This March Christie’s celebrates its 10th anniversary in Dubai. By establishing and committing to providing a platform to promote nearly 700 Middle Eastern artists to a global audience through the sale of over 2,650 works of art, Christie’s is delighted to have played its part in nurturing this now well-established market.
As part of the 10th anniversary celebrations, Christie’s are introducing a new sale, Elements of Style, which will offer 60 handbags from Chanel to Hermès, as well as a large selection of luxury items including exquisite watches for ladies and men, a fine selection of limited edition fountain pens by Montblanc and vintage trunks and luggage pieces from Louis Vuitton. This is the first sale of its kind to be held in the Middle East.
Christie’s Important Watches Sale
The sixth stand–alone Important Watches sale on 15 March will open the celebrations. The auction will offer 176 lots and combined with the 60 watches in the “Elements of Style” auction on 17 March, represents the largest selection of watches ever offered at auction in the Middle East.
The oldest piece in the sale is by Louis Audemars, made in 1881 for Breguet. It is an extremely fine and rare 18k pink gold hunter case minute, signed Louis Audemars, no. 12,144 and Breguet, no. 3,938. It was sold on 29 December 1885 to Messr Mir & Cottereau in Istanbul. The initials engraved on the front cover of the watch are most likely those of Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamed II’ Caliph of the Faithful (1842 – 1918) (estimated at $25,000 – 35,000).
A new-comer to the Dubai auction offering is lot 39 by Roger Dubuis, an 18 k white gold and diamond-set limited edition skeletonized double tourbillon wristwatch, model no. 05/28, hallmark of Geneva, ref. EX45-01SQ- 20-00/SX000/B, made circa 2009. The watch is set with 48 baguette-cut diamonds weighing a total of approximately 4.30 carats.
One of the highlights of the sale, as well as a cornerstone of any serious Rolex collection, is reference 6265, which is distinguished by its metallic bezel with tachymeter scale, screw down chronograph buttons and caliber 727. Introduced to the market in the early 1970’s, the present chronograph is part of the first Oyster versions of the celebrated Cosmograph model. The watch is the most lavish iteration of the 6265 reference with 18k gold with champagne dial, engine-turned subsidiary registers and gold bracelet.
Christie’s Art Auctions: NOW AND TEN & Contemporary Art Sale
Christie’s will celebrate its 10th anniversary and its 20th sale season at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel in the heart of Dubai. On 16 March the traditional pictures sale will celebrate the best of Middle Eastern art by integrating a 40 lot strong section entitled NOW AND TEN.
This specially curated sale presents stellar examples of works by the leading artists in the Middle East, led by Omar El-Nagdi’s Sarajevo (estimate: US$400,000-600,000). Once part of the prestigious collection of Her Excellency Ambassador Francine Henrich in 1993, this museum-quality masterpiece comes to auction for the first time.
The Modern & Contemporary Art sale and NOW AND TEN comprise a total of 125 works, and expect to realize in the region of US$9 million, the highest pre-sale estimate for the past 10 years. This is indicative of strong developments of the regional art market and the international appreciation of art from the Middle East.
Schedule of Christie’s 10th Anniversary Celebrations in Dubai:
13 March, 11.00 AM Christie’s Press Conference
13-16 March Christie’s preview
13-14 March Christie’s Education Course
15 March, 7.00 PM Christie’s Important Watches Auction
16 March, 7.00 PM Christie’s Dubai: Modern and Contemporary Art
17 March, 7.00 PM Christie’s Element of Style Auction
