American actor and filmmaker Sylvester Stallone sold 11 watches in a New York auction at Sotheby’s on Wednesday, including an ultra-rare Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime that sold for $5.4 million.
The price was about double the expected result.
The Rocky star told PA it was “bittersweet” to sell 11 of his watches but “they serve as a reminder that hard work pays off”.
Stallone's collection, which spans more than 20 years, includes a Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 PAM00382 – a model that was also worn by Dolph Lundgren, Jason Statham, Terry Crews and Randy Couture in The Expendables 2. It sold for $96,000.
His Grandmaster Chime was sold in its single sealed casing with a presentation box engraved with Stallone's name and a certificate of origin confirming him as the original purchaser. The action star has never worn it.
Wednesday's sale was the first time a Grandmaster Chime had been put up for commercial auction.
“In a buzzing saleroom with more than 100 attendees, the hammer fell on the Grandmaster Chime following a back-and-forth bidding battle that lasted four minutes between a total of five bidders, with the watch going to a private Asian collector,” Sotheby's said in a press release.
Unveiled in 2014, the watch was designed to be Patek Philippe's most intricate and complicated wristwatch and comprises 20 complications, including five chiming modes, a reversible case, two independent dials and six patented innovations.
“It's particularly thrilling to bring the astonishing Patek Grandmaster Chime, one of the most complicated wristwatches in the world, to the rostrum at Sotheby's,” Geoff Hess, Sotheby's head of watches in the Americas, said before the auction.
Two highly coveted Nautilus models were also in the sale, including a 2021 stainless steel timepiece with a green sunburst dial and diamonds on the bezel, which sold for $492,000, higher than the estimated price.
The Panerai Luminor Submersible, called “Bronzo”, sold for tens of thousands over estimates. It was accompanied by a signed movie poster of The Expendables 2.
It was numbered 000, “so it’s likely the first one Panerai ever made”, Stallone said.
“I put this thing through its paces – underwater, above water, in the sand, fight scenes – you name it.
“It was my companion throughout that film and longer than that. I’ve derived so much pleasure from this watch.
“And now, why not have someone else enjoy it as much as I did?”
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
Men’s singles
Group A: Son Wan-ho (Kor), Lee Chong Wei (Mas), Ng Long Angus (HK), Chen Long (Chn)
Group B: Kidambi Srikanth (Ind), Shi Yugi (Chn), Chou Tien Chen (Tpe), Viktor Axelsen (Den)
Women’s Singles
Group A: Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn), Pusarla Sindhu (Ind), Sayaka Sato (Jpn), He Bingjiao (Chn)
Group B: Tai Tzu Ying (Tpe), Sung Hi-hyun (Kor), Ratchanok Intanon (Tha), Chen Yufei (Chn)
Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
