Thomas Perazzi's watch collection

Thomas Perazzi, head of watches at auction house Phillips Asia, takes us through his favourites from his personal collection as well as next month’s Hong Kong Watch Auction and Japanese-themed Toki sale 

Tissot Chronograph

The Paris 2024 Olympics ended recently, and this timepiece is extremely sentimental to me. It was worn by my grandfather during the Oslo 1952 Olympics, where he won the bronze medal in the four-man bobsleigh category for the Swiss national team. It was offered to me a few years before his death and I will carefully preserve it until I offer it to my son, sharing with him my grandfather’s Olympic achievement. 

Rolex Sea-Dweller

This diver’s timepiece has been on my wrist for the last 24 years. My parents gifted me this when I turned 20 and it has been a reliable companion during several journeys around the world. The Sea-Dweller is a perfect example of the Rolex success: a timeless design, robustness, and with an accurate movement that makes this watch a very enjoyable timekeeper still today. 

De Bethune DB25

My wife gave me this watch as a wedding gift nine years ago. I’m particularly fascinated by the De Bethune watchmaking
art – the simplicity and elegance of the guilloche dial combined with an innovative and futuristic movement with three patents. Not only does it represent one of the most important milestones of my life, but it’s also an unique example of Denis Flageollet’s creativity. In fact, the colour of the power reserve indicator has been changed from the regular red colour to the De Bethune blue to match the dial numerals’ colour. 

Cartier Crash

The Cartier crash is one of my favourites from Phillips’ upcoming Hong Kong Watch Auction in November. From its original iteration in 1967 to the 21st-century reissues, the watch embodies the unconventional and swinging decade of the 1960s with an unmistakably unique look, and the genius craftsmanship of the Cartier atelier. Today, the Cartier Crash has become somewhat of a cultural icon, adorning the wrists of celebrities and artists alike. It represents everything that Cartier is best known for: merging design, form and function, which together transform a timepiece beyond a “watch” and into a piece of art. 

Patek Philippe Ref. 3941J (full set retailed by Beyer)

This watch is another. Reference 3940 and 3941 distinguished themselves mainly through one unique difference: the caseback. Reference 3940 features a solid caseback whereas reference 3941 is fitted with a glazed display back, like the present example. Highly complicated and visually striking, the timepiece is made alive thanks to the ultra-thin automatic perpetual calendar movement calibre 240Q. A triumph of micro-engineering from Patek Philippe, it was one of the smallest and thinnest movements on the market at the time coming with a Geneva seal. 

Patek Philippe Ref. 5066

This fall, Phillips is honoured to host Toki, a thematic auction dedicated to the Japanese watch-collecting world. Introduced in 1997, the Patek Philippe Aquanaut holds the trophy of being the brand’s first wristwatch to feature a rubber strap. This Patek Philippe Ref. 5066 with a blue dial is a rare and highly sought-after variant that was released in very limited quantities exclusively for the Japanese market. 

Also see: Clarence Cheung's watch collection