Christie’s Hong Kong is preparing one of Asia’s most closely watched horological moments of the year.
Across two November watch auctions, the house will bring together more than 300 lots with a combined low estimate of over USD 42 million, a figure Christie’s describes as the highest-ever seasonal total auction estimate for watches in Asia.
The headline names are exactly the kind that move serious collectors to rearrange calendars, with Patek Philippe, F.P. Journe and Cartier leading a sale series tied to Christie’s 40th anniversary in Asia.
At a glance
- Christie’s Hong Kong will hold two major watch auctions on November 25 and 26, 2026, during its 40th anniversary year in Asia.
- Highlights include two generations of Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon, rare F.P. Journe watches and Cartier Crash and Mystery Clock lots.
- The sales comprise more than 300 lots with a combined low estimate of over USD 42 million.
Patek Philippe Takes the Top Billing
The most consequential Patek Philippe lots are two successive generations of the Sky Moon Tourbillon, references 5002 and 6002, appearing together at auction for the first time.
The Ref. 5002 was launched in 2001 and marked several milestones for Patek Philippe, including the maison’s first serially produced double-faced grand complication wristwatch and its first astronomical wristwatch.
At the time, it was also Patek Philippe’s most complicated wristwatch.
Its 42.8mm case houses 12 complications, among them a minute repeater with cathedral gongs, a perpetual calendar with retrograde date, moon age and moonphase indications, sidereal time and a celestial chart showing the movement of the northern sky.
The dual-dial architecture gives the watch its particular theatre, with mean solar time, calendar and moon age on the front, and celestial indications with sidereal time on the reverse.
The Ref. 6002 shares much of that technical foundation, but its character is more ornate.
Where the Ref. 5002 reads as restrained grand complication watchmaking, the Ref. 6002 brings in a hand-engraved case and a dial decorated with champlevé and cloisonné enamel.
Both watches come from the private single-owner Kronos: Titans of Time collection, a 23-watch selection being auctioned by Christie’s Hong Kong across its spring and fall auctions in 2026.
The collection has already produced a notable result, after a platinum Ref. 5002P-001 sold for USD 1.8 million in May, which Christie’s identified as a new house record for that reference.
The Patek Philippe selection also reaches into vintage territory.
A stainless steel Ref. 1579 chronograph with tachymeter scale and “spider lugs” is among the most collector-focused lots, with only seven known examples cited for the reference in steel.
Two pink gold watches from 1941 add historical depth.
The Ref. 1518 is Patek Philippe’s first serially produced perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch, while the Ref. 1526 is the maison’s first serially produced perpetual calendar wristwatch.
The modern and gem-set side of Patek Philippe is also represented by a platinum Ref. 5271/13P-001 perpetual calendar chronograph set with baguette-cut emeralds, a possibly unique white gold Ref. 6104/12G-010 Celestial with a ruby-set bezel, and a platinum Ref. 5130P/13P-010 World Time with baguette-cut emeralds.
F.P. Journe Brings Independent Watchmaking Heat
F.P. Journe’s presence in the Hong Kong sales reflects how deeply the independent watchmaker has moved into the centre of modern collecting.
The standout is a Tourbillon Souverain, the model with which François-Paul Journe launched his namesake brand in 1999.
The Tourbillon Souverain is significant because it was the first wristwatch to combine a tourbillon with a remontoir d’égalité.
The example offered belongs to the second-generation Tourbillon Souverain à seconde morte, produced between 2003 and 2018, which added deadbeat seconds at 6 o’clock.
That generation won the Aiguille d’Or at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève in 2004.
This particular watch is fitted with a ruby hardstone dial and is described as one of only 20 platinum examples produced.
Another key Journe lot is an early Chronomètre à Résonance “Pre-Souscription” in platinum, case No. 056/00R.
The watch last appeared at auction more than 15 years ago in 2000 and is a 38mm example of one of Journe’s defining technical pursuits.
The Centigraphe Souverain adds a different kind of appeal.
The circa 2012 example carries Black Label status, which denotes platinum watches with black-lacquered dials made in extremely limited quantities and typically reserved for existing F.P. Journe owners.
The Centigraphe Souverain measures elapsed time from 1/100th of a second to 10 minutes through three subdials for 1/100th-of-a-second, 20-second and 10-minute readings.
Cartier’s Shape, Mystery and Jewellery Language
Cartier’s lots show a different side of collecting, where design identity can be as decisive as mechanical complexity.
Two Cartier Crash watches will appear across the November auctions.
The first is a bespoke 18K pink gold example with a black dial, commissioned through Cartier’s New Special Order programme.
The second is a white gold Crash set with diamonds and sapphires.
The Crash remains one of Cartier’s most recognisable designs, with its warped case and stretched Roman numerals giving the watch a sculptural quality that’s unmistakable even at a glance.
Cartier’s horological theatre continues with a diamond-set Mystery Clock in 18K white gold from 2007.
The maison’s mystery clocks trace back to 1912, when clockmaker Maurice Couët created the concept for Cartier, using optical illusion and mechanical ingenuity to make the hands appear as if they’re floating in space.
The present clock is a pièce unique with an eight-day power reserve.
Its decoration includes emeralds, sapphires and gray diamonds, with a diamond-set panther presiding over the composition.
Sale Dates and Hong Kong Preview Details
The two auctions are The Iconic 40 Watches Evening Sale on November 25, 2026, followed by Important Watches: Featuring “Kronos: Titans of Time” Part 2 on November 26, 2026.
Both live auctions will take place at Christie’s Asia Pacific Headquarters on the 6th floor of The Henderson, 2 Murray Road, Central, Hong Kong.
Public previews are scheduled in Hong Kong from November 18 to 25 at the same venue.
| Event | Christie’s Hong Kong November watch auctions |
|---|---|
| Sales | The Iconic 40 Watches Evening Sale and Important Watches: Featuring “Kronos: Titans of Time” Part 2 |
| Dates | November 25 and 26, 2026 |
| Location | Christie’s Asia Pacific Headquarters, The Henderson, 2 Murray Road, Central, Hong Kong |
| Preview | November 18 to 25, 2026 |
| Lots | More than 300 |
| Combined low estimate | Over USD 42 million |
For collectors, the appeal is not just the concentration of important names, but the range of collecting languages on offer.
There is high-complication Patek Philippe, technically ambitious independent watchmaking from F.P. Journe, and the design-led magnetism of Cartier, all presented in a market that has become central to the global watch auction calendar.
