For the summer season and as every year, the famous Artcurial Auction House is located on the French Riviera and more precisely on the most iconic of the rocks – Monte Carlo, within the very chic Hôtel Hermitage.
After meeting with the jewellery department, Icon-Icon-Icon has now met with Maria Sanna-Legrand, an expert in watchmaking, to discover the most beautiful secrets of the French leader in this sector!
A key player in the vintage market for the most emblematic models – from Patek Philippe to Rolex – as well as historic watches or watches of exceptional provenance, each Artcurial object tells a part of the story, the know-how and lifestyle of watchmaking.
From July 17 to 19, the iconic Hôtel Hermitage will host three sales sales of watches presenting the models most sought after by amateurs and collectors of exceptional watches. From jewellery watches to collections pieces, this new Monegasque edition promises to be rich in «strong emotions» notes Marie Sanna-Legrand.
Meeting with Marie Sanna-Legrand:
To begin and recontextualize for our readers, could you quickly introduce yourself and review your background?
I’ve been in the auction business for 30 years already. I have always been fascinated by objects from collections and pieces full of history and expertise.
Modern and contemporary paintings have long been my field of choice, but watchmaking has gained the upper hand almost without my realizing…. I had the chance to meet passionate and exciting people who passed the passion on to me… And I thank them every day, thanks to them I practice today a profession that I am passionate about.
In 2013, I took over the management of the Collection Watchmaking Department at Artcurial, since then I’ve been touring France and Europe in search of the most beautiful items! I have surrounded myself with a team of passionate and our expertise is renowned among the best. We are striving to maintain this requirement and surpass ourselves further.
What does a watch mean to you? Perhaps a history, an art object, a meticulous work, a cultural and social object…
Design, because it is above all an instrument of measurement of time, therefore a technology, a technicality integrated in a form.
What fascinates me above all is how such a miniature object can contain so much expertise.
Object of art because some watches, especially the old pieces have the particularity of combining several disciplines and are very often real works of art. A pocket watch from the end of the 17th century is both the creation of a master watchmaker, a goldsmith and sometimes an enameller. This says a lot about the complexity of these objects and the talent that their design requires.
Lifestyle, because it is an object you live with, that you can wear every day, and that can reveal a lot of your personality and character.
As a specialist, what do you think of the current situation in the watch market, a market that does not seem to be experiencing the crisis?
The market for fine watchmaking and collectible watches is extremely dynamic and dynamic. This is a market that is becoming increasingly attractive to “investors” because during the COVID19 crisis, the watch market was one of the few to remain profitable and maintain a very strong demand… Which has actually grown exponentially since the recovery.
The auction market benefits from this dynamism and we observe results never reached on each sales session. In fact, we recorded exceptional results at the beginning of the year in Monaco, and a record year in 2021.
Generally speaking, which watches are the most sought after today?
Three brands stand out from the crowd: Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguetand Rolex.
Some models are obviously more popular than others and achieve record prices in auction houses like of course the Daytona, the Nautilusor the cult Royal Oak.
For vintage lovers, “full set” watches (accompanied by their original cases and papers) are particularly appreciated, as are “mint” or “New Old Stock” conditions. A collector’s piece is above all a remarkable piece for its state of conservation.
On the side of lovers of fine watchmaking and great complications, independent watchmakers unleash passions. Richard Mille, F.P Journe, or Philippe Dufour are of course the stars of this trend. These three watchmakers, who launched themselves as independent watchmakers 20 or 30 years ago, record auction results that rival historic brands such as Patek Philippe, Rolex, or Audemars Piguet. There are sublime pieces among independents that I think will be among the most sought after pieces tomorrow.
Why is it such a dreamy object and so synonymous with social success?
I don’t know if the watch is always an object of social success… I believe that times have changed, and that today a watch is above all a piece of lifestyle, which says more about you, your way of life and your state of mind.
I think what watches lovers dream about is being able – every morning – to choose to wear the watch that suits their mood of the day.
And to have the freedom to wear a Nautilus on Mondays, an I.watch on Wednesdays and a perpetual calendar with moon phase on Fridays… Your watch often reflects your way of life, your state of mind and thus your personality
Do you consider watches a pleasure purchase or an investment?
The pleasure is essential, you have to buy a watch because we like it, because it is pleasant to wear, because its design or aesthetics we like, I think it is a sine qua none condition.
Today, watchmaking offers real investment opportunities and it is possible to reconcile passion and investment, the real question is “would it be reasonable to deprive ourselves of it”?
