November’s two-day single-owner auction of vintage watches was laced with some truly incredible results.  Highlighting the bidding action was a surprising 23J Bunn Special.  The auction house had an estimate of $10,000 and numerous bids were quickly placed in the $8,000-$15,000 range.  But it just “had to be had” by a bidder from the Midwest and also by a gentleman who traveled in from Chicago.  Dead silence prevailed in the saleroom as the pocketwatch inched up to its world record price of $27,000.  Few Collectors ever thought they would live to see the day when a “made-in-America” pocketwatch used to regulate Railroad trains would reach such high figures!  Perhaps it is because in years past, most of these coveted pieces were traded privately, never to see the light of day on the open market.  Only future auctions will determine if such unforeseen prices will continue.  In the meantime, however, consignors are ecstatic with the trend, and the specialty auction house of Jones & Horan is immensely gratified with the results.

 

Another standout sale was a Charles Fasoldt pocketwatch whose very existence was previously unknown to watch aficionados.  The Fasoldt, which was the auction house’s pre-sale lead item, the previously unknown serial #237, sold to a phone bidder at $26,000.  Reaching new heights was the remarkable selection of Edward Howard pocketwatches, including a fine and rare Howard Ball, which fetched $21,000 and went to the same bidder as the very fine Fasoldt.

 

Some of the other prices realized include a fine Longines deck watch with wind indicator at $3,200, a Lange & Söhne at $3,000, and a Hamilton 992 Special at $4,600.  Other Howards included a fantastic Edward Howard 23 blue sapphire jewel pocketwatch in its original box, which fetched a fair $10,500 making for a happy buyer.  A fine Remington presentation Howard sold at $8,000, and a massive gold N-size Howard with a huge chain and bull fob went out at $10,000.  Series 11 Howard Keystones were especially good buys at around $400 each.  Watches sold in multiple lots seem to be bringing as much as similar watches sold individually.     

 

A coveted Sam Curtis sold at $5,600, an Illinois 161A went out at $5,000, and a very fine Hamilton M36 stopped at $3,800.  Waltham 5 minute repeaters are still hot with one sent on its way to California at $5,800, but a rare Waltham vibrating hairspring seemed to fall way under the money when it stopped in its tracts at $3,600.  All prices realized along with photos of the lots are posted on the Jones and Horan Auction Team web page.  

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