Exceptional discoveries: The Olmsted Complications Collection
This December, Sotheby’s will open its new home at New York’s iconic Breuer Building with something truly special… the unveiling of The Olmsted Complications Collection, one of the most important private watch collections ever assembled.
Brought together over six decades by American collector Robert M. Olmsted, this extraordinary group of more than 80 timepieces spans the golden age of watchmaking.
It includes masterpieces from Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet and Breguet – and many have never before been seen publicly.
The highlights
At the heart of the collection are two previously unknown Patek Philippe double-movement pocket watches from 1924. One is a minute repeater with split-seconds chronograph; the other features two independent movements. It’s a technical rarity almost unheard of in watchmaking.
The latter was commissioned by John Motley Morehead III, an American industrialist and keen astronomer. Some believe it was designed to display sidereal time – the celestial time system used by astronomers and NASA astronauts.
Another standout piece is a Patek Philippe paperweight clock from around 1927, estimated at $500,000–$1 million (that’s £375,000 – £751,000).
It’s one of only three known examples, joining those made for the legendary collectors James Ward Packard and Henry Graves Junior, both housed today in the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva. Until now, this example’s existence was completely unknown.
Its appearance couldn’t be more timely. Earlier this year, Patek Philippe reissued its historic paperweight clocks at Watches & Wonders Geneva – all 25 pieces selling out instantly for $1.25 million (around £940,000) each.
A collector ahead of his time
Robert Olmsted began collecting while studying at Princeton in the 1960s, driven by a fascination with how time works. Every Monday evening, he would wind each of his watches by hand… a ritual that reflected not only passion but discipline.
His approach was meticulous. He bought exclusively from the most respected dealers or directly from the brands themselves, meaning many of these watches have never been on the open market.
Among them is a Patek Philippe open-faced keyless watch made for Henry Graves Jr., engraved with his personal motto, “Esse Quam Videri” — “To be, rather than to seem.” This watch won First Prize at the Geneva Astronomical Timing Contest of 1926–27, a mark of true precision and excellence.
Two auctions
With a combined estimate exceeding £3 million, The Olmsted Complications Collection will be sold across two auctions this December… Fine Watches (November 26 to December 10) and Important Watches (December 8). Before that, highlights will tour Hong Kong, London, and Geneva before going on public display in New York.
For collectors, this isn’t just another auction. It’s a rare glimpse into a lifetime of passion and one man’s pursuit of perfection. The collection captures the very essence of watchmaking’s golden era, when craftsmanship, creativity, and precision ruled above all else.
It’s proof that even in an age of technology, the magic of mechanical watchmaking still inspires!
If you’re looking to treat yourself or someone special to a new Patek this Christmas, check out our range of new and preworn watches here.