This week on The Business of Watches, we take stock at the halfway point of the year for watch auctions. Remi Guillemin, Christie’s head of watches for the Americas, Europe and Middle East, gives us his take on what’s driving the interest of the top watch collectors these days. It’s a pivotal time, with the watch auction market setting record sales results at most of the top auction houses despite global economic challenges and geopolitical tensions and conflicts.
Remi Guillemin at the rostrum in Geneva.
Photo courtesy Christie’s
The last time the market was this hot was in the post-COVID era of 2021 and 2022. Guillemin believes this time is different, and he tells us why references from F.P. Journe and Cartier, and (surprise!) pocket watches, are driving the market these days and how that’s a fundamental shift from the hype watch driven boom post-pandemic. He also shows us some of the watches in his personal collection and reveals the grail he’s still chasing.
There’s plenty of watch business and strategy to discuss, and we hope you enjoy the conversation. Be sure to leave any thoughts or questions in the comments section, and we’ll do our best to respond. Want to subscribe so you never miss an episode? This show is being published to the original Hodinkee Podcasts feed, so you can subscribe wherever you find your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or TuneIn.
Show Notes
0:36 Remi Guillemin (Christie’s website – scroll for bio)
1:00 Auctions: The Five Results That Actually Mattered, From The Spring 2026 Auction Season (Hodinkee)
3:08 Luxury Watch Sales at Auctions Drop 13% After Post-Covid Surge (SwissInfo/Bloomberg)
5:17 Revealed: A unique Audemars Piguet monopusher chronograph wristwatch unseen since its manufacture in the 1930s (Christie’s)
5:49 Recent Daniel Roth Auction Results at Christie’s
10:48 F.P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain Reference T
14:37 Private Sales (Christie’s)
17:23 Tiffany Blue Patek 5711
18:37 Cartier London Crash
20:42 Zuckerberg Wears $900,000 Watch To Announce End Of Meta Fact Checks (Bloomberg)
23:40 The A. Lange & Söhne Little Lange 1 Moon Phase With Gold Flux Dial (Hodinkee)
29:36 Krayon Anywhere (Hodinkee)
30:34 Patek Philippe Refence 130 in steel (Hairspring)
35:15 French Soccer Legend Zinédine Zidane Talks Watches And Why He’s Offering His First Cartier To A Special Charity Sale
