Owned by Andy Warhol, 14K Howard Pocket Watch with Impeccable Provenance!
14K E. Howard pocket watch, 1.75" in diameter, with an ornate pattern to the back of the watch. The spectacular watch opens to both the front and back.
The inside of the back piece displays the maker, E. Howard Watch Company, the serial number and the 14K mark. With the back open, the inner watch mechanism is on full display. The watch boasts impeccable provenance, combined with a solid chain of custody. Purchased directly from Warhol's estate at the 1988 Andy Warhol Estate Auction held at Sotheby's in New York, the watch has since remained in the hands of one single owner since the auction.
The watch will be accompanied by several important pieces of provenance, a complete original Sotheby's catalog set of the Warhol estate auction and the original Sotheby's hang-tag for the lot.
Warhol had an appreciation for art which translated into his penchant for luxury watches. He was once quoted saying “I don’t wear a Cartier Tank watch to tell the time. In fact, I never wind it. I wear a Tank because it’s the watch to wear.” Warhol himself was an avid collector of watches said to own over 300 pieces, the most beloved of which he kept in a canopy hung over his bed.
His demise left millions of fans around the world in a state of shock – and caused a giant, administrative headache for the people tasked with carrying out the wishes of his will, which were that the vast majority of his hugely valuable estate should be used to establish the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. One element of that involved clearing out his rambling New York townhouse on 66th Street which was found to contain a remarkable number of objects spanning a vast range of collecting disciplines from Impressionist pictures to classical American furniture, from folk art to art deco and from fine jewelry to cookie jars – he had amassed hundreds of the latter, which ultimately sold for almost $250,000. The job of dispersing the collection was left to Sotheby’s, which set aside a remarkable 10 days in the spring of 1988 during which to offer each and every item to the highest bidder. It was the most extensive auction the house had ever staged in New York and it made headlines around the world both before and after – not least when the total raised was announced to have been $25.3 million.
Since the day of Sotheby's Warhol estate auction now over 30 years ago only the smallest handful of items have come back up for sale. The pieces from Warhol's estate were highly prized by their owners and many were donated to institutions. Many people consider this to be the beginning of the celebrity auction craze.
This is a rare opportunity to own an elegant pocket watch once owned by Andy Warhol with superb provenance and would be a great addition to any watch collection. In excellent working order.
Also comes with a Gotta Have Rock and Roll Certificate of Authenticity.
