DALLAS, TX.- Riding a surge of demand for elite timepieces from some of the world’s top watch makers, Heritage Auctions’ Watches & Fine Timepieces Signature® Auction, held Nov. 16, was a near-sellout event that realized $2,820,849.

“This auction drew nearly 1,800 global bidders and generated near-perfect sell-through rates,” says Jim Wolf, Director of Watches & Fine Timepieces at Heritage Auctions. “That only underscores the fact demand for elite watches such as Rolex, Patek Philippe, Daniel Roth and Audemars Piquet is as high as ever.”

A Rolex, Very Rare Oyster Cosmograph With Tropical Sub Dials, Ref. 6265/6263, circa 1973, prompted 24 bids before it more than doubled its pre-auction estimate to finish at $125,000. Launched in 1962, the Rolex reference 6265 and 6263 were manufactured in steel, 18k and 14k gold.

A Patek Philippe, Nautilus, Ref. 5990/1A Very Fine Dual Time Flyback Chronograph With Date, circa 2018, from the Nautilus series, brought a winning bid of $150,000. In exceptionally high demand throughout the collecting community, this magnificent watch is housed in a 40.5 mm stainless steel case, and it includes a striped gray dial with luminous indexes, local/home time and day/night apertures, date, 60-minute register, luminous baton hands and an open baton second time zone hand.

The Rolex Rare Stainless Cosmograph Daytona Watch with “Paul Newman” Dial. Ref: 6241. Box & Paper, Circa 1969 is from the estate of Robert Richard Porter Jr., features the popular “reverse panda” dial and is signed by the maker on the dial, case and movement. This exceptional watch was one of 149 by Rolex in this auction.

A magnificent Patek Philippe Aquanaut Ref. 5167A-001, As New Circa 2022 Full Set drew 17 bids before ending at $65,625. With a black luminous dial with luminous hands, housed in a 40-1/2 mm stainless steel case, it is signed on the dial, case, movement and strap/butterfly closure, and is accompanied by a leather bi-fold containing the Certificate of Origin.

A Rolex Daytona, Ref. 116518 Circa 2017 brought more than twice its pre-auction estimate when it found a new home at $53,750. Housed in 18K yellow gold, it’s signed on its off-white “sand-blasted” textured dial with radial applied Arabic numerals and luminous hands.

Dr. Paul Williamson Pierce III Collection

The auction included a collection of 55 pocket watches from Dr. Pierce, of Vicksburg, Mississippi. Dr. Pierce spent about 40 years adding to this extraordinary trove of timepieces, concentrating on those with complicated movements.

Top pocket watches from his collection included, but were not limited to:

• A Patek Philippe & Co., Rare and Important Minute Repeating Gold Pocket Watch With Chronograph, Perpetual Calendar And Phases Of The Moon, circa 1889: $93,750

• A Patek Philippe, Ref. 801 Gold Ten Dollar Coin Watch, circa 1980s: $40,000

• A Patek Philippe & Co., Rare And Very Fine Minute Repeating Pocket Watch With Perpetual Calendar And Moon Phases, circa 1922: $31,250