Looking for the cheapest Patek Philippe Nautilus on the market? Head to the next auction of Phil Collins’ ex-wife
Nick KenyonHigh-profile break-ups are generally only good news for the paparazzi and divorce lawyers. But auction houses can sometimes become the beneficiary of a celebrity split, too. Russell Crowe good-naturedly named the Sotheby’s Australia auction for some of his belongings “The Art of Divorce” back in 2018, and this year a split between Phil Collins and his ex-wife Orianne has seen a few pieces of horological interest hit the sales block, including one of the cheapest Patek Philippe Nautilus sales we’ve recently seen.
In an auction run by Kodner last week, five watches were listed for sale in the Jewellery & Couture Collection, Ms. Orianne Collins catalogue, including three pieces from Rolex and two from Patek Philippe. The sale reportedly raised a total of $2.2 million with $1.7 million of that coming from Orianne’s jewellery collection.
There were some extremely desirable pieces up for sale including three Daytonas, an Aquanaut 5167A and a Nautilus 5712/1A Date Moon Phase. While the three different Daytona references were already hard-to-get pieces, the Patek Philippe watches were also in increasingly high demand.
This week Patek confirmed that the Nautilus 5711 will be discontinued, sending prices for the watch that retails for $33,000 USD as high as $180,000USD. Consequently, it only makes sense that adjacent references in steel – like an Aquanaut 5167A or a Nautilus 5712/1A Date Moon Phase, for example – will also lift in the secondary market.
The prices realised for Orianne Collins’ Aquanaut 5167A was $36,000 USD and $70,000 USD for the Nautilus 5712/1A Date Moon Phase. Compared against the most affordable prices found on Chrono24, the Aquanaut 5167A was around $8000 USD below, while the Nautilus 5712/1A Date Moon Phase was a whopping $15,000 USD below the cheapest market price. The bottom line: someone definitely got one hell of a deal here. Especially if they were a Genesis fan.