Far from expendable: Sylvester Stallone's watches fetch millions at auction

Grandmaster Chime nabs $5.4 million, while 'Expendables 2' watch sells for $96,000

Sylvester Stallone with the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime. Sotheby's / PA

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?”