Haute Voiture Meets Haute Horlogerie in Paris, Time on Show at Retromobile
- Oliver Knop
- 3. Feb.
- 9 Min. Lesezeit
Aktualisiert: 4. Feb.
It is rare to be able to repeat nice experiences and so I was a little hesitant to go to Paris last week. A year ago, I went in and out in just a day to join the ‘Time on Show’ at the annual ‘Retromobile’ classic car fair. Back then I got swept away by the abundance of everything small and big boys love alike and was still able to catch up on memories of when I lived and worked in this amazing city.
This time, I did not get beyond the fair but it was still well worth going. Already the train ride wasn’t too boring, with diverse people headed for the Fashion Week that went on simultaneously. On arrival, I witnessed the Parisian way of implementing new processes, as the vending machine spit out a ‘Navigo Easy Pass’ instead of a ticket. Like many co-travelers, the turnstile denied me access to the Metro platform. That was realized by the staff members too, who however did not seem to be concerned with that. Hence, I waited in line with everybody else for 15 minutes, before joining the one by one access while being assured ‘on est vraiment désolé’.
The good mood continued at the venue. The fair was better organized than a year ago as it was split over 3 levels, rather than just one hall which made it a lot easier to navigate. Still, I had to focus myself to not get distracted by the automotive exhibits. My discipline paid, as I spent over 2.5 hours at the booths of just a dozen or so watch dealers.
The watch collection did not need to shy any comparison to the cars. At year end, I spent a lot of time contemplating the developments since the end of the ‘post covid hype’ and I was looking for input at the fair too. The sad and simple conclusion appears to be that a growing number of high-net-worth individuals, grows inflation of everything scarce and desirable too.
It seemed, the best of the best was available in all major categories. It was possible to choose from the most sought after Nautilus models including the unfortunately discontinued 5711 in untouched condition. The model with the moss green dial from the series of the last production year as well as the standard blue one were presented in their original packaging. The new 41 mm 5811 Nautilus in white gold and the Daytona 126518LN in yellow gold and turquoise dial were not missing either. The high end was marked by an F.P. Journe model that displays the time with the fingers of an automated hand. The first produced piece was auctioned for over $ 10 m in New York before Christmas (see my report here).
In the vintage category too, some unheard-of examples came to light. The ‘Paul Newman Rolex’ was the driver behind much of the vintage allure for the past 30 years and there is very little unknown about this chronograph. The golden examples are now the by far most expensive ones and especially those of model 6264. This reference is slightly bigger than model 6239, due to its acrylic bezel. If it has the so-called ‘Lemon Dial’, the black registers are printed white, thus further enhancing the presence of the watch. Few pieces were made at all and only one is known with a ‘Tiffany Dial’. The same is true for a Patek Philippe ‘Jumbo’ Nautilus 3700/1 in gold. It is a very rare and desirable watch in itself. But when it comes with a dial that bears the code of arms of the late Sultan Qabus of Oman, we are talking about the much belabored ‘grail watch’. Only 4 pieces in steel have surfaced so far and the example in Paris is the only one known in gold yet.
Maybe it was the old-school merchant that came out in me, when I asked if such capital-intensive trade would not be uncomfortable at times. The spontaneous and honest sounding response was that the seven-digit pieces would turn the quickest.
Those who follow my publications know that my heart beats for ‘Dress Chronographs’, like the ones you would imagine at a mid-20th century horse race or similar. The choice at Time on Show was outstanding. In the mid-1940’s, the short era of the ‘Rolex Oyster’ Chronographs in Calatrava type cases came to an end as model 3525 and 4048 were replaced by the Rolex ‘Oyster Chronograph’ references 4500 and 4537. One of my favorites at the fair was a well-known example of reference 3525 that leapfrogged its successor model 4500 and was only sold in 1951 for the first time. The whole watch was in an amazing condition and the dial was unique. It featured Rolex Oyster Chronographe in three lines and came with applied crown and hour markers. Applied indices and crowns were still reserved for the golden models in the 1950’s. Seeing them in white gold on an authentic steel watch is not just unique, it gives the watch a touch of understated luxury – what a beauty!
Everything was in great shape and the watch came with its original warranty and further documents to verify its famous provenance. The case back was engraved with the name of the back then affair of actress, singer, model and socialite Libby Holman.
There were also some outstanding Pre Daytonas available at the show. In my report on the 2025 Geneva fall auctions, I described the ‘Prince of Darkness’ or ‘Black Knight’ reference 6238 that was made in three different dial finishes. The first and rarest bears galvanized graphics and a glossy finish, the second generation has galvanized graphics too, but on a matt surface. The third style is pad printed on a matt painted substrate. I was only aware of 3 watches with the glossy ‘gilt’ dial until the fourth one that I found in Paris at the fair. It was in investment grade condition with a case number that matched the dial.
