"Finest" Rolex Collection to be Auctioned in Geneva

Guido Mondani's collection of over three hundred Rolex watches, regarded by many as the finest of its kind in the world, will be auctioned on May 13 by Antiquorum Auctioneers. The sale is the second installment of a two-part auction of Mondani's collection of Rolexes. Event organizers anticipate that the auction, scheduled for the Mandarin Oriental Hotel du Rhone, in Geneva, will be as successful as the first portion of the auction, which took place April 1.
Mondani, who has been collecting Rolexes since 1986, attributes his own perspicacity as a collector to his long-time friend and publishing client Osvaldo Patrizzi, prolific writer on the subject of watch collecting and chairman of Antiquorum.
"I have succeeded in gathering together a Rolex collection of the highest quality," said Mondani. "My interest was always in acquiring watches in perfect condition thanks to the help of experts such as Osvaldo Patrizzi, and of extremely trustworthy dealers, and I also gave great importance to some of the complementary aspects of watches: buckles, straps and original boxes." he added.
Patrizzi even used the Mondani collection as his inspiration for his famous book Collecting Rolex Wristwatches, and the catalogue for the sale will be produced in such a way as to emphasize the link between the Mondani collection of Rolexes and Patrizzi's famous book.
The May 13 auction will comprise 157 lots, numbered 152 through 309, and will feature a wide array of Rolexes representing various price points and decades.

Rare Patek Philippe to be Auctioned in Geneva by Sotheby's

On May 16, Sotheby's of Geneva will auction an important and unique watch made by Patek Philippe for George Thompson in 1914. The minute-repeating pocket watch is estimated to fetch $300,000. Alexander Barter, head of the Geneva Watch Department of Sotheby's, said: "Complicated double-dialed watches by Patek Philippe are exceptionally rare and little more than a handful are known.
The George Thompson watch, which remains in outstanding condition, retains its original wooden, fitted presentation case and certificate, and is offered by the direct descendants of George Thompson, an Anglo-American editor who made his career in the U.S. We are delighted to be offering for sale this historic and important watch, ninety-two years after its original creation."