A Pink Gold Patek Philippe 2499 Leads Phillips New York in December
Phillips is billing its December New York sale as the most valuable watch auction ever assembled in the United States.
Phillips' New York Watch Auction: XV takes place on 5 to 6 December 2026, and the house calls it the highest-value watch auction ever assembled in the US. Its top lot is a second-series Patek Philippe ref. 2499 perpetual calendar chronograph in 18KT pink gold, which Phillips expects to sell for more than $3 million. The sale has not yet taken place.
The sale
Phillips, in association with Bacs & Russo, holds The New York Watch Auction: XV at its New York gallery on 5 and 6 December 2026. The house describes it as the "highest-value watch auction" ever put together in the United States, according to JCK. The top lot is a Patek Philippe ref. 2499 perpetual calendar chronograph in 18KT pink gold from the reference's second series, which Phillips expects to sell for more than $3 million.
Why the 2499 matters
The ref. 2499 followed the ref. 1518 and is one of the best-known vintage Patek Philippe complications: a chronograph with a perpetual calendar and moon phase. Phillips says only 349 were made over roughly 35 years. It was produced in four series, and collectors track them closely, because case, dial and pusher details changed between them.
Metal matters just as much. Most 2499s were cased in yellow gold. Phillips says only eight second-series examples in pink gold are publicly known, which is why this watch leads the sale.
What else is in the sale
JCK lists a strong group of early F.P. Journe pieces, including a second-generation Tourbillon Souverain and what Phillips says is the only known pink gold "Pre-Souscription" Chronomètre à Résonance. Also included are an F.P. Journe Octa prototype, a Cartier mystery clock commissioned by King Farouk I of Egypt in 1936, a unique Akrivia tourbillon, an emerald-set Patek Philippe ref. 5971, and the Rolex Daytona presented to racing driver Vic Elford in 1968, consigned by Jerry Seinfeld. This is a preview: results will follow the sale.
What it means if you own a Patek Philippe
Very few people will own a 2499, but the way it is judged applies to every Patek Philippe. Collectors look at the exact reference and series, the case metal, whether the dial is original and unrestored, whether the case keeps its original lines rather than being polished away, and whether an Extract from the Archives, box or papers survive. A Patek that has been left alone is usually received far better than one that has been "improved". If you are thinking of selling one, have it looked at properly before any service or polish.
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- JCK, Phillips New York Watch Auction: XV preview, 16 Oct 2026
- IDEX Online, "$3m Patek Philippe leads highest value watch auction in US", 19 Oct 2026
- Phillips, The New York Watch Auction: XV (sale page)
Details and the estimate as published by Phillips and reported by JCK. Mozeris Fine Antiques is not connected with Phillips, Bacs & Russo or Patek Philippe. No auction-house images are used; the photograph shows a watch from our own stock.
