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New York--Sotheby’s will be offering men’s accessories and watches in its Dec. 7 auction here, “The Elegant John Traina--A Portrait in Style,” a sale of the late author’s collection.

“He was the ultimate connoisseur of beautiful objects, and the pieces he wore, whether formal or more whimsical in design, are a reminder that the occasion still exists for a man to dress elegantly,” Lisa Hubbard, Sotheby’s chairman of the international jewelry division of North and South America, said.

The auction will offer 92 lots of jeweled dress sets and cufflinks, cigarette cases and other objects, featuring designs by Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Harry Winston, David Webb, Bulgari and others.

An 18-karat gold, sapphire and emerald dress set by Harry Winston, comprised of a pair of cufflinks and three studs and estimated to realize $20,000-$30,000.

A French 18-karat gold and emerald cigarette case, circa 1940 (estimated to realize $25,000-$35,000), and an 18-karat gold and sapphire cigarette case by Van Cleef & Arpels, made in Paris circa 1935 (estimated to realize $20,000-$30,000), will also be offered at the auction.

Traina’s Harry Winston dress set, front, and the Van Cleef & Arpels cigarette case.

Born in San Francisco, Traina was the founder of Pearl Cruises, the first Western cruise line to travel to China. An early collector, he was a fan of Faberge and jewels with storied owners, and penned Extraordinary Jewels and The Faberge Case: From the Private Collection of John Traina to share his fascination.

“Our father’s interest in finding rare pieces went beyond their obvious beauty, as he was inspired equally by the history and legacy behind each of his collections,” Traina’s daughter, Samantha Traina, said.

At one time, Traina’s collection of Faberge cigarette cases was the largest in the world, and he lent several to the 1996 exhibition “Faberge in America” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In addition to the Dec. 7 auction, a selection of pocket watches and wristwatches from Traina’s collection will be featured in Sotheby’s sale of “Important Watches & Clocks” on Dec. 6. Among Traina’s possessions will be a fine and rare rock crystal, platinum, gold and enamel open-faced diamond-set pocket watch (below), circa 1925, estimated to realize $10,000-$15,000.