Elvis’ watch, loved at tender

New York--An Omega Black Dial Constellation Calendar once owned by “The King” nearly doubled its highest estimate at a recent Antiquorum auction. 

A bidder paid $37,500 for the watch, which was owned by Elvis Presley until he gave it to his friend and fellow musician Charlie Hodge, who died in 2006. 

The highest pre-sale estimate for the watch, a rare stainless steel and pink gold-capped chronometer, was $20,000. 

“We are delighted by the result for Elvis Presley’s Omega Constellation Calendar wristwatch,” Antiquorum President and CEO Evan Zimmermann said following the sale. “The outstanding outcome confirms that collectors continue to look for timepieces with exceptional provenance, adding immeasurably to their value and collectability.”

While the Elvis watch left the building, another watch with provenance did not sell. 

Auction organizers estimated a circa 1956 yellow gold Patek Philippe Ref. 1463 with Breguet numerals given by Nelson Rockefeller to this counsel in 1959 would go for $150,000 to $200,000, but the watch went unsold.

The auction, held earlier this month in New York, totaled $4.7 million and sold more than 100 percent by value.

The auction’s top lot was a Patek Philippe Ref. 2499 Second Series with tachometer scale and Arabic indexes. After several minutes of “competitive bidding,” a phone bidder nabbed the watch for $867,750, exceeding its high estimate of $700,000.

Made in 1968, the 18-karat yellow gold watch is “very fine and very rare,” with a round button chronograph, 30-minute register, perpetual calendar and moon phases. 

For complete auction results, visit Antiquorum.com.