Eric Clapton is considered to be one of, if not the, greatest celebrity watch collectors of all time. The British singer-songwriter began accumulating rare Rolexes and vintage Patek Philippes well before it was fashionable to do so, demonstrating both impeccable taste and impressive foresight. He slowly began liquidating his collection in the early 2000s, selling off timepieces privately and at auction. Two more of his former grails will go under the gavel at Phillips New York this summer. 

The first is a neo-vintage Patek Philippe Reference 5004 that the auction house says is “most probably unique.” Produced from 1994 to 2010, this reference combines a perpetual calendar complication with a split-seconds chronograph. Patek is, of course, known for such complication pairings, but the Ref. 5004 stands apart from other perpetual calendar chronographs of the era, such as the Ref. 3970, with a button in the crown to activate the rattrapante. Very few were made, due to the complexity of the split-seconds mechanism. 

This piece was part of a series of special-order Pateks commissioned by Slowhand himself. It pairs a white-gold case with a “rose” dial—the first known Ref. 5004 in this configuration to appear publicly, according to Phillips. There are believed to be just 27 white-gold examples, with only a handful of special-order dials known in this metal. The face itself shows all the calendrical complications, plus a leap year indicator, moon phase display, chronograph counters, tachymeter scale, an applied Breguet numeral 12, and dot hour markers. 

The watch is fresh to market and is being offered as a full set with all original accessories. Given it is, quite possibly, one of a kind and tied to one of music’s greats, the piece is expected to fetch between $700,000 and $1.4 million at the upcoming auction. 

The sale also includes a Patek Philippe Nautilus “Jumbo” (Ref. 5711/1A-010) that was sold to Clapton in 2018. This stainless-steel reference was launched in 2010 and discontinued in 2021, making it especially coveted among collectors. This particular example is offered complete and in outstanding condition, according to Phillips. As such, it is expected to hammer down for between $70,000 and $140,000.

The New York Watch Auction: XIV, taking place on June 13 and 14, features an extraordinary assortment of vintage and modern pieces by both big-name maisons and indies. Additional highlights include a one-of-20 F.P. Journe Chronomètre à Résonance “Souscription No. 7,” a Rolex Daytona “Paul Newman” with a “John Player Special” dial, and a Patek Ref. 1518. You can check out the lots here.