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How do Bulgari watches do at auction?
How do Bulgari Watches do at auction?
A telltale indication of a brand's public demand and popularity is how its items perform on the auction front. Auctions can be especially telling for vintage pieces from names with a long standing history such as Bulgari. Vintage jewelry and watches can be highly coveted amongst collectors. Often the preferred way to obtain the best pieces is by auction. Value of the items can vary greatly depending on circa year, public demand, condition and even previous owner - as in the case of one of Christie's recent auctions. Earlier this month, Christie's held a 4 day auction of The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor. The event contained some of the legendary pieces given to Taylor by Richard Burton during their torrid love affair.
I still remember my first "auction" experience. Well, it wasn't quite MY auction experience as it was AT's. As many of you may already know the story, AT purchased his PAM 21 through an Antiquorum auction in New York about 8 years ago. I recall following the bids online with excitement and anticipation. I had known what his last bid was and when the final hammer price was the same amount, I knew that he had won the auction and the now, highly sought after watch, was his. It was an exciting moment to say the least. I can only imagine what it was like in the room during the auction. I understood from then on the appeal of buying things at auction. The deeply satisfying pleasure of shopping is accompanied by the ecstatic euphoria of winning a race. Of course just like any other self indulgent activity, some inner self control needs to be employed. With that said, some real treasures can be scored at the pound of the hammer.
Recently I perused the Christie's website to get an idea of which Bulgari watches were being sold at auction and what they were going for. I was also curious to see how Elizabeth Taylor's famous jewels fared on the market. The results of Taylor's collection left me wide mouthed and speechless – impressive enough that I think I will leave the topic for a later post. As for now, I will share some of my findings, solely related to watches, that I found particularly interesting. There were a lot of Bulgari Bulgari watches and vintage Serpentis. The Bulgari Daniel Roth Endurer seemed like a steal. I'm not sure of the condition of the piece. Also, the white gold Serpenti is the first one I've seen with a square face and the Serpenti from Elizabeth Taylor's Collection is exquisite, not to mention the outrageous price tag. I invite anyone to share his or her auction experiences as well.
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