From 4 to 9 November, Phillips, Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Antiquorum sell watches in Geneva, a few minutes’ walk from one another. Before each sale the lots go on show: at Phillips, Sotheby’s and Christie’s, the preview is open to all. It is the moment to see up close pieces that will disappear into private collections.
On Saturday, the Phillips and Sotheby’s previews, the GPHG exhibition at the MAH and the Watch Fair are all open at once. Start on the Quai Wilson, follow the lake to the Rhône, cross to the Old Town, then finish in Les Acacias.
9:00
Hôtel President Wilson
The Phillips preview opens at 9:00 on Saturday, until 18:00, and you can handle the pieces under staff supervision. In the same hotel, the 34 finalist watches of Vacheron Constantin’s Concours d’Élégance Horlogère, most of them from private collections.
Vacheron Constantin publishes neither hours nor a price for its exhibition. For Phillips “Premium” lots, ID and a recent proof of address are requested.
10:30
Optional
Hôtel d’Angleterre
The Geneva auction house holds a presentation at the Hôtel d’Angleterre, 10:00–18:00 on Saturday, on the way to the Rhône.
What is on show is not yet specified: call +41 22 320 11 77 before you go.
11:15
Mandarin Oriental
Last day of the preview, 10:00–18:00, before Sunday’s sale. Christie’s shows its 218 watches right next door, at the Four Seasons Hôtel des Bergues, during the same hours: among them, five F.P.Journe watches in ruthenium from Michael Schumacher’s collection, numbered 92/99.
Both previews are free, with no appointment.
12:45
Breitling Kitchen
On the Quai des Bergues, between the Mandarin Oriental and the Four Seasons. Open to all, booking required.
14:30
Musée d’art et d’histoire
The timepieces competing at the evening ceremony, together at the Musée d’art et d’histoire until 18:00. On Saturday, guided tours at 12:00, 14:00, 15:00 and 16:00, and Geneva Watchmaking School workshops at 11:00, 13:00, 14:00 and 15:00.
Workshops and guided tours: register at inscription@gphg.org.
16:45
Pavillon Sicli
Buying, selling, swapping and appraisals among enthusiasts, at the Pavillon Sicli, until 20:00. The same ticket opens the Design Fair, in the same building.
Entry CHF 10, free for under-12s.
19:30
Optional
Hôtel d’Angleterre
The Hôtel d’Angleterre bar opens at 19:00, on the Quai du Mont-Blanc. The same evening, the GPHG ceremony takes place at the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices, by invitation.
Walking times estimated from the distance between addresses: an order of magnitude, not directions. Hours checked on 25 October 2026; the houses may still change them.
Previews, sales and events from 4 to 9 November, as listed in the calendar.
An online format spread over two weeks, alongside the Important Watches sale. The shorter physical preview in Geneva is open to all; bidding takes place online, on registration. A good way into the watch market without being there on sale day.
Ahead of the 7 November ceremony, the GPHG shows the 84 timepieces nominated for its 2026 edition at the MAH: 78 watches and 6 mechanical clocks. This is the part open to the public, with no invitation or badge: the only time you can see the competing pieces together, in one place. Around the exhibition: daily guided tours, workshops led by the Geneva Watchmaking School (assembly, bevelling, pivoting), workshops for young visitors, and a talk by Pascal Ravessoud, vice-president of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, on Thursday 5 November at 18:00.
Of the four houses selling watches in Geneva in November, Antiquorum is the most affordable, with a 25% buyer’s premium on the first tier: the way in for a younger audience. Lots are on view from 4 to 8 November at the Ritz-Carlton Hôtel de la Paix, on the Quai du Mont-Blanc, where the sale is also held, on 7 and 8 November from 10:00.
The market leader in high-end watch auctions, under the direction of Aurel Bacs. The preview before the sale, at the Hôtel President Wilson, is open to all, free of charge: you see exceptional pieces without buying, and can handle them under staff supervision. For “Premium” lots, the house asks for an ID and a recent proof of address. The sale itself is followed on registration.
