Erotic pocket watches and wristwatches can be a good investment in the long run
Collectors develop keen interest in technical and historical value of meticulously crafted erotic timepieces
Long before the birth of social media and dating apps, erotic pocket watches - depicting graphic sexual encounters on the caseback - were given to women by daring suitors. Today, modern interpretations of the centuries-old tradition, including wristwatches, are as highly sought after by collectors as their antique counterparts.
"The interest in erotic pocket watches at auctions is high whenever we have such lots," says Thomas Perazzi, head of Christie's Geneva Watch Department. "We have collectors at Christie's who only collect erotic pieces - both pocket and wrist watches. Every antique pocket watch features paintings on the dials that are unique and thus pieces of art."
A Piguet & Meylan pocket watch made for the Chinese market, for example, was auctioned for about US$411,940 in 2004 at Christie's Geneva sale, fetching well above the estimated price. Other prominent erotic pocket watches created by Henry Moser & Cie, Jaquet Droz and Charles Reuge also showed promising sales at auctions.
The popularity of erotic timepieces dates back to the 18th century and likely stems from the practise of presenting loved ones with memorable keepsakes. At the time, the wives of Royal Navy veterans would have their own portraits engraved onto pocket watches for their globe-trotting husbands.
The earliest known timepieces showcasing imagery of a more graphic nature, however, surfaced around the period of Louis XV of France, circa 1720s.
"Timekeepers with erotic scenes are part of the history of watchmaking," says Patrik Hoffmann, CEO of Ulysse Nardin. "Some of the manufactures decorated the caseback with engraved or hand-painted scenes while others brought the pictures to life on the dial."
Today, high-end watchmakers are even more imaginative with their designs for erotic timepieces, and these watches are certainly not for the faint-hearted.
Ulysse Nardin's Hourstriker Erotica Jarretiere, for example, features an engraved automaton on the dial that springs into action as the striking gong counts the hours.