The Henry Graves Supercomplication
Banker commissions some of the most complex watches ever made
Henry Graves was what one might have considered a timepiece enthusiast. His love for watches drove him to seek out some of the most unique and unusual timepieces available at the time.
Born into a banking family, he had spent a great deal of his adult life collecting and commissioning some of the most awe-inspiring luxury watches ever made. Upon his death in 1953, his grandson took over his collection amassing over 40 amazing pieces of his own. In all, the collection is as incredible as one could expect from a dedicated collector:
Source: Sotheby's via Bloomberg
“It’s like finding a dozen Picassos from the finest Picasso collector sitting in a closet,” said John Reardon, Sotheby’s head of watches in New York.
The watches come from the estate of Graves’s grandson Reginald “Pete” Fullerton, Jr., who died last month.
Fullerton inherited his grandfather’s zeal for timepieces, assembling a collection of his own. His 41 Patek Philippe and Breguet wristwatches will be included in the auction as well.
One of Graves’ commissioned watches, his 1933 Patek Philippe “The Henry Graves Supercomplication” fetched $11 million in a 1999 auction.
Of the luxury watches up for sale in this upcoming auction, several more Patek Philippes will go under the gavel with expected estimates anywhere between $40,000 for a Patek Philippe pocketwatch, to a barrel-shaped Patek Philippe expected to fetch upwards of $800,000. One stand out stunner is the Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar watch that many are expecting a tense bidding war on.
Watch lovers around the world are starting to tremble with delight to have a chance at owning any one of the 13 watches being auctioned from the Graves Collection. This is a big day for horology! Get your auction paddle ready…
