How Auction Houses Pivoted in 2020: Checking in with Sotheby's | Market Wrap

On this week’s edition of Market Wrap, Mike Manjos takes us from innovative and uber-contemporary to charming, vintage, and somewhat quirky. Our episode opens as it does each week, with an array of remarkable pieces that caught Mike’s eye in recent days. First up is the technically and aesthetically stunning Moser X MB&F Endeavour Cylindrical Tourbillon, which features an ice blue fumé dial beneath a massive sapphire dome. This captivating piece is followed by the Zenith Chronomaster Revival A3818 “Cover Girl,” a watch that screams retro style. And last but not least is a 38mm rose gold Chronomètre à Résonance by F.P. Journe, the quintessential Journe timepiece. From there, Manjos launches into the fluctuating and fascinating state of the watch auction industry. In a new segment, The Pulse, he goes straight to the source and calls in Senior VP, Watch Specialist, and Head of Online Sales at Sotheby’s New York: Rich Lopez. Rich shines a light on some of the dynamic changes and major themes witnessed in the auction market in 2020, a year that included over 100 Sotheby’s auctions, weekly online sales, and a broadening demographic of younger collectors. Whereas Rolex and Patek often dominate the top lots at auction, 2020 ushered in a surge of interest in the independents, from F.P. Journe, which was just on fire, to Laurent Ferrier, Philippe Dufour with the Simplicity, and more. In the tried-and-true ‘What We’re Buying’ wrap up, Manjos points to a number of vintage pieces we a