Patek Philippe: Trossi Leggenda

A wristwatch belonging to an Italian mogul who takes pride in having won Grand Prix races and was president of Ferrari generated a sales of £1.1million against its pre-auction estimate of $1.9 million after selling off his gold Patek Philippe timepiece at Sothey’s Geneva auction house.

Count Carlo Felice Trossi’s priciest possession called the “Trossi Leggenda”, described as “really revolutionary” by experts, was the highlight amidst the other 200 timepieces. Trossi by profession was a racing driver, pilot and speedboat racer whose motor-racing triumphs count the 1947 Italian Grand Prix. Besides this another gold Rolex known as “Oyster Daytona Paul Newman” dating back to 1980 got sold for £76,000 almost two-fold of its pre-auction estimate of £25,000 to £40,000. The watch was christened after the Florida car race and for the American actor who helped promote this style.

Count Carlo Felice Trossi was born in Biella, Italy, April 27, 1908 and died in Milan, May 9, 1949. Trossi was an Italian race car driver and auto constructor. During his career, he raced for two teams, Mercedes-Benz and Alfa Romeo. He won the 1947 Italian Grand Prix and the 1948 Swiss Grand Prix. He died at only 41 years of age (brain tumor).

Trossi backed one of the most unusual Grand Prix cars, the Trossi Monaco of 1934. This car featured a 16 cylinder, two stroke cycle, two row radial, air cooled engine and an aircraft-like body designed by Augusto Monaco. The car was a spectacular failure and never raced in a Grand Prix event.

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Filed under: Luxury, Luxury Alfa Romeo, Luxury Auction, Luxury Jewels, Luxury Watch, luxury watches, Patek Philippe, Patek Philippe Watch, Patek Philippe Watches, Timepiece, Watch, Watches, wristwatches

Vacheron Constantin timepiece owned by Marlon Brando will be auctioned by Antiquorum.

(Zsa Zsa Gabor and Maron Brando)

New York, NY – 24th septembre, 2009 – For more than 250 years, the favorite timepiece of discerning royalty and celebrities alike has been Vacheron Constantin, as an object of stature, superiority, and pure elegance. In 1954, renowned actress Zsa Zsa Gabor chose a Vacheron Constantin timepiece as a special gift for actor Marlon Brando to commemorate the release of “On the Waterfront” for which Brando won an Oscar.

Its case back engraved “To Marlon Love Zsa Zsa June 24, 1954,” the timepiece sold at The Important Collectors’ Wristwatches, Pocket Watches & Clocks auction held by Antiquorum on September 17th in New York for six times its estimated value. The 18K yellow gold wristwatch sold for a final price of $18,000 to an unknown buyer.

Vacheron Constantin timepieces are hand-crafted works of mechanical wizardry that can take months – even years – to realize. With excellence evident in every aspect of these timepieces’ aesthetic design, Vacheron Constantin has distinguished itself as the timepiece of discerning distinction adored by today’s Hollywood royalty. As the world’s oldest watch manufacture, Vacheron Constantin and its timepieces have proven to be among the most sought-after items on the market, both as genuine masterpieces of horology and as value-generating investments.

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Filed under: Antiquorum, Antiquorum Auction, Antiquorum Auction New York, Luxury, Luxury Antiquorum Auction, Luxury Auction, Luxury Watch, luxury watches, Marlon Brando, Marlon Brando Vacheron Constantin, Marlon Brando Watch, Timepiece, Vacheron Constantin, Vacheron Constantin Watches, Watch, Watches, wristwatches