This December in New York, as part of its flagship Important and Fine Watches auctions – and marking the inaugural sale season at its new home in the iconic Breuer Building – Sotheby’s is proud to present Exceptional Discoveries: The Olmsted Complications Collection, a landmark assemblage of horological masterpieces quietly curated by one of America’s most discerning and meticulous watch collectors. Spanning the golden age of watchmaking from the early 19th to the early 20th century, and showcasing masterworks from the great European centers of horology, this remarkable collection of over 80 long-unseen timepieces offers collectors and connoisseurs a rare opportunity to acquire watches of exceptional historical and technical importance — many of which are appearing on the market for the very first time.

Assembled over the past 60 years, the Robert M. Olmsted collection tells the story of precision and time by way of many of the most important, revolutionary and rare complications and chronometers ever created. A collector of extraordinary rigor and taste, Olmsted began acquiring rare and complex timepieces as a young adult while still a student at Princeton in the early 1960s. By 1971, his collection had grown into one of exceptional caliber, boasting around 75 rare watches known for their mechanical sophistication, and impeccable condition and provenance. The roster of represented watchmakers in the collection features many of the most revered names in the history of international horology, including Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Abraham Louis Breguet, Dent, Charles Frodsham, S. Smith & Sons, Henry Capt, and A. Lange & Söhne, as well as the twentieth century horological legend, Rolex.

Among the most sensational highlights of the collection are two never-before-seen Patek Philippe pocket watches, each crafted with double movements and dual sets of hour and minute hands and seconds hands - a design so rare that no other examples are known to exist. One incorporates a minute repeater, while the other combines a minute repeater with a split-seconds chronograph. Also of note is a large group of English watches by Charles Frodsham and Dent, including several tourbillions, capped by an exceptional 73mm pocket watch – one of only two examples ever produced – and their most complicated watch among its grand complications (est. $300,000–$500,000).

While watches undoubtedly represent the core of the collection, Robert Olmsted’s interest in the history and science of timekeeping also led him to acquire an important group of Dent carriage clocks – one of which is believed to have been made for the Paris exhibition of 1867 (est. $50,000 - 70,000) – and each of which feature the watchmaker’s patented 'staple' balance.

Estimated to achieve in excess of $4 million, Exceptional Discoveries: The Olmsted Complications Collection will be offered across two Sotheby’s sales, Important Watches on December 8 and Fine Watches through November 26 - December 10. Before the auctions, the collection will embark on a global tour with stops in Hong Kong, London and Geneva, before going on public display at the historic Breuer building in New York from 5 - 7 December*.