Legendary Hollywood actor Sylvester Stallone is selling a collection of eleven luxury watches, believed to be worth at least $6 million, at Sotheby’s New York auction next month. While all the high-end timepieces heading to the auction block are extremely rare and highly desirable, the highlight of the collection is Stallone’s Patek Philippe Reference 6300G-010 Grandmaster Chime. While the action icon has been a long-time collector and a connoisseur of Patek watches, it was publicly unknown that Stallone was among the very few people on this planet to own the Grandmaster Chime. This is the first time a Grandmaster Chime will appear in a commercial auction. Back in 2019, a one-off steel version of the timepiece was sold for a whopping $31 million at the Only Watch charitable auction, setting a new record. Acquired by Sly in 2021 for $2.5 million, the watch has never been worn and is still preserved in its original plastic packaging, further increasing its value.
The genesis of the timepiece can be traced back to the Grandmaster Chime Ref. 5175, which was introduced as a limited-edition timepiece in 2014 to celebrate Patek Philippe’s 175th anniversary. It was added to Patek’s permanent collection two years later with a new reference – 6300. The auction house says it is “widely considered a ‘holy grail’ amongst the watch community.” With no fewer than 20 complications, the Grandmaster Chime is the most complicated timepiece ever to be made by Patek Philippe. The list of complications includes a grande and petite sonnerie, minute repeater, alarm with time strike, date repeater, second time zone with day-night indicator, strikework mode display, strikework isolator display, alarm on-off indicator, crown position indicator and power reserve indicators for the movement and the strikework. The watch is designed with two faces: one focusing on timekeeping and sonnerie, while the other is dedicated to the instantaneous perpetual calendar. The watch’s development, production, and assembly took an astounding 100,000 hours.
Stallone released a video on YouTube in collaboration with Sotheby’s in which he talks about the watches that are going to cross the auction block on June 5. The Hollywood actor claims that he was able to acquire the Grandmaster Chime only after he personally appealed and wrote letters to the Patek board. Calling it a “work of art” on a par with a Monet painting, Stallone says he had “a real sense of accomplishment owning it.” As for why he decided to part ways with his prized passion, Sly says: “I wasn’t going to covet and keep it forever, that’s just not my personality. I tend to enjoy things, and then I like to share them.” According to Sotheby’s, Stallone’s Grandmaster Chime is estimated to sell between $2.5 million and $5 million. However, we won’t be surprised if the final sale price surpasses $8 million.
The watch is accompanied by a presentation box engraved with Stallone’s name and a Grandmaster Chime book with his name on the cover and inside cover. Additionally, there’s also a certificate of origin confirming Stallone as the original purchaser, product literature in a large leather portfolio, a collection book, travel case, cufflinks, USB drive, a sealed setting pin, a hang tag, an Apple iPad with a Patek Philippe leather case, adapter, charger and Apple earpods with a Patek Philippe case.
The Patek Philippe Reference 6300G-010 Grandmaster Chime is the same watch reguarly spotted on Anant Ambani’s wrist, the son of Asia’s richest person, Mukesh Ambani. The billionaire scion wore the watch at the grand opening of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) in Mumbai, India, last year, which was attended by A-listers including Gigi Hadid, Zendaya, Tom Holland, Priyanka Chopra, and Nick Jonas.
Patek Philippe 5711/1300A-001 Nautilus
Nautilus is one of Patek Philippe’s most popular models, and the 2021 stainless steel Nautilus reference 5711/1300A-001 with a sunburst olive-green dial is highly desirable among collectors. It is Patek’s first gem-set stainless steel 5711, featuring a bezel adorned with 32 baguette-cut diamonds. It is estimated to sell between $200,000 and $400,000.
Panerai Reference PAM00382 Luminor Submersible 1950
Worn by Stallone in the movie The Expendables 2, the PAM 382 “Bronzo” by Panerai was launched in 2011 as a limited edition of just 1000 pieces. Featuring a 47mm case and green dial, the timepiece is the first Panerai watch crafted entirely of bronze. It’s estimated to sell between $30,000 – $60,000.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tourbillon 50th Anniversary
Audemars Piguet released the rose gold tourbillon-equipped Royal Oak in 2022 as part of its 50th Anniversary celebrations. It features a clear caseback with a gold rotor engraved “50 Years.” The watch is estimated to sell between $100,000 and $200,000.
