Yes, Ladies’ Timepieces Retain Their Value

It is not unusual to see a group of men’s watches from a private collection sold at auction, but a private collection of ladies’ watches is rare—in fact, men’s watches, particularly with complicated movements, have long outnumbered women’s watches at auction. When they do appear, they are mainly jeweled watches, priced according to their intrinsic value. At Sotheby’s sale of Important Watches on Thursday, a rare private collection of nine limited-edition ladies’ watches, known as Artistic Timepieces from a California Collection, hit the auction block, selling for a total of $195,000. It included five Van Cleef & Arpels pieces, three Jaeger-LeCoultres, and a Rolex, all made within the last 15 years. Rare ladies’ pieces by Patek Philippe, Piaget, Zenith, and Chopard were also highlights of the auction, which totaled $9,059,063.