JOOPITER, a platform launched by renowned artist Pharrell Williams in 2022, is all set for its debut watch auction. This unique event, entitled ‘The Art of Time: Rare and Coveted Watches’, centres around 27 specially curated lots, championing innovative watchmaking and exploring contemporary definitions of rarity. Unlike many conventional auctions housing time-worn favorites like Paul Newman Daytonas or 5711s, this sale omits the usual crowd-pleasers and instead features a distinct blend of horological artistry.
eBay, the pulpit of pristine pickings for watch enthusiasts, is experimenting with a remarkable alteration to its bidding methodology. The planned adjustment, currently being trialled in the Trading Cards category, involves an automatic two-minute extension to the auction timer whenever a bid is placed within the final two minutes of auction time. Initially utilized by LoupeThis since its inception in 2021, this extended bidding style could potentially dismantle the prevalent ‘snipe’ bidding practice, a well-entrenched part of eBay watch auction culture.
‘Snipe’ bidding, the tactic of swooping in with a bid in the ultimate few seconds of an auction to snap up a watch for less than its value, often disallows other participants the opportunity to counter-bid. The reaction to this proposed change among card collectors has been mixed, but its extension to the realm of watch auctions would doubtlessly be game-changing.