The same holds for a 14-carat gold version of the 6238, that was offered by Tempus of Padua. Golden 6238s are an even rarer sight today than steel examples with black dials. Of the few that were produced, only a handful came with graphics that resemble the preceding model 6234 - without telemeter scale. These super rare versions were the last chronograph dials Stern Frères ever made for Rolex and they were available as an option until the cessation of model 6238 in 1968. The example at the fair was from ca. 1963 and came with an ‘Underline’ on the dial, perfectly matching its case number below 1 m.
Collecting classic watches is, perhaps counter-intuitively quite class-free, as interesting opportunities can start as low as € 1 k. Not so at the Time on Show. But there were a number of nice timepieces to be considered by the ambitious amateur collector. The friendly and knowledgeable Amsterdam dealers Vintage Times Collective offered a selection of civil use chronographs too.
From the late 1940’s, Movado sold watertight chronographs bearing proprietary movements with a crown wheel chronograph module mounted to the back. The watertight cases with screw down lids were delivered by Taubert Frères, successor to the famous Borgel workshop, that developed the first watertight watch cases in the 1920’s. Unfortunately, vintage Movado chronographs are mostly 34 millimeters or smaller in diameter. If they are in a super condition, they are still valuable. There were two collectible examples available, one of which had an absolutely clean ivory grainée dial, that gave the watch a presence that would have easily dwarfed bigger watches.
Breguet is known for military chronographs but not for dress models. Very few were ever made, supposedly not more than 12 in steel and yellow gold each. Personally, I was aware of 3 steel examples and none in gold. At the booth of the vendor, both were available and the asking price for the golden watch was below what was realized for steel examples in the past.
This is just a small sample of the amazingly deep choice of contemporaries, young timers and vintage watches on offer. It was striking to see that custom Rolex watches seem to be in demand too. Jeweled (‘iced’) versions of standard references tend to lose value immediately after production. I was already stunned by the full prices that were paid for ‘Asprey’ adaptations of current models lately. ‘Matt Spirit’ of Torino goes much further by creating completely new designs realized with true Rolex parts. There appears to be demand for that! Watches seem to work alongside cars. Chopard and Richard Mille were also present with their own booths but separate from Time on Show.
As I was done with the watches, I needed to recharge with an espresso and a ‘gaufre’ at Paul’s. The Retromobile car show celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. There were some special exhibitions, including one with the rides of actor and amateur racer Steve McQueen. It was heavy on his dirt bikes, while McQueen was quite successful on four wheels too. In 1970, the excellently visualized movie ‘Le Mans’ was produced, in which the actor drives a Porsche 911 to work and a 917 at work. In reality, McQueen owned a Porsche 908 race car that he drove quite successfully over a number of years. Again, in 1970 he achieved his best result together with full time pilot Steve Revson at the Sebring 12 hrs when they won the below 3 liters displacement class and came in second overall.
To me however, the nicest car of the ‘golden age’ of sportscar racing was a 1967 Ferrari 330 P4. Enzo Ferrari had this model developed to combat the Ford GT’s that had taken the crown of sports car racing from him in 1965. The 450 hp V 12 mid-engine vehicle seems to distill the curvy design of the 1960’s to the essence. The 246 Dino cites these lines too, but it is a 6 cylinder car. Ferrari never produced V-12 mid-engined road cars in this look. The front-engine 365 GT4 Daytona was replaced by the mid-engine 365 BB with a flat-12 in 1973.
It was unfortunate for 'Il Commendatore' to encounter a young Ferdinand Piëch, known for his unwillingness to compromise throughout his life. He had already created the very successful model 908, that was however, limited by its 3 liters max. engine displacement. To compensate, Piëch came up with the Porsche 917 flat-12 monster in 1969. The engine delivered 580 hp, over a hundred more than the 330 P and more too than Ferrari's successor model 512 S. The Ferrari 512 S was unable to effectively compete the Porsches either, with one famous exception. In 1970, when Mario Andretti took over from the works team in the Sebring 12 hrs. to drive their Ferrari 512 S to an overall victory, the same race in which Steve McQueen came in second on his Porsche 908.
There were clearly too many dream rides to mention. The ‘Art Car’ exhibition with a lot of nicely painted historic BMW racers was quite impressive, as were the many beautiful sports cars of all makes from Ferrari to Maserati to Lamborghini to Porsche to Mercedes, etc., etc., each one in showroom condition. On the way out, I passed by a ‚50 Ans de GTI‘ special, that reminded me of my school days, making it a bit easier to leave after a perfect afternoon.
Even those who cannot spend big to satisfy their desire for nice timepieces will enjoy the Time on Show, as the rich dealers too, are passionate about what they do and love to share. The next edition of the Time on Show will be after the summer in Bologna.
