Quote: Dutch watchmaker sees his design skyrocket at auction: ‘Never expected’

Two years ago, Quote featured watchmaker Michiel Holthinrichs in the “Pitch” section. His USP? He abandoned traditional methods and began 3D printing the cases of his watches. Even then, this innovation attracted customers from all over the world to his workshop in Delft. This week, however, the auction gavel fell for an astonishing amount during a watch auction in Hong Kong.

“I’m still in Hong Kong! Honestly, we never expected this because the brand is still relatively unknown,” Holthinrichs shared. Auction house Phillips had estimated Lot 900 of The Hong Kong Watch Auction at 170,000 HKD, equivalent to €20,699.45 for Holthinrichs’ watch. That expectation was far exceeded, with his latest piece selling for an equivalent of €89,689.52. “I still have no idea who the highest bidder was,” the watchmaker said from Hong Kong.

Holthinrichs would have been happy if the winning bid had approached the expected auction price. “That would have justified the amount of work and the necessary retail price. In the end, bids came in from all over the world!”