Antiquorum

Antiquorum is an auctioneer of modern and vintage timepieces. Established in Geneva in 1974, Antiquorum was the first auction house to auction fine watches over the Internet in the 1990s.[1]

The company was founded in Geneva in 1974 by Osvaldo Patrizzi and expanded to have branches in ten cities, including New York, London, Moscow, Paris, Milan, Munich, Shanghai, and Tokyo. Patrizzi sold 50% of his equity to ArtistHouse Holdings in 2006[2] and was removed by the board of directors and later filed a number of lawsuits in June 2007.

Antiquorum conducts auctions in Geneva, New York and Hong Kong about ten times a year, preceded by previews in various major cities worldwide.[3]

In 1989 Antiquorum held a "landmark auction" called "Art of Patek Philippe." This auction helped to establish Patek Philippe's reputation as a luxury watch brand and viable investment and solidified the notion that watches can be more than just "timepieces."[4]

Consumer Affairs Battle

In April 2018, Antiquorum entered into a consent decree with the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs. According to the New York Post, (April 23, 2018) following numerous lawsuits, Antiquorum agreed to pay $1.5 million back to customers who had consigned their watches for sale, but had not been paid the proceeds. In addition, Antiquorum agreed to pay a $500 civil fine for operating an auction house without a license.[5]

The New York City office is no longer listed on the Antiquorum website.

Notable Auctions
  • In 2002, Antiquorum set the all-time world record for a wristwatch at auction, selling a unique 1939 platinum Patek Philippe World Time Ref. 1415 for US$4,026,524 (SFr. 6,603,500) - more than double the previous world record.[6]
  • On October 16, 2008, Antiquorum sold a gold Longines wristwatch once owned by Albert Einstein for US$596,000 in New York.[7][8][9]
  • In March 2009, Antiquorum auctioned a number of Mahatma Gandhi's possessions including his Zenith pocket watch and spectacles.[10] This caused controversy and the Indian government tried to cancel the sale.[11]
  • In November 2009 and March 2004, Antiquorum sold the yellow-gold and the white-gold Patek Philippe Calibre 89, respectively, and both watches currently rank among the top 10 most expensive watches ever sold at auction, with final prices over 5 million US dollars (the auction record for Antiquorum).[12][13][14][15]

References
  1. Felix Scholz. "The World's Largest Watch Auction House Is Now On Your iPhone: A Review Of The Antiquorum App". HODINKEE - Wristwatch News, Reviews, & Original Stories. Archived from the original on 18 January 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  2. "Japanese firm is a new partner of Antiquorum watch auction house - JCK". Archived from the original on 2013-01-26. Retrieved 2009-03-06.
  3. "Antiquorum buys TimeZone.com". JCK Magazine. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  4. Alex Doak. "The incredible stories behind 5 of the world's most expensive watches". CNN. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  5. "Watch auction house agrees to pay back customers it stiffed". 23 April 2018.
  6. "Patek World Records at Antiquorum's New York Sale - WatchTime - USA's No.1 Watch Magazine". Watchtime.com. 23 September 2009. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  7. "Albert Einstein's Longines watch fetch... - 16/10/2008 | Longines Media Center". mediacenter.longines.com. Archived from the original on 2020-10-25. Retrieved 2019-01-22.
  8. "Unique and Historically Important Longines, No. 4876616, case No. 66968. Made in 1930, presented to Professor Albert Einstein on February 16th, 1931 in Los Angeles". catalog.antiquorum.swiss. Retrieved 2019-01-22.
  9. "HISTORY | Antiquorum Auctioneers since 1974". Retrieved 2019-01-22.
  10. Naazneen Karmali (9 March 2011). "Vijay Mallya: Memories of Gandhi". Forbes. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  11. "BBC NEWS - South Asia - Gandhi items 'to return to India'". News.bbc.co.uk. 5 March 2009. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  12. "The Yellow Gold Calibre 89 Patek Philippe". catalog.antiquorum.swiss. Archived from the original on 2018-11-24. Retrieved 2018-11-23.
  13. "Hands-On: A Patek Philippe Caliber 89, For Sale At Christie's New York - HODINKEE". HODINKEE. Archived from the original on 2018-11-23. Retrieved 2018-11-23.
  14. "Patek, Philippe, Genève. The white gold "Calibre 89"". catalog.antiquorum.swiss. Archived from the original on 2018-11-24. Retrieved 2018-11-23.
  15. "Patek Philippe Calibre 89 sold for $5 million". JCK. Archived from the original on 2018-11-23. Retrieved 2018-11-23.

http://www.watchprosite.com/?page=wf.forumpost&fi=10&ti=1028318&pi=7312838&pzt=

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