Geneva Watch Auctions November 2026 Results: Phillips Passes $100 Million, a Journe Tops the Week
The Geneva watch auctions November 2026 results are in. Phillips reported CHF 92,045,568 (US$112,277,184 at its stated rates) for its two-day sale on November 7 and 8, which it calls the first live watch auction above US$100 million. Christie's reported CHF 47.8 million on November 9, its best watch total, and Sotheby's reportedly passed US$32 million. Every price in this article includes buyer's premium unless stated, and the top lot was an F.P. Journe at CHF 8,680,500. One early claim does not hold up: it was not a record for Journe. Figures come from outlets quoting the houses, as of November 10, 2026.
At a glance
| Detail | Specification |
|---|---|
| Phillips XXIV (Nov 7-8) | CHF 92,045,568 (US$112,277,184); 217 of 217 lots sold; 2,121 registered bidders from 69 countries; 24 world records; 17 lots above CHF 1 million. Phillips says it is the first live watch auction above US$100 million |
| Christie's Rare Watches (Nov 9) | CHF 47.8 million (US$58.7 million), the highest total in its watch department's history; Rapaport reports all 218 lots sold. Oracle of Time gives CHF 47,824,592 |
| Sotheby's Important Watches (Nov 8-9) | More than US$32 million, led by a Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon ref. 5002 at about CHF 2.29 million. REPORTED, one source (Watchpro) |
| Top lot | F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance "Régence", platinum: CHF 8,680,500 (US$10,588,474), Phillips lot 7 |
| Buyer's premium | Phillips results include premium, per Haute Time and Watchilove. Rapaport and Oracle of Time do not state it for Christie's totals. Estimates exclude premium |
Phillips XXIV: the first live watch sale above US$100 million
Phillips, in association with Bacs & Russo, held The Geneva Watch Auction: XXIV at the Hotel President on November 7 and 8. Haute Time, Watchilove, Oracle of Time and Forbes all report the same figures, which match Phillips' own release as they quote it: CHF 92,045,568, or US$112,277,184 at the house's rates, with all 217 lots sold. We could not open Phillips' results page, so the figures are CONFIRMED by several outlets, not read at the source.
Phillips counts 2,121 registered bidders from 69 countries, 24 world records and 17 lots above CHF 1 million. The "first above US$100 million" claim is Phillips' own and the outlets repeat it. Haute Time and Watchilove state that prices include buyer's premium and estimates do not. Our preview said 220 or more lots; sources now say 217 were offered, and we found no explanation (UNCERTAIN).
The lots that sold above CHF 1 million included a Rolex ref. 6062 "Stelline" at CHF 2,334,500 and a Daytona ref. 6241 "John Player Special" at CHF 1,905,000. See our Rolex Daytona history for the family.
The Régence and the Journe record question
The top lot was lot 7, a platinum F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance "Régence", at CHF 8,680,500, about US$10.6 million (US$10,588,474 per Haute Time). Phillips' sale page lists the estimate as "in excess of CHF 1 million"; our preview, working from Phillips' release, gave CHF 1-2 million. It is the fifth consecutive Phillips live auction with a watch above US$10 million, according to Haute Time.
Some early reports called it a record for a Journe. The sources we read do not support that. Phillips' own New York release and several outlets put the Chronomètre à Résonance "Souscription No. 007" at US$13,922,000 in June 2026, a maker record and a record for an independent watchmaker. The Régence is therefore the second-highest Journe result we can find, not the highest. One trade site, The Watchology, said a record was "pending confirmation"; none of the others repeated it. Our Phillips New York XIV report covers June, and our F.P. Journe history covers the maker.
Phillips does claim other records in Geneva, all as the house states them: the steel Patek Philippe ref. 1436 for any split-seconds chronograph, the Cartier Portico Mystery Clock No. 4 for any Cartier timepiece at auction, and the Rolex ref. 3830 "Verga" for a non-Oyster Rolex chronograph.
Christie's and Sotheby's: CHF 47.8 million and over US$32 million
Christie's Rare Watches Including Watches for ELA, on November 9, reached CHF 47.8 million (US$58.7 million), described by Rapaport and Watchpro as the highest total in the department's history. Oracle of Time gives CHF 47,824,592. Rapaport reports a 100% sell-through, with all 218 lots sold; that is one source. None of the pieces we read gives the previous record, or says whether the total includes buyer's premium.