Some models have a “safe asset” status and value exponentially. Choosing to focus your collection or acquisitions on watches whose popularity is constantly growing is an interesting approach, because building a solid watchmaking heritage will allow you to reorient or refocus your collection with more possibilities.
I accompany every day collectors or lovers of watches on their sales and acquisition projects, investment should never be the only reason for purchase, but can intervene when you can not decide between two pieces.
You are present internationally but more particularly in Monaco. What does the rock represent for your sector of activity?
Monaco is certainly the most glamorous place to sell jewellery and watchmaking in Europe. The French Riviera and Monaco embody this luxury Eldorado that has always fascinated the whole world. The rock is a magical place, multicultural and international, and that’s what makes it a strategic place.
You can see the importance of women’s watches in your collections, but watchmaking is still a predominantly masculine world, at least in the collective imagination, what is your vision on this subject?
Since the beginning of the 20th century, all watch manufacturers have designed magnificent models for ladies. The 60s and 70s are undoubtedly the most creative and innovative period combining aesthetics and technicality.
These jewellery watches were sometimes considered too eccentric or too “hard to wear”, and were too often left out in favour of less exuberant and “politically correct” jewellery.
I had the ambition to make our customers rediscover this period by offering a new sales format. It was a bold gamble, and with hindsight today I realize that “Le Temps est Féminin” (time is feminine) [editor’s note: one of the three sales sales of watches during the Artcurial Monaco Auction Week] came to make up for a request that had not been taken into account.
Since 2018, “Le Temps est Féminin” has become one of the most eagerly awaited watchmaking events at the auction, and I believe this is proof that watchmaking is no longer exclusively a man’s affair.
Could you go back to the main pieces you present? How do you select them?
Rarity, exclusivity and technicality.
I am constantly looking for new pieces! What fascinates me in my profession is to discover watches that I sometimes did not suspect existed. Discover unique pieces or models made to order, or in ultra-limited series sometimes not exceeding 3, 5 or 10 copies.
Let our customers discover the most original and spectacular watches they have ever seen, I think that’s my main thread.
As I am also amazed by the technicality, I always have a weakness for secret watches, or mechanisms and systems attesting to an overflowing creativity.
Are you more sensitive to an iconic model or to a rather historical model?
Inevitably an iconic model is always sensational, because it is necessarily associated with a personality that marked its time, and the object instantly brings you back to that period and makes you travel through time.
Rarity, exclusivity and technicityA historical piece gives you, I find, a different emotion. There is something more solemn. The object which has a historical origin arouses respect and a certain admiration. It is something special to hold in one’s hands a watch that belonged to a great man or woman who has made history. In 2019, Artcurial auctioned the watch of General de Gaulle, it was a special moment, it is an advantage to transmit an object loaded with history rather than selling a watch.
Why buy a watch in the showroom and not in store? Is its history, its previous potential holder an added value?
Buying a watch at auction is above all a unique buying experience.
Most of the pieces we present for sale are vintage and have been selected for their remarkable state of conservation, their historical origin, or their history.
Each object tells a story, that of an era, a brand or a creator. More than just a watch, it’s often a dream that you give yourself when you buy a special coin at auction, it’s an incomparable experience with a purchase in store.
What is the most iconic piece that you were lucky enough to have selected and what exactly makes a watch iconic?
This is Jackie Kennedy’s watch! It is a model of the Piaget house which bears the reference 9804 and which was declined in several configurations of colors and precious stones.
The former first Lady had chosen the version in yellow gold with jade dial and set with 4 emeralds, we also had the chance to exhibit this model in Paris on the occasion of an event organized in collaboration with Piaget. This historic watch is kept in the collections of the Piaget Museum in Switzerland, it was an incredible opportunity to take this piece out of the museum and present it in France at the Hotel Marcel Dassault.
Artcurial has presented several copies for sale of this iconic Cocktail watch, it is always a piece that arouses a lot of interest.
Is there a watch you would like to have in your hand? If so, which one and why?
Yes, there is one in particular. The first watch that my husband gave me and that I lost/was stolen from me during a burglary. It was a Rolex Datejust gold and 25 mm steel, an extremely common model, and very easy to find today at auction…. But no watch will ever replace this gift and the strong symbolic value attached to it.
Finally, at Icon-Icon, we are interested in products, places, iconic experiences, is there a smell, a memory, a place or even an object that does not leave you or that has marked you in your life and that you would like to share with us?
On my wrist, I like to wear two things: a watch and a few drops of my favorite perfume… because smells have the power to revive so many memories to transport you elsewhere!
Interview by Sébastien Girard, President of Icon-Icon and Saskia Blanc.
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