Ratskunk
382
Thank you and here is partial answer with a wrinkle...
I have the German edition of the Thomas Engel autobiography so not knowing German I at first missed the below passage concerning the Christie's Part III sale but luckily I have some scanned pages from the English edition and until the last sentence it seemed Thomas Engel acquired all 20 lots from Part III but the last sentence: "That evening I spent with Cyril [Rosedale] again. We divided the watches between us and so both of us were happy." Did Thomas Engel and Cyril Rosedale split up the 20 lots and if so who got what (as I mentioned earlier we know at least four Breguets from the Part III sale ended up in the TE collection); what about the other 16 Breguets; Who got what Breguets?
I am more-or-less back to my original question regarding the Christie's Part III sale, if only not for that last fateful sentence: We divided the watches between us and so both of us were happy.
From the Thomas Engel autobiography (English edition page 113)...
He was thoroughly excited when I said I needed his help and that I wanted him
to bid for several 'Breguets' on my behalf. I preferred to; remain in the·
background.
We met at Christie's in King Street on the day of the auction. I had spent the
previous night at 'White Lodge' in order to listen to Cyril's advice.
Eddi Mannheimer sat next to me. "I'll knock you with my knee when I want you
to bid; okay?" I said.
''No problem," he replied, and then everything happened just like in a fairytale: I
had already bought the first 10 watches using my 'knee technique' when it came
to a hard battle with one dealer. Every time the other dealer bid higher, Eddi felt
my knee again. In the end, I had bought the entire catalogue.
The auction was reported the next day in the London nines: "Yesterday, a dealer
from Zurich bought the last remaining Breguet watches from the Sir David
Salomons collection. Seldom in the history of auctions · has . a customer
purchased the entire catalogue."
I had been lucky, but the situation had not been at all normal. On that day it had
simply poured and poured with rain. And the market, too, had been ·rather
saturated by the two previous auctions. So in that respect, the prices had· been
relatively modest. But the value of those watches increased ten-fold in the
coming years and that's what I call a good investment, compared to anything a
bank can recommend. Of course, you have to know your facts well beforehand.
I paid Eddi his commission. He was so proud that he was being talked about as
the most important dealer in old watches. That evening I spend with Cyril [Rosedale] again. We divided the watches between us and so both of us were happy.
Help Wanted: Breguet watches owned by Thomas Engel
It may be 20 years since I lasted posted on WatchProSite but I am working on a project and thought maybe people much more expert than myself can assist a novice like me. Please note: I am not a scholar of any stripe so I am treading in unknown waters and ...
Thank you and here is partial answer with a wrinkle...
I have the German edition of the Thomas Engel autobiography so not knowing German I at first missed the below passage concerning the Christie's Part III sale but luckily I have some scanned pages from the English edition and until the last sentence it see...
I mean I'd be surprised if many people have been through a bibliography as extensive as that.
Kudos to you on the work done so far. I wish I knew how to help you progress with the outstanding queries! But I know a couple of people in the UK that I can enquire with. Regards, Baruch
Follow-up to my question # 1...
The original question number 1... 1. Christie's 1964-1965 Sir David Salomons sale: Edgar Mannheimer purchased all 20 lots from Part III of the sale (November 1965). Anecdotes suggest all 20 watches were purchased on the behalf of Thomas Engel (can this be...
