After more than a century of being hidden from public view, one of the most rare and sophisticated Audemars Piguet pocket watches has resurfaced. Featuring a celestial star chart displaying 315 stars, this extraordinary timepiece is expected to fetch up to $1 million at auction.
A Quest That Spanned Over a Century
The journey of this pocket watch began in 1914 when Smith & Sons in London commissioned Audemars Piguet to create it for a South American client. Six years later, the completed watch, named “Grosse Pièce” for its impressive 80mm diameter, was proudly exhibited at the 1920 Geneva Watch Exhibition. After being delivered to Smith & Sons in 1921, the watch disappeared entirely from public view.
Collectors and historians had been searching for it for decades, with archival photographs serving as the only proof of its existence. Renowned watch historian Gisbert L. Brunner mentioned the watch in a 1990 article, and later documented it extensively in his 1993 book Audemars Piguet: Masterpieces of Classical Watchmaking, describing it as “the crowning achievement of the company’s founders.”
The Most Sophisticated Pocket Watch
The Grosse Pièce boasts 18 mechanical complications, including a celestial display mapping 18 constellations over London’s night sky. It remains the only known Audemars Piguet pocket watch to feature such a star chart and also includes a tourbillon, making it a singular achievement in haute horlogerie.
Compared to later icons, it predates Patek Philippe’s Packard Sky Chart (1927) and Henry Graves Jr. Supercomplication (1932) in terms of technical complexity. Only one other Audemars Piguet pocket watch from this period surpasses it: the Universelle, with 19 complications, preserved in the Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet.
A Journey Through Time
In 1970, Robert M. Olmsted acquired the watch, adding it to one of America’s most important private watch collections. It briefly appeared in academic circles but largely remained a mystery.
Today, the watch is the centerpiece of the Olmsted Complications Collection, which spans more than 80 rare timepieces from the golden age of watchmaking. The collection includes notable names like Patek Philippe, Breguet, Dent, Charles Frodsham, and A. Lange & Söhne, featuring highly complicated watches including double movements, minute repeaters, and split-seconds chronographs.
Auction and Historical Significance
The watch will be presented by Sotheby’s at auction on December 8 in New York, with a price estimate of $500,000 to $1 million. Prior to the sale, selected highlights will be displayed in Hong Kong, London, and Geneva, giving enthusiasts a chance to see this masterpiece.
Daryn Schnipper, Sotheby’s Chairman Emeritus of the International Watch Division, remarked that bringing such a rare masterpiece into the public eye “is a rare privilege,” offering collectors an unprecedented glimpse into the genius of traditional watchmaking.
A True Piece of Watchmaking History
The reappearance of the Grosse Pièce after 104 years represents far more than its market value. It is a rare piece of watchmaking history, nearly lost to time, now preserved for the next generation of collectors to admire and cherish.