Christie's top lots, rounded as Rapaport gives them: three pink gold F.P. Journe Vagabondage watches at CHF 2.5, 2.2 and 2.0 million, each above its CHF 800,000 high estimate; a Journe tourbillon at CHF 1.7 million; and the Michael Schumacher Ruthenium Tourbillon Souverain and Chronomètre à Résonance at CHF 1.5 million each. Oracle of Time adds that all five Schumacher Journes passed CHF 1 million (REPORTED). Oracle of Time says the ELA charity section raised CHF 501,400 (about US$615,000) from 21 lots, with Zinedine Zidane's Cartier Pasha at CHF 102,400.
Watchpro puts the three houses together at about US$203 million (REPORTED). Sotheby's is thinner: Watchpro, our only source, reports more than US$32 million over November 8 and 9, led by a yellow gold Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon ref. 5002 at CHF 2.29 million. Watchpro's page blocked our reader, so these Sotheby's figures come from search summaries and are REPORTED, not confirmed. We found no sell-through figure. See Patek Philippe grand complications.
Themes: independents, Patek, Rolex and Cartier
Independents carried the Phillips sale. Haute Time says its 13 F.P. Journe watches made CHF 31,807,850, more than a third of the total. Besides the Régence, Watchilove lists a titanium Tokyo Boutique Resonance at CHF 6,146,000, a diamond-set Vagabondage III at CHF 5,057,000 and a pre-production No. 022/99R at CHF 4,936,000. The last is a single-source figure (REPORTED), and Haute Time's top-five list omits it. Philippe Dufour's platinum Simplicity made CHF 1,968,500, and Kari Voutilainen's tantalum Vingt-8 Inversé CHF 1,524,000.
Patek Philippe was strongest on vintage complications: the 1945 steel ref. 1436 made CHF 6,267,000 at Phillips, above its CHF 2-4 million estimate, and a Sky Moon Tourbillon led Sotheby's. Rolex results were solid, not spectacular. The Stelline and John Player Special Daytonas both beat their estimates, and Watchilove reports the first part of the Pucci Papaleo collection at CHF 3,784,600 across 15 watches.
Cartier had the surprise. The 1924 Portico Mystery Clock No. 4, a clock, not a wristwatch, sold for CHF 4,815,000, against an estimate of CHF 1.8-3.2 million on Phillips' sale page. It was not in our preview.
Estimates beaten and the comparison with earlier sales
Against the estimates in our preview, the largest misses were on Journe. The Tokyo Boutique Resonance, estimated at CHF 400,000-800,000, made CHF 6,146,000. The Vagabondage trio at Christie's, each estimated at CHF 400,000-800,000, made CHF 2.0-2.5 million. The Schumacher Tourbillon Souverain and Resonance, estimated at CHF 650,000-1.2 million, made CHF 1.5 million each. The Patek ref. 1436 beat CHF 2-4 million, the Stelline beat CHF 600,000-1.2 million and the Daytona 6241 beat CHF 800,000-1.6 million. Part of every gap is premium: estimates exclude it and results include it.
Phillips' May 2026 Geneva sale made CHF 74,846,995 (US$96,328,083) with 224 of 225 lots sold and 43 world records, per its release as quoted in our preview. November's CHF 92.0 million is about 23% higher in francs, with all lots sold and fewer records (24). Christie's and Sotheby's May totals are not in our preview and we have not verified them, so we make no comparison for those houses beyond Christie's own record claim.
Interpretation: what the weekend suggests about the market
Interpretation. Demand at the top of the market looks strong and concentrated. A few watchmakers, led by Journe, produced a large share of the value, and several lots sold at multiples of their estimates. That pattern is consistent with competitive bidding for scarce pieces, but it does not show that prices are rising across the board. All lots sold at Phillips and reportedly at Christie's, which suggests estimates were set cautiously or buyers were broad, though one weekend cannot separate the two.
Interpretation. The wider pre-owned market looks calmer. Chrono24's index rose only 0.7% in Q3 2026, with Patek up 3.0% and Rolex down 0.2% (see our Chrono24 Q3 2026 report). Auction results for rare lots and index moves for common references measure different things, so a strong Geneva week says little about what a typical Rolex or Patek costs online.
