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Auction round-up: October’s precious finds
This month’s lots include a rare Rolex, a treasured diamond ring and some exquisite Indian artworks
Produced in very small quantities during the late 1950s and early 1960s, the rare Rolex Submariner 5513 stainless steel watch featuring the Explorer 3-6-9 dial is a highly sought-after piece among watch collectors. Astonishingly, auction house Gardiner Houlgate near Bath has already sold five of these very special editions in the past two years, and now has a sixth example for sale at its Watch Sale on 25 October. This piece has a cracked case and no bracelet, but comes with a private family provenance, and an estimated sale price of £60,000-100,000.
Not so rare but equally covetable are some of the timepieces on offer at Fellows’ Watch Sale in Birmingham on 31 October, where notable lots such as a men’s Breguet Classique 18ct white gold watch (£5,000-7,000) and a stainless steel Pilots UTC wrist watch by IWC (£1,200-1,800) are available. Earlier in the month, on 12 October, Fellows is holding one of its regular Antique & Modern Jewellery auctions. Highlights include an 18ct gold diamond hinged ‘Love’ bangle (£10,000-15,000) and a 1970s ‘Tiger’s Eye’ necklace (£2,500-3,000), both by Cartier.
(Image credit: Richard Valencia Photography)
You’ll also find some exquisite pieces of jewellery at Salisbury-based Woolley & Wallis on 26 October. The Fine Jewellery auction will include a Burmese spinel and green garnet ring (£10,000-20,000) and an Art Deco triangular-shaped diamond and emerald pendant (£12,000-15,000). One of the most notable lots, however, is an impressive Bulgari diamond cluster ring featuring an 8.15ct central diamond with additional diamonds totalling approximately 4.64cts. The ring, which comes with a guide price of £60,000-100,000, was previously owned by film producer Norman Loudon, owner of Shepperton Studios.
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Fans of Indian art, meanwhile, should head to Roseberys in South London on 23 October for its Islamic & Indian Arts Auction. Included in the sale are 55 lots from the private collection of eminent writer and Oscar and Booker Prize-winner Ruth Prawer Jhabvala CBE and her husband Cyrus Jhabvala, an architect and painter. The collection comprises mainly Indian miniature paintings that reflect the couple’s combined love of storytelling and Indian visual culture, such as the 19th-century ‘A portrait of a courtesan’, Jaipur (£400-£600)
The auction also features a series of lots from Professor Rudolf Gelpke, a Swiss scholar and lover of Persian literature, as well as an untitled lithograph by Indian artist VS Gaitonde (£2,500-3,500) and an untitled composition by acclaimed contemporary artist Laxman Shreshtha (£4,000-6,000). All lots can be viewed at an exclusive preview event at The Clubhouse in St James’s Square on 19 and 20 October.
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