Three reasons why Bonham’s was the highlight of SalonQP for us

Against all the odds, we made it back from our little jaunt to Geneva in time to attend SalonQP earlier this month. And the first people we stumbled across upon entering One Marylebone were the good folks at Bonham’s. Their stand was the first one we visited, the one we were still loitering on when security finally threw us out at the end of the night, and the one we came back to most often in between.

Here’s why.

It’s something of an understatement to say that Straight-Six had been fretting somewhat since last month when he spent the kind of money that most people lavish on a new car on just two very old looking timepieces. His vintage Rolex Submariner was the one he was most concerned about. Was the bezel original? Had the luminescent pearl been reapplied? Had the dial been tampered with? Did the hands match the dial? These are the sorts of – very understandable – concerns that plague the amateur who dips his unsuspecting toe into the deep and rather murky waters of vintage Rolex collecting. So, it definitely got SalonQP off to a great start when Paul Maudsley, the head of Bonham’s Watches and Wristwatches Department, inspected it thoroughly then looked up decisively from his magnifying glass to confirm its authenticity and value it at more than Straight-Six had paid for it. The relief was palpable.

The second reason we spent so much time with Bonham’s can be summed up in just two words: Arno Haslinger. We didn’t know Arno before that night, hadn’t even heard his name. And, at first meeting him, there was no hint of the depths of his fanaticism – both watch-related and, as it later turned out, automotive.

Arno was working the Bonham stand. He helpfully showed us the various pieces that they had on display, providing insightful commentary on each. As he concluded his tour of their stand, we lingered on the TAG Heuer display. They were showing a couple of classic models (the original Monaco and other chronographs) and a huge coffee table book on the history of the brand. We asked Arno about the book (Heuer Chronographs, Editions Callwey). He told us that “this guy” had devoted 10 years to researching and collecting one example of every single classic Heuer chronograph model – 114 in total. “This guy” then photographed them and documented them in his book but was putting the watches themselves up for auction.

As Arno began flicking through the pages and talking us through some of the amazing anecdotes behind various models in – rather suspicious and almost excruciating – detail, we couldn’t help asking “how do you accumulate so much knowledge about the watches you auction?” Shyly, he confessed “I wrote the book.” We don’t think he would have mentioned it had we not pushed him.

It turns out he’s selling his collection because, having found and documented every watch, he feels it’s time to move on to something else. “What will you turn your attention to now?” we asked, almost afraid of the answer. “I’m thinking about vintage TransAms” he replied deadpan. We searched his face for some tiny sign that he might be joking. We couldn’t find any. The world needs more eccentric, self-effacing and fanatical people like Arno. It was a pleasure chatting to him.

The third reason we fell for the Bonham’s stand is their 2 December sale. They’re auctioning off some fantastic pieces that belong to the Porsche family and were previewing some of them at SalonQP. All the proceeds are going to charity. The standout in our view was the original Jaeger-LeCoultre Polaris. We simply adore this watch. It has originality and character in spades and is also so obviously the father of every JLC sports model in production today. A true classic.

Tune in next week when we’ll be bringing you our full shopping list for Wednesday’s sale.