Top lots by house, Geneva, November 2026
| House | Lot | Price (CHF) | US$ as reported | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phillips | F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance "Régence", platinum (lot 7) | 8,680,500 | 10,588,474 | Top lot; estimate in excess of CHF 1m. Not a Journe record |
| Phillips | Patek Philippe ref. 1436, steel (lot 95) | 6,267,000 | 7,644,487 | Split-seconds chronograph record per Phillips; estimate CHF 2-4m |
| Phillips | F.P. Journe Tokyo Boutique Resonance, titanium (lot 161) | 6,146,000 | 7,496,891 | Estimate CHF 400,000-800,000 |
| Phillips | F.P. Journe Vagabondage III, diamond-set (lot 60) | 5,057,000 | 6,168,529 | Haute Time figures |
| Phillips | Cartier Portico Mystery Clock No. 4 (lot 220) | 4,815,000 | 5,873,337 | Cartier auction record per Phillips |
| Christie's | F.P. Journe Vagabondage II and I | about 2.2m and 2.0m | about 2.7m and 2.4m | Rapaport, rounded |
| Christie's | F.P. Journe tourbillon; Schumacher Tourbillon Souverain and Résonance | about 1.7m; 1.5m each | about 2.0m; 1.9m each | Rapaport, rounded |
| Sotheby's | Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon ref. 5002, yellow gold | about 2.29m | about 2.8m | REPORTED, Watchpro; top lot |
Background
Geneva's November week follows Phillips' May 2026 sale, covered in our Geneva auctions preview and our Phillips New York report. The weekend's other brand stories are in F.P. Journe, Patek Philippe and Cartier history, and the secondary-market backdrop is in our Chrono24 Q3 2026 report.Sources: Haute Time (November 10, 2026), Watchilove (November 9), Oracle of Time (November 10), Rapaport (November 10), Forbes and Instituto Português de Relojoaria (November 9) as indexed by search, The Watchology (November 8-9), Rehaut1775 and Phillips' New York June 2026 release as indexed, and Watchpro (November 10) as summarized by search results, retrieved November 10, 2026. Phillips, Christie's and Sotheby's own results pages, Watchpro and Forbes could not be read, so no figure here was checked at a house page. Prices are in CHF as published; US$ conversions are the outlets'. Figures may be revised.
Frequently Asked Questions
What were the Geneva watch auction results in November 2026?
Phillips reported CHF 92,045,568 (US$112.3 million), Christie's CHF 47.8 million (US$58.7 million) and Sotheby's more than US$32 million, per trade reports. Watchpro puts the three-house total at about US$203 million, a single-source figure.
Was the Phillips Geneva sale the first watch auction above US$100 million?
Phillips says it was the first live watch auction above US$100 million, and the trade press repeats that. It is the house's own claim. The total was US$112.3 million at Phillips' stated exchange rates, with all 217 lots sold.
What was the top lot at the Geneva watch auctions in November 2026?
A platinum F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance "Régence" at Phillips, CHF 8,680,500 (about US$10.6 million). It was the highest price of the weekend in all the results we could find.
Was the Journe Régence a record for F.P. Journe?
No. The "Souscription No. 007" Chronomètre à Résonance sold for US$13,922,000 at Phillips New York in June 2026, per Phillips and other outlets. The Régence sold for less, at about US$10.6 million.
Do the Geneva auction results include buyer's premium?
Phillips' results do, and its estimates do not, according to Haute Time and Watchilove. The Christie's and Sotheby's reports we read do not state it for their totals, so check each house's own results page before comparing.
How did Christie's do in Geneva in November 2026?
Christie's reported CHF 47.8 million, the highest total in its watch department's history. Rapaport says all 218 lots sold. Three Vagabondage watches and the Schumacher Journes were among the leaders, each well above estimate.
What was Sotheby's top lot in Geneva in November 2026?
A yellow gold Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon ref. 5002 at about CHF 2.29 million, per Watchpro, which also reported a Sotheby's total above US$32 million. We could not confirm either figure at Sotheby's.
What do the Geneva results say about the watch market?
They show strong demand for rare watches and independent makers. They do not show prices rising across the whole market. Chrono24's index for the pre-owned market rose only 0.7% in the third quarter of 2026.
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