Lot 31. A. Lange & Söhne, keyless lever clock watch, sold for a record $2 million Sotheby's Sotheby's Geneva Important Watches auction, held May 10 at the Mandarin Oriental, achieved more than $19 million, marking the auction house’s most valuable Geneva watch sale in the past 12 years.The sale drew strong participation from collectors worldwide, with more than 1,500 paddles registered and standing-room-only attendance in the auction room, according to Sotheby’s. More than 10 bidders competed per lot on average—nearly double the participation seen during Sotheby’s Hong Kong watch sale in April. Nearly 52% of lots sold above their high estimates, while 98% sold within estimates.“The energy in the room last night—marked by strong participation and an unmistakable sense of enthusiasm—was a clear reflection of this global engagement,” said Clara Kessi. “That the sale now ranks among the highest results achieved for an Important Watches auction at Sotheby’s Geneva in over a decade is both a testament to the strength of the market and to the quality of the pieces we carefully assembled. Demand remains strong, but increasingly selective, with collectors showing a clear preference for rarity, provenance and exceptional condition across all value levels.”The auction also featured the second installment of Sotheby’s ongoing “Shapes of Cartier” single-owner collection of rare vintage Cartier watches. Every lot in the section sold, with the total exceeding expectations. The third installment of the collection will be offered in New York in June. While the Cartier selection accounted for just over 10% of the sale, Sotheby’s noted that competitive bidding extended across more than 120 lots.Leading the sale was a 1916 A. Lange & Söhne Grande Complication pink gold clock watch (top photo), which sold for more than $2 million after a three-minute bidding battle between a phone bidder and an in-room collector. The result established a world auction record for an A. Lange & Söhne timepiece.MORE FOR YOURolex, Daytona 'Paul Newman', A yellow gold chronograph watch sold for a record $1.4 millionSotheby's The second-highest result went to a Rolex Daytona “Paul Newman” reference 6239 yellow gold chronograph watch, circa 1967, which achieved more than $1.4 million—setting a world record for the reference and nearly doubling its high estimate.Rolex, Daytona "Paul Newman John Player Special" 14k yellow gold chronograph sold for $824,262Sotheby's Another Rolex, a reference 6241 yellow gold manual-winding watch from circa 1969, realized $824,262.F.P.Journe, Chronomètre à Résonance, pink gold dual time zone watch, sold for $791,292Sotheby's Two F.P.Journe watches also performed strongly. A pink gold manual-winding watch from circa 2001 sold for $791,292, while a platinum manual-winding model from circa 2009 achieved $544,013, above estimate.Cartier, Paris, Crash, yellow gold asymmetrical watch, circa 1991, fetched $494,557 Sotheby's A Cartier Crash yellow gold watch, circa 1991, sold for $494,557, exceeding estimates.A. Lange & Söhne, Glashütte, Triple Complication, No. 82003, circa 1928, fetched $428,616Sotheby's Additional highlights included an A. Lange & Söhne gold manual-winding watch from circa 1928, which fetched $428,616, and an Audemars Piguet reference 25636PT platinum automatic watch from circa 1992, which realized the same amount.Patek Philippe, Reference 5013R, circa 2000, sold for $362,675Sotheby's A Patek Philippe reference 5013R pink gold automatic watch from circa 2000 sold for $362,675.Cartier, Paris, Mystère Tortue, Circa 1973, sold for $329,705Sotheby's Rounding out the top 10 lots—and leading the second installment of the “Shapes of Cartier” sale—was a Cartier Mystère Tortue, an extremely rare white gold tonneau-shaped rear-wound wristwatch from circa 1973, which sold for $329,705, well above its high estimate.Other Highlights From “Shapes of Cartier”A Cartier Driver, a rare yellow gold triangular prism-form driver’s rear-wound watch from circa 1945-46, sold for $164,852, more than double its high estimate. A Cartier Paris Éclipse Guillotine, retailed by Cartier London and featuring champlevé enamel and “guillotine” shutters, circa 1930-31, achieved $214,308—more than four times its high estimate. A Cartier London Tank Cintrée yellow gold curved rectangular watch with blue numerals from 1969-70 sold for $197,823, nearly triple its high estimate. A Cartier Paris Parallélogramme asymmetrical yellow gold watch from circa 1937, considered an early precursor to the Tank Asymétrique, realized $156,610, above estimates.