GENEVA.- The Autumn Geneva Luxury sales, which were held this season in a new adapted format, including a live hybrid and online component, achieved a total of CHF45,717,651 / $50,289,416. The Geneva season set the highest total for any online watch sale at Christie’s, achieving CHF5,344,125 / $5,878,537 as well as a new record price per carat for a fancy purplish/red diamond at $2.6 million. The sales attracted buyers from 26 countries Furthermore, a total of 11 lots sold above $1 million.

The Magnificent Jewels sale was driven by international interest and demand for exceptional and privately sourced objects. The top lot of the jewellery auctions was the extraordinary rectangular-cut fancy yellow diamond of 28.88 carats, selling for CHF 2,850,000 / $3,135,000 to a private collector. A new auction record price per carat was established for a fancy purplish-red diamond, set into a ring by Graff. The 1.05 carat stone sold for CHF2,760,000, translating into price per carat at $2,640,000. The first Magnificent Jewels Online sale from Geneva was very successful selling 89% of all lots and 100% by value, attracting over 1,800 bids from around the globe. Together with the hybrid Live auction and the Extravagant Parure online sale, the Geneva Jewellery auctions totaled CHF37,815,750 / $41,597,325.




The result of CHF5,344,125 / $5,878,537, ensured that the Watches Online “The Geneva Edit” sale became Christie’s largest ever Online Watches sale, surpassing the record set in Dubai as recently as last month. Successful bidders came from 26 countries with a well balanced spread of contributions, with 26% of buyers from the US, followed closely by Asian buyers with 25%, and 21% of clients came across Europe (excluding Switzerland). Top lot of the auction was lot 12, a F.P. JOURNE, platinum tourbillon Souverain, ref. T, made in 1999, one of the most sought-after early examples of the reference ‘T’ platinum Tourbillon Souverain wristwatches with remontoir d'egalite. The model was F.P. Journe’s first production watch and also the very first wristwatch ever to use a constant force remontoire, a mechanism to improve timekeeping. It sold to a private collector for CHF525,000 / $577,500.

Christie’s Fine & Rare Wines Geneva auction on 9 November 2020 totalled CHF2,557,776, $2,813,554 achieving 95% by value and sold 92% by lot and increase by 8% and 5% respectively on the July Geneva Fine and Rare Wine sale result. The 858 lots were sold with an average lot value of CHF2,981 / $3,280.

Active bidding came from 19 countries with buyers from the UK and Asia accounting each for 24%, followed by Switzerland with 21%. Respecting Geneva sanitary regulations, the public was not present in the saleroom but with 62% of lots going to absentee bidders, 29% to bidders using Christie’s online real-time bidding tool and 9% attributed to telephone bidders, Christie’s maintained its full ability to reach out to its client base who confirmed their appetite for fine and rare wines.

The leading lot of the sale was lot 258, 12 bottles of the exceptional and rare assortment of Domaine de la Romanée Conti 1990, containing bottles from the domaines Romanée-Conti, La Tâche, Richebourg, Romanée-St-Vivant, Grands Échezeaux, Échezeaux and Montrachet selling for CHF67,375 / $74,112. Christie’s next luxury sales will take place in Paris, Hong Kong and New York.