In 2008, during Sotheby’s Important Watches Auction a very rare Rolex model called the “Albino” Rolex Daytona produced in 1971. This watch was formerly owned by musician Eric Clapton.
Eric Clapton was born in 30th March, 1945. Eric is an English blues-rock guitarist, singer, songwriter and composer, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of the Yardbirds, then Cream and also as a solo performer. He was often considered to be by critics and fans as one of a kind musician, one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Clapton was ranked fourth in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #53 on their list of the Immortals: 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
Even though this wristwatch was supposed to reach a price between $100.000 - $150.000, according to estimations made by watch experts. It was sold for $505.000. Nicknamed “Albino” because of the monochrome silver colour of its back round and subsidiary dial, it wasn’t quite popular between the Daytona models.
On June 4 inNew York, Patrizzi & Co Auctioneers will present "Important Pocket Watches, Vintage and Modern Wristwatches" comprised of some 290 timepieces of outstanding quality, provenance and rarity. The auction follows two highly successful Patrizzi & Co auctions in Europe — the Davide Blei Vintage Rolex Collection, which was held March 22 inMilan and totaled more than $3.7 million with 114 timepieces, and the April 19 auction in Geneva with sales totaling over $6.7 million with 80% of the 263 lots sold.
Patek Philippe (Lot 196) – Estimate: $ 80,000 – $ 100,000
Patrizzi & Co was founded last year by Osvaldo Patrizzi with the purpose of bringing transparency at an auction. He also achieved fully integrating online communications with the traditional auction format and, most importantly for Patrizzi & Co’s clients, eliminated fees and simplified the auction process.
Rolex (Lot 291) Estimate: $ 40,000 - $ 60,000
NO buyer’s commission: This represents the saving to buyers of between 20–25% of the hammer price, which most other major auction houses currently charge.
Five-year guarantee of authenticity: This guarantee eliminates what is often perceived to be the “risk factor” in buying important pieces via the Internet and includes an accurate and very detailed description of the quality of the piece(s) being purchased.
Patek Philippe (Lot 208) – Estimate: $ 100,000 to $ 150,000
A choice of catalogs: Clients have a choice of purchasing a special commemorative catalog or a digitally printed color catalog or downloading their own personalized version of the online catalog onto their personal computer or new generation e-Book.
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