The first concours d’élégance in watchmaking, on the model of the classic-car ones: Vacheron Constantin, at the invitation of Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo, judges watches owned by its own collectors. More than 550 pieces made between 1755 and 1999 were submitted from around the world; the maison’s watchmakers and Heritage department checked their authenticity, 95 went before the jury and 34 remain in contention, across seven categories: Chronographs, Métiers d’Art, Chronomètre Royal, Astronomical Complications, Multiple Complications, Design and Chiming Mechanisms. They are shown to the public at the Hôtel Président Wilson during Phillips’ auction week, in the same hotel: most come from private collections and are rarely seen. Among them, the oldest, a quarter repeater pocket watch from 1822/1823, a one-off 1962 platinum minute repeater (ref. 6448), the 1940 “Don Pancho”, a tonneau minute repeater with retrograde date, a 1940 steel chronograph with calibre 295 (ref. 4072), the 1952 ref. 4695 nicknamed “Horn of Plenty with Ears”, a probably unique 1957 world timer (ref. 6213) and a 1930 pocket watch sold to King Alexander I of Yugoslavia. The fourteen-member jury is co-chaired by Aurel Bacs (Phillips) and Christian Selmoni (Style and Heritage, Vacheron Constantin); it includes Felix Baumgartner (Urwerk), Benjamin Clymer (Hodinkee), Jia Xian Su (SJX), Nicholas Foulkes, Helmut Crott and Auro Montanari. The seven winners are revealed on 10 November, with a possible eighth trophy, “Best in Show”, the jury’s special prize. The prizes are trophies, with no cash value.
Five F.P.Journe watches in ruthenium from Michael Schumacher’s collection, numbered 92/99, on view at the Four Seasons Hôtel des Bergues. Christie’s November Geneva sale has 218 watches; the lots are on view from 5 to 8 November, 10:00–18:00, free and with no appointment.
Franck Muller and New York’s Classic 55 gather collectors at the Delisle boutique to celebrate the Crazy Hours, the scrambled jumping-hours complication that became the maison’s icon. An invitation-only evening, in the middle of auction week.
Sotheby’s flagship autumn sale in Geneva, at the Mandarin Oriental. The preview over the three preceding days is open to all, free of charge: the moment to look at the top lots in advance, with no commitment. The sale is held in the room on 8 and 9 November, from 10:00; bidding requires registration.
Launch party for the new issue of Heist-Out, in the middle of Geneva’s auction week.
During the week of the major sales, the Geneva auction house Piguet holds a presentation at the Hôtel d’Angleterre, on the Quai du Mont-Blanc. The house has not yet said what will be shown: a phone call settles it before you go.
The gathering for enthusiasts and collectors returns to the Pavillon Sicli, right in the middle of the major watch auctions. After the success of the previous edition, it now runs over two days and moves upstairs for the first time. The venue is shared with the Salon du Design, organised by Kissthedesign: 25 dealers in 20th-century furniture, lighting and objects. On site: buying, selling, trading and appraisal of watches. One ticket covers both fairs, and a bar is open throughout.
The awards ceremony that brings the watch industry together in Geneva. The evening itself is by invitation; to see the nominated watches, go to the public exhibitions held around the ceremony.
Seeing a preview requires nothing. Bidding, in the room, by phone or online, requires registering with the house, which checks the identity of every new bidder: start several days before the sale.
Source: Phillips Geneva bid form, March 2026
Source: Sotheby’s Geneva Conditions of Business; Sotheby’s help centre
Source: Christie’s website unreachable on 25 October 2026
Source: Antiquorum website, Geneva auction process
Saint-Gervais
Quai des Bergues, steps from the Mandarin Oriental and the Four Seasons: the Saturday lunch table.
Hours Monday–Saturday 12:00–22:00 Sunday 12:00–18:00
Book By phone · +41 22 566 85 68
See the pageRue du Rhône, for a weekday meal during the previews; closed at the weekend.
Hours Monday–Thursday 11:45–13:15 · 18:45–20:30 Friday lunch only Closed Saturday and Sunday
Book By phone · +41 22 320 49 49
See the pageIn the evening, in the hotel where Piguet exhibits, between the Quai Wilson and the Rhône.
Hours Every day 19:00–2:00 Live music Monday to Saturday until 1:00
Book By phone · +41 22 906 55 37
See the page