During my endless internet searches for pre-owned TAG Heuers, I happened upon the website of Fellows Auctioneers. The pages I landed on weren't live, but I was quite amazed at the guide prices they seemed to be offering and I made a note to go back in the days leading up to the next auction. The 30th of October Watch Auction has approximately 265 lots, which includes 23 TAG Heuers, my top picks of which are shown below (click on the pictures to visit individual lots).
CN1151.BD0347
LOT 234: Is the chronograph version of my WN1151 and a watch that I was trying to find before I eventually took the plunge and bought mine. This is a little frustrating because part of me wants to buy this and sell mine, but the reference numbers on the strap are different - so I'm not sure if I can add links from mine (the bracelet isn't long enough as it is) and I don't really want to get myself in the position of having to buy extra links, especially gold links which are quite expensive. It's very tempting though, not least because this one is 2mm bigger than mine and if it goes for the guide price (£300-500) it seems an absolute bargain.
WAV511C.BA0900
LOT 218: Listed with a guide price of £400-600, this is the small seconds version of the Grand Carrera which comes in the smaller 41mm case and is sized to 17cm. It seems completely bonkers that a watch like this should have a lower guide price than a quartz Formula 1 model, especially when you can always find this one sites like Watchfinder for about £1500. Which makes me somewhat sceptical of the guide prices to be honest, because this one, even if the condition isn't perfect, seems seriously undervalued.
934.208
LOT 233: I got extremely excited for about five seconds when I first saw this, until I realised it was the ladies version.... GUTTED! I really want one of these but 28mm is about 10mm too small for my wrist and worse still my wife doesn't like two-tone so I can't even buy it for her. Such a shame, because to my eyes this is stunning and with a guide price of £120-180 someone might be in line for an absolute bargain.
CW5140.FC8144
LOT 232: With a guide price of £3000-5000 this is the most expensive TAG Heuer offered in the sale, but before you get too excited a quick squint at the condition report reveals that this watch is not currently functioning. The movement appears to be in generally good condition but the watch is described as showing scratches all over and has a scratched and dented crystal, not to mention a large dent in the bottom of the case. Oh and the buckle is scratched and the strap is worn. Hmm, suddenly it doesn't look quite so appealing, does it? Moving on...
CV7A12.BA0795
LOT 220: This is one of two Calibre S Carreras on offer, listed for sale with a guide price of £800-1200. At first glance this looks worthy of further investigation, but again if you look at the condition report you notice that this watch suffers from 'heavy dinting to the lugs' along with 'visible scratches'. The other Calibre S on offer is the more complicated 'Laptimer' version (as found in the SLR) and despite being described in similar terms that one has a lower guide price (£600-800), not sure why that is but the bracelet looks noticeably more grubby in the pictures.
CJF2111.BA0576
LOT 231: My final pick from this auction, is this Calibre 16 Link. The watch is working (always a good start) but does have visible scratches to the case and bezel. Still, with a guide price of £400-600 this looks worth a punt, although I'd still be putting my money into that 2000 Exclusive chrono, if anything.
Before you rush off to bid, a word of caution... I've never used Fellows, indeed I've never bid in a proper auction so I can't really offer much in the way of advice, but... you should definitely think carefully before bidding, study the high definition photos and read the condition report. I wonder how many people think they've picked up a bargain because they didn't read the condition report properly? Also, bear in mind that when you buy from auction houses there is a buyers premium to pay!
I'm not sure if it's possible to watch the auction live or not, I shall certainly visit the website on the day to see and it will be interesting to see how the TAGs perfrom. There are plenty of other watches to bid on, including Roger Dubuis, Maurice Laxcroix, Omega and of course lots and lots of Rolexes!
VIEW - All lots in the 30th October Watch Sale
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