It is a gold watch from the famous Mido manufacture. A Swiss watch, of course.
Saturday, during an auction at the castle of Lasserre near Toulouse, it was sold for 272,800 euros.
A record for this model. But this watch is special: it was worn by Ettore Bugatti, founder of the legendary automobile brand.
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“When there is a provenance of a celebrity, the price is increased tenfold”
Shaped like a horseshoe, like the famous grille of Bugatti luxury and competition cars, the “boss’s” watch was initially estimated at between 80,000 and 120,000 euros.
She ultimately sold much more than that. “Today, when there is a provenance of a celebrity, the price is increased tenfold”, explains the expert watchmaker Alexandre Léger, associated with the sale.
For its pilots and mechanics
The history of this gold watch dates back to the late 1920s, the heyday of motor racing.
Anxious to thank his pilots and his mechanics, Ettore Bugatti will at this time order from the Swiss watch manufacturer Mido a few dozen gold watches with a leather strap.
After his death in 1947, his son Michel inherited the most prestigious of these watches: the one his father wore himself. In 1967, he replaced the leather strap with another in braided yellow and white gold, known as “Milanese mesh”.
Photo session at the Cité de l’Automobile in Mulhouse
The sale caught the eyes of buyers around the world. And in particular the Bugatti brand … and the watchmaker Mido.
“The worldwide influence of this sale” is notably due to a “unique” photo shoot at the Cité de l’Automobile in Mulhouse, where Ettore Bugatti’s watch and his personal car, “the most expensive in the world”, were brought together. , emphasizes Alexandre Léger.
Ultimately, the watch will remain in Europe, without anyone knowing more.
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