Eric Clapton and Hiroshi Fujiwara’s personal watches are up for grabs

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Eric Clapton and Hiroshi Fujiwara's personal watches are upwardly for grabs

From prized Patek Philippes to rare Rolexes, this crop of celebrity-owned tickers are worth a spot in any collector'south winder.

Eric Clapton and Hiroshi Fujiwara's personal watches are up for grabs — Legendary guitarist Eric Clapton and streetwear guru Hiroshi Fujiwara are auctioning off part of their lookout collections. (Photos: AFP/Fine art: Chern Ling)

07 October 2022 06:06AM (Updated: 07 Oct 2022 07:17AM)

Eric Clapton and Hiroshi Fujiwara take a lot in common. They're both outrageously famous for being mythical heroes in their fields – Clapton for his godlike guitar skills and Fujiwara for beingness the godfather of streetwear – and they both take excellent gustation in watches. So fantabulous in fact, that a number of those pieces have become highlights at Sotheby'southward Hong Kong'due south upcoming Important Watches Autumn sale on Oct 13.

As a multidisciplinary artist and designer, Fujiwara has collaborated with the biggest names across diverse industries, from Louis Vuitton and Nike to Starbucks and Pokemon. It is fitting and so, that the watches he'due south putting upwards for auction are the event of collaborations, also.

Japanese musician, producer and designer Hiroshi Fujiwara poses upon his arrival to the women's Fall/Winter 2018/2019 drove manner show by Moncler in Milan, on February twenty, 2018. (Photograph: AFP/Miguel Medina)

In that location are two Patek Philippe Ref 5970s – one in white gilt and some other in pink gilded. Both are perpetual calendar chronographs with moonphase, 24 hours and jump year indications and, most importantly, "Tiffany & Co" stamped on the punch. This unusual partnership between the ii brands actually dates back to 1851, when Antoine Norbert de Patek met Charles Lewis Tiffany at the latter's store in New York. One handshake afterward and Patek Philippe watches began to retail at Tiffany & Co boutiques. Information technology is all the same the but American retailer's proper name to appear on the dial of a Patek Philippe scout, making such "Tiffany dials" immensely scarce and sought later.

Patek Philippe Ref 5970 in white gold with perpetual calendar chronograph, moonphase, 24 hours- and spring year indications and "Tiffany & Co" stamped on the dial. (Photo: Sotheby's)

Patek Philippe Ref 5970 in pinkish gold with perpetual calendar chronograph, moonphase, 24 hours- and spring year indications and "Tiffany & Co" stamped on the punch. (Photo: Sotheby's)

The Ref 5970s themselves are rare, as well. Produced in a single series between 2004 and 2011, only 2,800 pieces were ever made across all metals. These ones accept an gauge of US$200,000 (Due south$270,000) to U.s.a.$360,000 each.

Fujiwara has also offered a Tiffany-stamped Rolex GMT-Master Ref 6542. Rolex'southward relationship with Tiffany & Co began in the late 1950s, and the collectibility the jeweller's proper noun adds to watches unsurprisingly applies to Rolex ones as well. But the Tiffany co-branding is just icing on a historically fascinating cake.

Fujiwara has as well offered a Tiffany-stamped Rolex GMT-Primary Ref 6542. (Photograph: Sotheby's)

The Ref 6542 was first developed in 1954 for Pan-Am Airline pilots. Its bi-coloured bezel helped pilots hands distinguish between day and night for dwelling house time. Early on examples – similar the ane Fujiwara has – had bakelite bezels filled with radium for lume. Quickly realising that bakelite was brittle and radium was radioactive, Rolex recalled all its bakelite GMT-Masters and replaced the material with aluminium starting in 1956. This stainless steel model has clearly seen some wear and tear, but its Tiffany & Co logo and bakelite bezel justifies its high estimate of US$103,000 to The states$205,000.

English language singer-songwriter and guitarist Eric Clapton performs on stage during a concert at the Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria, on June 6, 2019. (Photograph: Georg Hochmuth / APA / AFP)

Clapton is no slouch when information technology comes to collecting Rolex watches either. A private collector has offered contemporary classics for the auction, spanning the GMT, Datejust and Daytona, that used to be in the collection of the 18-time Grammy winner.

Among these are a Daytona Ref 116505 in Everose gilded circa 2022 (Usa$26,000 to Us$38,000), a Daytona Ref 116520 in stainless steel circa 2005 (US$13,000 to U.s.$19,000), and a yellow gilded Daytona Ref 16520 circa 1988 that has the curious characteristic of a suspended logo, where the "Cosmograph" proper noun is printed just a fiddling lower compared to the current editions. This piece has an estimate of US$41,000 to US$64,000.

A Rolex Daytona Ref 116505 in Everose gold, circa 2013. (Photograph: Sotheby's)

A Rolex Daytona Ref 116520 in stainless steel, circa 2005. (Photo: Sotheby's)

The collector is as well auctioning iii of Slowhand'south Patek Philippe watches with unusual variations. The Ref 5004 and Ref 3970 are both perpetual agenda separate seconds chronographs (in platinum with a blue dial, and in white gold with a salmon dial respectively) but what makes these eminently collectible are their tachymeter scales and Breguet numeral at 12 o'clock. Rest assured, these curiosities are confirmed on their Certificates of Origin. The Ref 5004 has an judge of Us$640,000 to Us$ane.iii million, while the Ref 3970 has an estimate of United states$330,000 to Usa$640,000.

The Patek Philippe Ref 5004, a perpetual calendar split seconds chronographs in platinum with a blue dial. (Photo: Sotheby's)

Speaking of Breguet numerals, the third Patek Philippe, a Ref 5970, is the only known case in white golden to feature such numbers and paired with a bracelet. This too, is confirmed on its certificate. As expected, the estimate starts at a robust Us$538,000 to US$i million.