Overview
- Sotheby’s will offer more than 80 pieces from Robert M. Olmsted’s trove in Important Watches on December 8 and an online Fine Watches sale from November 26 to December 10 at its New York Breuer Building.
- The stars are two previously unknown Patek Philippe pocket watches with independent double movements—commissioned by John Motley Morehead III—including a 1924 split‑seconds minute repeater (estimate $500,000–$1 million) and a 1921 open‑faced minute repeater (estimate $300,000–$500,000) that the house says are the only such pocket watches known by any maker.
- Sotheby’s and outside experts suggest the twin movements may have been intended for sidereal timekeeping or dual‑time display, with both watches featuring crowns that wind the movements in different directions.
- The collection also includes a circa‑1927 silver Patek paperweight clock, the third known example (two reside in the Patek Philippe Museum), estimated at $500,000–$1 million, following Patek’s 25‑piece 2025 reissue priced at $1.25 million each.
- The trove is expected to realize in excess of $4 million and will tour Hong Kong, London, and Geneva before a New York public display from December 5 to 7.