Sotheby's New York Offers 30 Watches Kept by Their First Owners
Thirty watches, many of them Patek Philippe sold through Tiffany, nearly all still with the people who bought them new.
Sotheby's will offer The Original Owner Collection, 30 watches nearly all kept by their first buyers, in its Important Watches sale in New York on 7 December 2026. JCK reports that Sotheby's expects the group to bring more than $9 million. The top lot is a platinum Patek Philippe ref. 5374/300P minute repeater perpetual calendar, at auction for the first time.
The collection
Sotheby's announced on 20 October 2026 that it will sell The Original Owner Collection in New York on 7 December. According to JCK, the 30 watches were nearly all kept by the people who bought them new, and Sotheby's expects the group to bring more than $9 million. The consignor has not been named. Many of the watches are Patek Philippe retailed by Tiffany & Co., whose relationship with Patek Philippe dates back to 1851.
The top lots
The lead watch is a Patek Philippe ref. 5374/300P, a platinum minute repeater with perpetual calendar set with baguette diamonds and sapphires, which JCK says Sotheby's has estimated at $2.5 million to $5 million. It is the first time the reference has been offered at auction. A gem-set Aquanaut Luce "Rainbow" minute repeater, introduced in 2023, also makes its auction debut.
The Tiffany link runs through the sale. JCK lists a Tiffany-signed Aquanaut Travel Time and a Tiffany-signed Cubitus, both at auction for the first time, and a steel Nautilus ref. 5711/1A-018 with a Tiffany Blue dial, one of 170 made in 2022 for the 170th anniversary of the partnership.
Why "one owner from new" matters
Leigh Safar, Sotheby's global head of important watch collections, said unbroken ownership gives the watches a provenance that "cannot be replicated", as reported by JCK. A watch that has stayed with its first buyer has a known history: no gaps, no unknown repairs, no question about whether parts have been changed along the way. Original receipts, retailer-signed dials and complete paperwork turn that history into something a buyer can check. This is a preview; the sale has not yet taken place.
What it means for your own watch
If you bought a watch new and still have it, you hold the same kind of advantage on a smaller scale. Keep the original receipt, the guarantee card, the box and outer box, any retailer's pouch and every service invoice together. A dial signed by the retailer, such as Tiffany, Asprey or Garrard, is part of the watch's story and should never be replaced. When you come to sell, that complete history is one of the first things a buyer will ask about.
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- JCK, "Sotheby's to auction $9M collection of single-owner watches", 20 Oct 2026
- Robb Report, "30 rare Patek Philippe watches head to auction at Sotheby's New York", Oct 2026
- Artdaily, "Sotheby's New York to offer $9 million single-owner Patek Philippe collection"
Details and estimates as published by Sotheby's and reported by JCK. Mozeris Fine Antiques is not connected with Sotheby's, Patek Philippe or Tiffany & Co. No auction-house images are used; the photograph shows a watch from our own stock.
