Jean-Claude Biver is known for his incredible impact in the watch industry. He made a huge impact on the brand side with his time with Audemars Piguet, Blancpain and Tag Heuer. He also has an incredible collection of important watches that has definitely influenced the collecting world.

It has been annouced that JCB will be selling 4 watches from his personal collection and the Phillips Geneva Watch Auction: XI in May 2020. These watches come from his collection of 120-130 watches. JCB described that he has 15 major references in his collection and these four are part of that smaller major collection.

The first watch was the Patek Philippe reference 96HU World Time produced in 1937. The first world time from Patek was the reference 1415 produced in the year 1939. Before the 1415, the manufacture created the 96HU which was a prototype watch. Only two of these watches were ever made; one is located in the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva, and the other is this watch. The last time it was at auction was in 2011 andw as purchased for CHF411,000 at Christie’s. It is estimated to sell for between CHF300,000- 600,000.

The second watch is a Pink Gold 1518 with a pink gold dial manufactured in 1948. The 1518 is one of the most significant watches in vintage watch collecting. The 1518 was launched in 1941 and there are only 13 known examples with a pink dial. This piece last sold at Christie’s in May 2011 for CHF1,143,000. It is estimated to sell between CHF1,200,000-2,400,000.

The third watch is the successor to the 1518 - the reference 2499 in yellow gold. There were only 349 total watches produced in this reference which had four series, this specific watch being a second series. There are only 20 second series 2499 in yellow gold ever produced, so rare is of course an understatement as well as how incredible its quality is. It is estimated to sell for between CHF1,000,000-2,000,000.

The last watch is the reference 1579 in platinum; 1 of only 3 known examples. This watch has one of the most distinct cases from Patek with claw-like lugs which really give it a presence on the wrist. It is of course extremely rare and this specific watch was the last platinum 1579 produced. It last sold at Christie’s in 2012 for CHF1,539,000 and is estimated to sell for between CHF800,000-1,600,000.

These are incredibly rare and significant watches from Patek Philippe and the provenance of being owned by Jean-Claude will definitely add some anticipation for the auction.

Enjoy!