F1 Champion Michael Schumacher is also an avid watch collector. He recently took a decision to let go of some of his highly sought after timepieces at an auction. Since these watches are extremely rare, they were going to fetch a lot of money. But who knew that 8 watches can get Schumacher over AED 16 million (4 million Swiss Francs). Here’s all you need to know about the auction.
Geneva Auction: Bidding on rare pieces
At a Geneva auction, Schumacher’s family gained significant attention from watch collectors and racing enthusiasts from around the world. Since the F1 racer had exquisite pieces in his collection, a lot of people with deep pockets showed interest. Taken away by only the highest bidders, in total all eight watches sold fetched Michael Schumacher a total jaw-dropping sum of AED 16 million (4 million Swiss Francs).
Here are some of the notable pieces sold.
F.P. Journe Vagabondage 1
The star of the show was the custom-made platinum watch gifted to Schumacher by former Ferrari CEO Jean Todt in 2004. The Vagabondage 1 by F.P. Journe features a red watch face with a Ferrari logo on it. The dial even has Schumacher’s racing helmet and a number 7 that honors the F1 driver’s World Championship victories.
Since it is such a special piece, this one fetched the most amount of money. The hammer finally came down at a whopping bid of AED 4.4 million (1.2 million USD). Including the buyer’s commission, the bidder will be shelling out 1.5 million USD to get their hands on the watch.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph with Bespoke Dial
Another standout piece was the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph featuring a bespoke dial. The dial features the iconic Ferrari prancing horse emblem. The timepiece even featured a red helmet. This one in particular was sold for AED 1.67 million ($457,380).
Other Notable Pieces
The aforementioned two watches were the two stand-out pieces at the auction. The Audemars Piguet and the F.P. Journe together fetched over AED 6 million. The rest of the AED 10 million came from the other 6 watches sold at the auction. Out of these, three were Rolex watches, which were sold for slightly over AED 1 million each.
