THE BLEU ROYAL: MOST EXPENSIVE JEWEL SOLD AT AUCTION IN 2023 | CHF 39,505,000 | US $44,009,645
Geneva – Christie’s autumn Luxury Week totalled CHF125,367,440 | US$139,901,892 | €130,355,457 and was highlighted by the Bleu Royal which sold for CHF39,505,00 | US$44,009,645 becoming the most expensive jewel sold at auction in 2023. The bidding took 7 minutes, after which the diamond entered another private collection, for the first time after 40 years.
The Magnificent Jewels auction achieved a total of CHF69,888,310 | US$77,703,074 | €72,527,074 and welcomed bidders from 37 countries, selling 93% by lot and 98% by value.
Further highlights of the sale included:
Lot 78 – a rectangular modified brilliant-cut, fancy intense pink diamond of 8.77 carats selling for CHF4,643,000 | US$5,172,429
Lot 52 – a Burmese cushion-shaped ruby of 21.88 carats selling for CHF2,344,00 | US$2,611,280
Lot 71 – a heart brilliant-cut, F colour diamond of 55.75 carat selling for CHF2,313,750 | US$2,577,580
Lot 31 – a heart brilliant-cut, D-colour diamond of 30.02 carats selling for CHF1,557,500
Christie’s Watch Department held two live auctions on 6 November, Passion for Time, a highly important private collection of timepieces as well as the traditional Rare Watches sale which made a combined total of CHF55,476,610 | US$62,041,596 | €57,681,644 with 94% of lots sold across both sales. Eight watches sold over CHF1 million and two watches over CHF5 million. Clients came from across the world with registrants from 51 countries, and 21% of all bidders were new to Christie’s.
Passion for Time achieved CHF37,930,320 | US$42,418,914 | €39,437,940. The 113 lots of the collection of Mohammed Zaman were all sold.
Rare Watches achieved CHF 17,548,810 | US$19,625,499 |€18,246,324 with 90% of lots sold.
Highlights of the sales included:
Lot 2096 – The Grande & Petite Sonnerie No.1 by Philippe Dufour which took two-and-half years to create CHF5,127,000 | US$5,733,718 | €5,330,783
Lot 2052 – The Rolex ref. 1675 GMT Master worn by Marlon Brando in the film Apocalypse Now and customised by Brando by hand-engraving his name on the back of the case, sold for CHF4,582,500 | US$5,124,783 | €4,764,641
Lot 2010 - The George Daniels Anniversary “No. 00” in platinum sold for CHF1,800,000 |US$2,080,108 | €1,933,930. The watch commemorates the 35th anniversary of Daniels’s invention of the co- axial escapement
Lot 101 - The only publicly known diamond Jumbo Nautilus in platinum with a Gay Frères bracelet, reference 3700 with its own individual sub-reference, sold for CHF1,618,000 | US$1,809,471 | €1,682,311
Upcoming Geneva Luxury Online Sales:
- Jewels Online : The Geneva Edit will be open for bidding until 16 November
- Passion of Time Collection, online sale, will be open for bidding until 21 November
- Rare Watches: The Geneva Edit online will take place in December, opening on the 1st and close on 12th of December.
