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Very soon, Phillips, in association with Bacs & Russo, returns to Geneva with the Geneva Watch Auction: XXIII, taking place on May 9 and 10 at the Hôtel Président Wilson. More than 200 timepieces spanning over three centuries of watchmaking will be presented, including the rare Patek Philippe Ref. 2523 “South America” we have already explored. Yet among the headline names and historically important pieces, there is a category with its own quiet, almost hidden appeal: prototypes.
Prototype watches are the original development pieces created before a model enters serial production. In reality, they are almost never intended for sale. They remain within the workshops of their makers, serving as tools for testing, refinement, and technical validation. What makes them so compelling is that they reveal something of the process behind the finished object. They often feature details that never make it into production: experimental solutions, alternative architectures, even aesthetic directions that were ultimately abandoned. In other words, they represent watchmaking in its most raw and unfiltered form.
Four such unique prototype watches will be offered in Geneva this May by Phillips auction house. They are well worth a closer look.
Bernhard Lederer is known for developing one of the most innovative movements of recent years. His Central Impulse Chronometer, awarded at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève in 2021, features two independent gear trains, each equipped with a 10-second constant-force remontoire. In the Inverto version, the architecture is reversed: the movement itself takes center stage in place of the dial, fully exposing its mechanical complexity. This “Prototype 00” is the only functional prototype and the only example cased in stainless steel, created to validate the design before production. With an annual output of around 15 pieces, even standard models are exceptionally rare—making this one all the more remarkable.
Estimate: CHF 60.000–120.000
Theo Auffret is among the most compelling young voices in independent watchmaking today. A winner of the F.P. Journe Young Talent Competition in 2018, he has built a strong identity around classical watchmaking with a contemporary perspective. The Giverny, introduced in 2025, is a 36mm time-only watch powered by an in-house movement inspired by historical chronometer calibres such as the Peseux 260. Its large 13mm balance and 18,000 vibrations per hour clearly reference mid-20th century chronometry. This particular example is one of just five stainless steel prototypes—and the only one fitted with blued indexes, earning it the unofficial nickname “Blue Train.” Notably, a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Bertrand Scheck Foundation, dedicated to preserving watchmaking heritage, as well as SOS Préma, which supports families of premature infants.
Estimate: CHF 60.000–120.000
The most playful—and perhaps most unexpected—watch in the sale comes from Ludovic Ballouard in collaboration with Atelier Blandenier. This unique platinum piece combines haute horlogerie with Métiers d’Art in a dial filled with lobsters and lemons. Its execution includes grand feu enamel, miniature painting, hand engraving, and—remarkably—for the first time, laser-cut enamel. Beneath this artistic composition lies Ballouard’s signature Upside Down display: twelve rotating discs indicate the hours, with the current hour upright while the others remain inverted. Here, the discs are shaped like lobster claws, a detail that perfectly ties into the overall theme.
Estimate: CHF 100.000–200.000
This story takes us slightly further back in time. In 1996, during the revival of Urban Jürgensen under Peter Baumberger and legendary English watchmaker Derek Pratt, this Reference 2 prototype was created. The watch is marked “Proto” on the dial and bears the movement number 000000, clearly indicating its role as a developmental piece prior to production. It is highly likely that the watch was executed entirely by Pratt himself, including the beautifully handcrafted dial. To date, it is believed to be the only yellow gold Reference 2 prototype ever to appear on the market.
Estimate: CHF 40.000–80.000
We now await with great interest to see how these four exceptionally rare expressions of haute horlogerie will perform when they cross the auction block in Geneva.
