Very successful auction of estate Antoon Gaemers
On 5 and 6 October, more than 650 lots from the estate of Antoon Gaemers were up for auction at Venduehuis The Hague. Gaemers, the renowned horologist from The Hague, passed away in 2020. In an auction titled ‘The Antoon Gaemers Collection – Four Generations of Chronometry’, his collection, including clocks, wrist- and pocket watches, tools for clock- and watchmakers, watch keys and books, was on offer. The auction was very successful. 94 percent of the lots in the hammer auctions went home with a new owner. The online auction also fetched nice results, with a sale percentage of 80 percent.
Antoon Gaemers was very knowledgeable about chronometry. He was well-known in his community of clockmakers and collectors, both in the Netherlands and abroad. His collection was well-rounded and of high quality. He was an advocate for everything that concerned the phenomenon of ‘time’. One of his biggest wishes was to open a museum and knowledge hub for timepieces at the Noordeinde. His collection seems to have been the start of that museum.
Gaemers was born at the Noordeinde, where he, as the last of four generations of clockmakers, brought his company to new heights. He gathered an important, international group of customers, which also saw him frequently paying a visit to various palaces. In 2002, Gaemers Chronometrie was awarded the predicate ‘Hofleverancier’ (Supplier to the Court).
On Wednesday 5 October, the most beautiful items of the estate were included in the hammer auction, where interested parties could bid in person, online, by phone or by written bid. Clocks from various time periods, mantle clocks, regulator clocks, carriage clocks, ‘Friese staart’ and stool clocks changed owners.
A longcase clock by Bernardus Vrijthoff found a new owner for € 9.000, while a skeletonised pocket watch from Audemars Piguet had a result of € 12.000, six times the low estimate. Another highlight is the 18th-century pocket watch, the case enamelled with an image of Raphael’s Madonna, by Johannes de Chouden. This beautiful watch fetched € 11.000.
At the same time, the online auction of watches, tools, books and a collection of carriage clocks was also running. The auction closed on Thursday 6 October, from 8 PM onwards. A highlight of this auction was the big collection of tools, including rounding-up tools and wheel-cutting machines which we suspect must’ve been used by Gaemers’ grandfather. The tools that are still used by clock- and watchmakers were also popular. A second selection of carriage clocks was eagerly accepted by the public, with an average result of € 300, depending on the condition and model. (Prices are including buyer’s premium)
The entire collection and results are still available for viewing in the online catalogue at https://wavemaker.venduehuis.com/auction?auction=497 and https://wavemaker.venduehuis.com/auction?auction=498 .
Besides the catalogue, a book about the life and work of Antoon Gaemers was published under the aegis of Stichting Haegsche Tijd. This book, ‘Tijdmeester van het Noordeinde. Leven en werk van Antoon Gaemers’ (Master of time at the Noordeinde. The life and work of Antoon Gaemers) is for sale at bookstore Douwes and/or Paagman in The Hague and at clock studio The Course of Time. It is also available for order at Stichting Haegsche Tijd: send a mail with your name and address to info@haegschetijd.nl to order one for yourself.
With thanks to Jitsko Vrieze, advisor Clocks at Venduehuis The Hague