

• Only Watch 2023 has been postponed indefinitely. Originally set to take place in October, one of the year’s biggest watch events is officially on ice due to calls for ‘transparency’ and ‘regulation’ from the Association Monégasque centre les Myopathies. I don’t speak French but who’s fromage do I have to pay for to get this show back on the road?!

• Raymond Weil’s Basquiat collaboration is superfunkyfresh. For those of us who jive with watch/artist partnerships, the new special edition Freelancer is a sight to behold. Mostly black with erratic pops of colour, it’s a masterpiece in mutual collaboration - half utilitarian Raymond Weil and half dog-ass crazy Basquiat, there’s a lot here to love especially if you’re trying to be a cool dad.

• Panerai’s latest Radiomir is a wonderful thing. As a tribute to the 1935 Radiomir, this watch’s strength is its simplicity. A 45mm stainless steel case hosts a matte green dial with a seconds sub-dial at 9 o’clock and plenty of lume. Beneath all that lies the P.6000 calibre movement, ticking away like a happy Italian bureaucrat. What more could you want?

• Now, if you’ve got a thing for chimes and are in a loveless marriage, A. Lange & Söhne’s Zeitwerk Minute Repeater, at $460,000, is grounds for any woman to leave. A specialist piece, to say the least, the calibre LO43.5 comprises 771 parts, including what I assume is one of the most expensive sounding alarms ever made.

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