AuctionsPharrell Williams' JOOPITER Hosts Its First Dedicated Watch Auction — The Art Of Time

Entitled "The Art of Time: Rare and Coveted Watches", the platform's first watch sale is a 27-lot curation that hits where collectors are today and where they could go in the coming years. Call it trendy if you'd like. In contrast to a typical auction catalog, full of complicated vintage Patek and classic Rolex sport models, as well as a few independent pieces, JOOPITER's sale features many of the same makers as Phillips, Christie's, or Sotheby's, but with unexpected references and variants throughout.

It's less about market darlings or safe bets; there are no Paul Newman Daytonas or 5711s here. Instead, The Art of Time is highlighted by pieces that ask more poignant questions: What does rarity look like in a modern context? How much does form matter over function? And what happens when you collect watches the same way you collect contemporary art or furniture?

Many of the pieces track closely with the kind of watches Pharrell has owned or championed in the past. As I noted in a profile of Pharrell's collection a few years back, he was wearing skeletonized Royal Oak QPs and Concept models in the early 2000s, references that only recently gained traction among a wider pool of enthusiasts. His taste has always leaned more toward the experimental than the expected.

The Art of Time: Rare and Coveted Watches runs through Tuesday, July 29th, on joopiter.com. Keep scrolling for a few highlights from the catalogue.

A custom-order Cartier produced via the NSO program in yellow gold with a non-standard blue dial and Breguet numerals — a tasteful yet notable deviation from standard Cintrée production.

The first Concept model to feature a chronograph, tourbillon, and automatic winding.

A rose gold Grand Complication with a baguette diamond-set bezel representing the night sky as seen from Geneva.

Produced in 1931 — one year before the launch of the more commonly known ref. 96 — and one of only two known examples. At 29mm with hooded lugs, it's a slim and unusual early Calatrava that speaks to early wristwatch experimentation by Patek.

Just as uncommon as Cartier's Maxi Oval from the same period, Bueche-Girod's version is a great value proposition.

Believed to be the only known example in this configuration: platinum case, baguette diamond bezel, and lapis dial.

An early 1980s collaboration between Piaget and Cartier, this example is inlaid with coral and onyx and fitted with a matching coral dial. This is the only known example.

Minimalist and rectangular, with a black onyx dial, the ref. 3733/1 is emblematic of Patek's design-driven agenda of the 1970s.

At 30mm this baby Offshore features a saturated orange dial and is a perfect reflection of a late-90s, early noughties aesthetic.

Franck is quietly gaining momentum again, and these three pieces, especially the Crazy Hours Tourbillon, represent everything I love about the enfant terrible of watchmaking. Unapologetically loud and borderline gaudy — what can I say? Nobody's perfect.

Click here for the full catalog.