Eric Clapton's watch sells for 2.3m

Eric Clapton's Patek Philippe watch has sold at auction for £2.3 million and was bought by an Asian private collector.

16 November 2012
Eric Clapton's watch has sold at auction for £2.3 million.

The 'Wonderful Tonight' singer acquired the timepiece, made by Swiss luxury watchmaker Patek Philippe, 10 years ago and yesterday (13.11.12) an Asian collector bought it for the expensive sum at London auction house Christie's.

Christie's spokesman Cristiano de Lorenzo said: "The Eric Clapton watch was bought by an Asian private collector."

He added that the buyer had been in the room.

Eric's Patek Philippe, made in Geneva in 1987, has a perpetual calendar with moon phases, as well as windows The lot was part of Christie's semi-annual Geneva sale and the top lot at the seven-hour auction was another platinum chronograph by Patek Phlippe, made in 1952 for legendary American collector JB Champion.

It fetched £2.5 million and set a new world record for a watch without complications, or features beyond the display of hours, minutes and seconds, which was bought by investment watch fund Precious Time.

Last year, Eric sold more than 70 of his guitars at charity auction, raising £1.35 million for his Crossroads drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre in Antigua.

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