Off The Block

We keep you up-to-date on the hottest lots under the hammer.

Omega Speedmaster:

To the Moon and Back

BIDDING COMMENCES ON 19 JULY

THROUGH SOTHEBY’S IN NEW YORK

A carefully curated sale of Speedmasters, entitled Omega Speedmaster: To the Moon and Back, Celebrating 50 Years Since Apollo 11, commemorates the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing. Arguably one of the most iconic sports watches to come to market, the Omega Speedmaster was the leading choice of astronauts for five decades, making it the only designated timepiece fit to wear on the Moon. Two Reference 2915-1s (with a top estimate of US$250,000) – the first Speedmaster model – are guaranteed to be closely watched lots, as is an Alaska III Prototype, which was made for NASA’s Space Shuttle programme in 1978. www.sothebys.com

Jacquet-Droz & Leschot enamel amphora clock

AUCTIONED BY ANTIQUORUM IN GENEVA

SFr1.02 million

The mechanical and aesthetic craftsmanship of this neo-classical style clock, known as L’Oiseau Privé (The Tamed Bird), represents the pinnacle of Swiss watchmaker Pierre Jaquet-Droz’s creativity circa 1795. Shaped in the form of a perfume bottle, it stands just over 20cm high and is crafted entirely in gold, while showcasing an array of decorative arts from engraving to painting, paillonne enamelling and a pearl setting around the enamel dial. Positioned at the rear of the clock is a bird animated by a complex automaton movement, which emerges on demand from a secret compartment to chirp a melody as it moves its beak and body. www.antiquorum.swiss