Sylvester Stallone’s Panerai watch from “Daylight” for sale at Phillips – Robb Report

Get pumped. The watch that many credit for turning Panerai into a global brand on its own is going up for auction. Sylvester Stallone’s Panerai PAM5218-201 / a in steel ($ 40,000- $ 80,000) will hit the block from Phillips during its New York “Racing Pulse” sale on December 12. Steve McQueen and Paul Newman. There are also Bono watches, Shark tankKevin O’Leary and Guy Laliberté of Cirque de Soleil (are part of a dedicated “Time Counts” charity component of the sale). Sly’s Panerai, however, is the only timepiece that has lifted a brand from total obscurity.

When the action hero wore the PAM5218-201 / a on his wrist in the 1996 film Daylight, Panerai had only been selling its watches to civilians for three years. Previously it had only produced timekeeping gear for the Italian Royal Navy and the Egyptian Navy. In 1993, the company launched a limited edition collection of 677 Luminor 5218 for the public, inspired by its historic military watches. But the Italian watchmaker (now based in Switzerland) was unknown, so customer acquisition was limited.

When the Hollywood royalty came to call, the game changed. Stallone wore the timepiece throughout the shoot as the muscular man Kit Latura. According to the actor, the watch went “to hell and back” on the big screen. However, according to Phillips, it is remarkably well preserved.

“What’s great is that it has never been restored and never refurbished or anything,” says Paul Boutros, Phillips’ head of watches for the Americas. “However it is very crunchy. He must have worn it during filming and maybe a few other times as well. There is a scratch on the crystal that we have not repaired or replaced. It is as received. “But, he added, the caseback still has the traces of the actor’s sweat stains, in case” eau de Sly “adds an extra touch of provenance for the star’s hardcore fans.

According to Stallone, he discovered the brand at a boutique in Italy, but some naysayers claim it was a product placement (then again, McQueen’s Monaco was too). We guess it won’t really matter to the customer getting their hands on the piece, which is forever cemented in Hollywood and watchmaking history. What we do know is that his PAM5218-201 / a will arrive at Phillips straight from Stallone’s vault. A friend of the actor put him in contact with Phillips over the summer, but it was only when Stallone found out that Boutros’ colleague Geoff Hess was a relative of the Hollywood agent who believed in him before doing so, that Stallone was sold on separation from his prized possession. In October, Boutros and his team boarded their first flight in the Covid era to inspect his wrist candy in LA. “It was a real adventure, says Boutros. “We only spent two hours with him. We met him and he was so grateful and kind. He is a true lover of watches and has a great collection. “

But Stallone didn’t just part with his Panerai. It also sells four Richard Mille watches, including the one out there RM025-01 Tourbillon Chronograph Adventure designed with the brand as a tribute to his character that defined his career Rambo. The watch, which is estimated to be worth between $ 250,000 and $ 500,000, originally retails for nearly $ 1 million and is one of the most complicated watches in the Thousand – only 20 were produced. For those who already know this. definitive piece of survival gear, for the record, still includes his water purification pads.

A Richard Mille RM032-TI worn in the film The mercenaries 3 ($ 60,000 to $ 120,000) is up for grabs, along with a RM052-01 Tourbillon Skull TZP Nano-Ceramic ($ 350,000 to $ 700,000) and a RM059-01 Yohan Blake “Beast” Tourbillon ($ 300,000 to $ 600,000). Each will arrive with a note personally signed by Stallone stating the original provenance.

The “Beast” was a favorite of the actor, but according to Boutros he was developing his fame, so Stallone decided to stop wearing it. “It he was noticed by so many people, because he was photographed wearing it so many times, “says Boutros.” He told us a story about when he walked into a restaurant in Europe and was wearing a different watch and the waiter told him: “Where’s your Yohan Blake? I was hoping to see him on your wrist. And he laughed and told him he had to put it away because it was too catchy. He didn’t want to be attacked for that!” We’re pretty sure the average viewer wouldn’t survive a shot on Stallone’s wrist, however.

But now, if you want to try and pick up one of his personal watches, they are there waiting for you. May the best man (or woman) win.