Peerless Panerais in NYC Watch Auction

In our regular coverage of the world's top watch auctions we usually concentrate on the highest-priced timepieces, which are almost without exception made by Patek Philippe.

On the occasion of Christie's Important Watches sale in New York on Dec. 12 however, we thought we'd focus instead on the unusually high number of beautiful examples by Officine Panerai, the storied Italian brand that's opening a stylish new Manhattan boutique, as we mentioned the other day.

The Panerais on offer at the Dec. 12 auction range from a limited edition 1950 model Luminor (right) est. at $10,000 - $15,000, to an "eccentric seconds" Marina model, est. at $2,500 - $3,500. See the gallery for pix.