Last 5 June, Sylvester Stallone auctioned off some pieces of his watch collection, including a valuable Grandmaster Chime by Patek Philippe, still sealed.
What Sylvester Stallone is a watch enthusiast and collector is well known. And it is common practice for a great collector to sell pieces to make room for others.
This time, however, the actor decided to make a big deal of it by commissioning Sotheby's to auction off some of his watches. Among the various pieces chosen for the auction on 5 June was one that could not go unnoticed. One of the most complicated, rare and desired watches in the world: the Grandmaster Chime of Patek Philippe.
As you can imagine, it is not enough to have at least three million dollars to spend in order to buy it from any manufacturer's dealer. It seems that Stallone himself wrote several letters to the company's top management before he managed to get one, about two years ago. A watch that, however, he never wore.
Because, as he explains in a video posted on his Instagram profile, has always considered it an object to be looked at rather than worn on the wrist.
Sylvester Stallone's Grandmaster Chime at auction at Sotheby's
The watch had never been worn: it was still in its sealed plastic.
Stallone must also have thought that watching it was better than listening to it, as the watch was still in the sealed plastic packaging as it left the factory.
Some people's ears will bleed to learn that Sly possessed a complication capable of mechanically reproducing the hours with no less than five sound functions (large and small chime, minute repeater, alarm clock with hour chimes, date repeater on demand) and who has never heard it ring.
The actor justified the decision to resell his Grandmaster Chime with the idea that good things should be shared, but the operation smacks very much, too much, of speculation.
How much did Stallone earn? Since his Grandmaster Chime fetched $5.4 million, he probably put a clean $2 million in his pocket. Enough to console him that he never 'got' to wear such an extraordinary watch on his wrist.
And you, what do you think?
