The Business of Watches [035] Christie's Remi Guillemin On The Fundamental Shifts In The Auction Market Driving Record Prices

This week on The Business of Watches, we take stock at the halfway point of the year for watch auctions. Remi Guillemin, Christie's head of watches for the Americas, Europe and Middle East, gives us his take on what's driving the interest of the top watch collectors these days. It's a pivotal time, with the watch auction market setting record sales results at most of the top auction houses despite global economic challenges and geopolitical tensions and conflicts. 

 The last time the market was this hot was in the post-COVID era of 2021 and 2022. Guillemin believes this time is different, and he tells us why references from F.P. Journe and Cartier, and (surprise!) pocket watches, are driving the market these days and how that's a fundamental shift from the hype watch driven boom post-pandemic. He also shows us some of the watches in his personal collection and reveals the grail he's still chasing. 

Show Notes

0:36 Remi Guillemin (Christie's website - scroll for bio) 
1:00 Auctions: The Five Results That Actually Mattered, From The Spring 2026 Auction Season (Hodinkee) 
3:08 Luxury Watch Sales at Auctions Drop 13% After Post-Covid Surge (SwissInfo/Bloomberg) 
5:17 Revealed: A unique Audemars Piguet monopusher chronograph wristwatch unseen since its manufacture in the 1930s (Christie's) 
5:49 Recent Daniel Roth Auction Results at Christie's 
10:48 F.P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain Reference T 
14:37 Private Sales (Christie's) 
17:23 Tiffany Blue Patek 5711 
18:37 Cartier London Crash  
20:42 Zuckerberg Wears $900,000 Watch To Announce End Of Meta Fact Checks (Bloomberg) 
23:40 The A. Lange & Söhne Little Lange 1 Moon Phase With Gold Flux Dial (Hodinkee) 
29:36 Krayon Anywhere (Hodinkee) 
30:34 Patek Philippe Reference 130 in steel (Hairspring) 
35:15 French Soccer Legend Zinédine Zidane Talks Watches And Why He's Offering His First Cartier To A Special Charity Sale