Interesting stories to come out of watch auctions are a favorite topic of mine. An auction can tap into so many things that make this hobby interesting: history, rarity, a gauging of the market. And that?s to say nothing of the drama inherent in a live auction, as the numbers go up and up, and collectors battle it out for the sole example of a prized timepiece that they may never have the opportunity to purchase again. 
Every so often, you hear about a genuine surprise at an auction. A watch nobody knew about, perhaps, or a result that was just completely unexpected. Some time ago, I was tipped off to a story about an interesting Breguet triple calendar and its circuitous route to a fantastic, nearly six-figure, auction result. 
Nye and Co. is a well regarded regional auction house based in Bloomfield, NJ. Specializing in estate property, they include watches in their sales from time to time, but they aren?t known as a specialist in vintage timepieces.  And that?s an important point to understand as we dive in to what happened to this particular Breguet. Unlike the big auction houses that get lots of coverage in the press for selling the world?s most prized artwork, antiques, and, yes, watches, Nye and Co., and other auction houses like it, have a different responsibility, and serve a different clientele. When you run an auction house that deals with estate property, your job is sometimes going to involve sifting through a lot of stuff that might simply be undesirable...