From 17 to 19 July, the Artcurial auction house is coming to Monte Carlo, at the Hotel Hermitage, with its new auctions of jewellery, collectors' watches and accessories from leading fashion brands. Among the lots on display will be the famous Lip that belonged to General de Gaulle, which Fred Lip presented to the General in 1958 on the occasion of the release of the new R27 electric calibre, a selection of fine jewellery pieces, a rare version of the 1967 Paul Newman Rolex Daytona, Hermès luggage that once belonged to Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, and a private collection of bags by Alaïa, Chanel, Hermès and Fendi. This year, in addition to the objects in the collections, art lovers will be able to experience a new cultural project: Monaco Sculptures. A sculptural promenade along the Principality, realised in partnership with the Monte Carlo Société des Bains de Mer: a sort of open-air pop-up museum bringing together the most important masters of the 20th and 21st centuries, whose works will be exhibited until the end of the summer, but will also be auctioned off. Regarding the watch auction, Marie Sanna-Legrand, director of the Collector's Watchmaking department, said: "Once again, this summer we will be offering our expert and passionate collectors a major selection with an emphasis on vintage, including the most iconic models in the history of collectors' watches, such as Fifty Fathoms, Daytona, Speedmaster, Royal Oak, Submariner...". The auction will therefore feature a collection of Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, including the famous "Milspec" ref. 3065 in steel, with a starting estimate of €30,000 - €40,000, one of the most popular watches used for diving in the 1950s. Still on the diving theme, Artcurial will also offer two exceptional lots: the first, the Rolex Submariner ref. 1680 in gold, the only watch known to date to have been awarded a WWF certificate. The lot is accompanied by its original accessories and is estimated at €80,000 - €120,000. The second is a Radiomir ref. 3646, signed by Panerai, which once belonged to diver Helmut Rosël (estimate €85,000 - €100,000). Last January, Artcurial beat a Panerai/Rolex Radiomir Type A for 226,000 euros ($255,380), a record price. Also noteworthy is a set of vintage Rolex watches, including a 'Paul Newman' Chronograph ref. 6240, dating from 1967, with a starting estimate of €250,000 - €350,000. Lovers of the Longines brand, on the other hand, will not be able to miss the silver 'Lindbergh' Hour Angle ref. 4365 (estimate € 30,000 - 50,000). Moreover, following the success of the three 'Le Temps est Féminin' themed sales, the Collector's Watchmaking department has created a fourth edition of this auction dedicated exclusively to women's watches with Piaget's masterpieces dominating the scene. "This forthcoming sale," continues Marie Sanna-Legrand, "will showcase pieces from the leading manufacturers, Van Cleef & Arpels, Piaget, Cartier and Chopard, not to mention the iconic Serpenti by Bulgari, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Audemars Piguet and Gérald Genta. Among the Piaget watches to watch out for are a yellow gold, coral and onyx watch with an initial estimate of €50,000 - €80,000, a yellow gold and tiger's eye watch, estimated at €6,000 - €8,000, and a yellow gold, diamond and jade watch, estimated at €6,000 - €8,000. Finally, after having set a record in Monaco for a Serpenti by Bulgari, a watch that fetched €430,600 ($449,496), this year Artcurial presents a new Serpenti model produced by Bulgari together with Audemars Piguet in white gold and diamonds, estimated at €20,000 - €30,000.
