On The Up

A star auctioneer on obtaining stunning new prices for incredible old watches.

- Lynette Koh

In the watch auction world, multi-record-setting auctioneer Aurel Bacs is the closest thing to a superstar. But even a bona-fide pro with 20 years of experience gets the pre-game jitters, as he lets on during a phone interview with The Peak – two weeks before Geneva Watch Auction: Five. At the two-day sale that took place in Geneva last month, Bacs would go on to obtain nine record-breaking prices for rare watches such as the Rolex Reference 6062 “Bao Dai” – a timepiece formerly owned by Vietnam’s last emperor, Bao Dai. The watch sold for 5.07 million Swiss francs (S$7.1 million), making it the priciest Rolex wristwatch to be sold at auction. 

Speaking to us from his Geneva office in late April, the Zurich-born auctioneer shares his pre-auction state of mind: “Excitement, anticipation, and a healthy degree of anxiety.” With a note of humour lightening his deep, clipped tones, he continues: “I’m not usually an anxious person; I’m actually quite serene. But, whether you are a tennis player heading to the Wimbledon finals, or a politician before an election, you must have some anxiety. The minute you are not concerned about the outcome, you should probably stop doing it, because you’re either too sure of yourself or not interested anymore.”