The Lion Collection: rare timepieces meet the auction block
Sotheby's Geneva presents an eclectic assembly of watches spanning design traditions, from jewelled Rolex sports models to a limited Daniel Roth in solid gold, ahead of November sales.
AI-assisted voice playback. Starts only when you choose Play.
Sotheby’s Geneva presents the Lion Collection at auction on 8 and 9 November, a gathering of watches assembled by a collector drawn to the unconventional and the meticulously made. The selection ranges across periods and watchmaking traditions, each piece chosen for distinctive design, exceptional craftsmanship and the small details that signal connoisseurship.
Among the highlights is a Rolex GMT Master II set with diamonds and sapphires in 18-karat white gold, its bezel gleaming with paired stones. A platinum Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso shows its skeletonised and hand engraved movement through the case back, revealing the geometry of its mechanism. A Rolex Yacht Master in 18-karat yellow gold arrives diamond set, the precious metal warmed by the luminous stones at its rim and lugs.
The collection’s most singular piece may be the Daniel Roth Extra Plat Souscription, numbered 18 of only 20 examples made. Its dial is solid gold, worked by hand with Clous de Paris guilloché, that rippling pattern of tiny dots that catches light and moves across the surface like water. The Extra Plat remains one of watchmaking’s most elegant proportions: a case of minimal thickness, the movement visible through both sides of the case, nothing wasted.
Collectors may view the works in person at the Mandarin Oriental, Geneva, from 5 to 7 November, before bidding opens online and at the saleroom.
Imagery courtesy of Sotheby's (@sothebyswatches).
