Hello fellow( bidder)s,

My selection of interesting watches was very narrow (no Monacos, no manual wind Autavias, no Siffert, no first generation Carreras). So I could dare to place a few absentee bids in advance to play safe. It may sound unprofessional but I expected to catch the room's atmosphere and then possibly increase certain bids. This strategy did work for me.

The on-line auction went well until lot no. 26, the Lemania Carrera, which I caught by my absentee bid. I was ready to hit the bid button for the next increment(s), but then the connection broke.

Fortunately, I was able to re-connect before the other items of interest (for me) appeared. The on-line application continued smoothly. I was successful on one additional item only, the early 1163MH.

I am surprised about the high quota of unsold items at these reasonable estimates. But this has nothing to do with the short connection break down. I saw a few items definitely sold which then got the "unsold" label.

Please keep in mind that on-line bidding is only an additional service which may fail temporarily or permanently. You may compare this with the risk of entering the auction room too late due to a cancelled flight. Sure, the technical difficulties may have bothered bidders on the most attractive items (Siffert, Monacos).

The Bonhams staff in London and on site in Monaco does such a great job. The people are very responsive, even immediately before auction start.

To summarize: this was a small, fine watch auction, though not in the same class as the Haslinger auction.

Cheers,

Mick