When it comes to some of the highest prices ever paid for wristwatches, provenance is almost always a factor in their final price. This week, a simple Swatch became the most expensive of its kind ever sold at auction, a remarkable result that was thanks to the timepiece’s important provenance as the previous property of his holiness Pope Francis.
Sold by Rago Auctions, the watch was donated by Pope Francis as a gift to the fundraising efforts of the Brian LaViolette Scholarship Foundation, which held a 49-lot sale titled the “Once Upon a Time Watch Project”. Among the other lots that were donated, including a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Mosaic Shantung Ref. 1002 donated by American watch dealer Eric Wind, a Michele watch that was gifted by former US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, with other timepieces donated by NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw and actor Randall Park.
The Swatch belonging to Pope Francis was sold with its accompanying box and papers, as well as a framed letter of provenance from both The Vatican and The Green Bay Diocese. The specific 34mm Swatch was the classic model SUOB705, with a clean white dial that contrasts nicely against its black plastic case and strap.
RELATED: Punters Spent $20 Million On Pre-Owned Swatch x Omega MoonSwatches This Year
The Swatch eventually hammered for an impressive US$56,250 (AU$82,769), which according to the Guinness World Records is now the most expensive Swatch ever sold, eclipsing the previous record of US$45,000 (AU$66,215) which was set by a limited edition collaboration watch with French artist Christian Chapiron from 1984. While the watch market at large has softened significantly over the last six months or so, auctioned watches of historically significant provenance have remained extremely desirable among collectors.
In total, the sale achieved US$335,507 (AU$493,681), of which US$144,418 (AU$212,503) will benefit the Brian LaViolette Scholarship Foundation. The foundation was established by the LaViolette family to offer financial support to high school-aged children and was created to honour the memory of their son Brian who passed away at the age of 15.
