Antiquorum Auctioneers, based in Geneva, Switzerland and founded in 1974, established the modern auction market for watches. [1] Antiquorum is the world’s leading auction house specializing in the field of horology. [2] Antiquorum has played a crucial role in the promotion of old and new creators, taking on the trickle of watch-school graduates (among them, Franck Muller and Roger Dubuis) as restorers.[3] Antiquorum was the first auction house to auction fine watches over the Internet in the 1990s. [4]
Antiquorum has hosted the Only Watch auction for Muscular Dystrophy since its inception.[5]
Antiquorum owns the Internet horology information and discussion site TimeZone. [6]
An impressive 44 of the 62 watches sold publicly by a major auction house for over SFr. 1,000,000 were sold by Antiquorum. In 2002, Antiquorum set the all-time world record for a wristwatch at auction, selling a unique 1939 platinum Patek Philippe World Time Ref. 1415 for US$ 4,026,524 (SFr. 6,603,500) - more than double the previous world record. [7]
In March 2009 Antiquorum auctioned a number of Gandhi's possessions including his Zenith pocket watch and spectacles. [8] This caused controversy and the Indian government tried to cancel the sale. [9]