A century-old clock is being sold for over two million dollars: “One of the most complex ever made”
A 1907 clock made in the UK has sold for over $2.3 million. The piece has set a new world record.
A pocket watch made in Coventry in 1907 has set a new world record after being sold at auction in Switzerland. The piece was made by the great-great-grandfather of Carl Player, a 31-year-old Coventry resident who had estimated its value at around $1.15 million.
However, the bidding far exceeded his expectations. Phillips Watches confirmed that the watch reached 2,238,000 Swiss francs, equivalent to about $2.76 million. The timepiece features moon phases, an alarm, and a thermometer, and was described by the auction house as “one of the most complex antique pocket watches ever created.”
Player attended the auction in Geneva and explained that, while holding the watch during the pre-sale exhibition, he felt a profound connection to his ancestor. The event was part of Phillips’s Decade One auction, in which they claimed the sale of the J Player & Sons Hyper Complication Pocket Watch set a world record for an antique British pocket watch.
According to the auction catalog, J Player & Son was known for producing ornate and technically intricate watches. The document stated that this piece reflected the mastery of English watchmaking of the time, calling it one of the most complicated English watches ever made.
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The seller had owned the watch since 1974 and kept it for 51 years before auctioning it. Although the identities of both buyer and seller remain confidential, Player suggested it might now belong to either an American or British collector. Phillips reported that the sale drew 1,885 bidders from 72 countries, and nearly 800 people attended the auction in person.
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