Paul Newman had his Rolex Daytona, John Lennon had his Patek Philippe 2499 and Marlon Brando sported his Rolex GMT – a heady combination of style, glamour, fame and skills. Who wouldn't be mesmerised?
Luxury timepieces are miniature works of art showcasing precision craftsmanship. Some collectors are drawn by the intricate and elaborate mechanisms, whilst others are passionate about a particular brand, complications, materials, history, age or aesthetic detail. Many collections begin with a theme such as the military or diving, while others start with an era. Whether you are captivated by Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet and Vacheron Constantin, or the newer designers such as California-based Cameron Weiss or Moscow-based Konstantin Chaykin, they all share a love of horology.
Established in 1991 ILS World is headquartered in the Isle of Man and is proud of its time keeping connections. Dr George Daniels, considered by some to be the most eminent horologist in the world, built complete watches by hand from his Island studio. His yellow gold Space Traveller's Watch I, commemorating the first moon landing fetched $4.6 million in 2019. Dr Daniel's protégée Roger Smith is a luxury watchmaker also based on the Isle of Man who creates 10 watches a year with every single mechanical component meticulously handcrafted. One of the world's most successful inventors, the philanthropist Dr John C Taylor OBE, admits he has a great passion for horology and has curated a world heritage quality early English clock collection on the Island.
The collectible watch market sold through auctions has grown tenfold over the past two decades and is dominated by Sotheby's, Christie's and Phillips, representing approximately US$350 million in sales per year. In the first half of 2020 Sotheby's achieved US$44 million in global auction sales and demand is such that in April 2020 Sotheby's Watch Division launched a new sales initiative called "Watches Weekly," a rolling calendar of online sales with a new selection of watches being unveiled every seven days.
Why Choose ILS World
The ILS World private client team supports many passionate collectors and as such has become experienced in partnering and working with external accredited experts and acknowledged industry professionals to ensure we provide our clients with the best advice. We appreciate watches need to be physically protected and through our network of global contacts we liaise with specialist valuers, insurers and storage advisers.
As a leading provider of independent fiduciary services to professional advisors, corporate groups, private and digital clients, we are here to help achieve your financial goals.
At ILS World, we don’t restrict ourselves, we like to go beyond the borders. That is why we operate globally. You will find our offices in Isle of Man, British Virgin Islands, Hong Kong, and Portugal.
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