Jewellery Focus October 2018 | Page 15

MONTH IN REVIEW GO ONLINE www.jewelleryfocus.co.uk HALLMARKING Hallmarking figures drop 2.3% in August Hallmarking fell by an average of 2.3% in August 2018 compared with the same period the previous year, according to figures compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office. 1 2 WATCHES Rotary Watches join forces with The Royal British Legion 3 4 5 6 7 8 QUOTE OF THE MONTH “This is one of the rarest and most fascinating watches we have ever had up for auction at Fellows. It’s amazing to think this watch was on screen in a James Bond movie.” That’s what Laura Bishop, watch manager at Fellows Auctioneers, said about the auction of a Rolex Submariner worn by 007 during the British spy thriller, Licence to Kill, which is estimated to be worth £90,000. AUCTIONS The number of gold and platinum pieces hallmarked increased significantly by 7.9% and 29.3% respectively. However, silver and palladium both dropped by a marked 10.1% to 420,919 and 41.8% to 5,129 respectively. Overall the volumes decreased from 828,824 in August 2017 to 810,062 in August 2018. TOP 3 FROM THE WEBSITE 1. De Beers Group completes acquisition of Peregrine Diamonds 2. Hatton Garden launches first privilege scheme in 400 years 3. India to overtake US as second biggest market for fine jewellery by the end of 2018 October 2018 | jewelleryfocus.co.uk Rotary Watches has partnered with the Royal British legion to release limited edition timepiece to commemorate the 100th anniversary since the end of the Great War. The limited edition timepiece features special details to commemorate this centenary. The 11th hour and the 11th day are respectfully coloured red, there’s a poppy at 12 o’clock and a poppy on the crown. The company said the details are to honor “all those who bravely sacrificed themselves to secure and protect our freedom”. There are just 1918 individually numbered models available, to signify the end of the First World War. Each model is also inscribed with the Legion’s ‘Thank You’ logo on the reverse of the watch, The watch will retail at £149 and Rotary will donate £12.50 (excl VAT) from each watch sale to the Royal British Legion. CEO of Rotary Watches, Peter McKenna, said: “We are delighted to partner with the Royal British Legion and are confident our donations will support their insatiable work for the services community, I hope that this will be the start of a long partnership and we play some part in a successful 2018 Thank You campaign.” Catherine Davies, head of remembrance for the Royal British Legion, added: “We are pleased to be partnering with Rotary to mark this centenary year and are very grateful for their generosity through donations from this limited edition timepiece.” James Bond Rolex could sell for £90,000 at Fellows auction The timepiece will be on view in Fellows’ London and Birmingham offices leading up to the auction A Rolex Submariner worn by 007 during the British spy thriller, Licence to Kill, could fetch at least £90,000 at an upcoming Fellows watch sale in Birmingham on 30 October. The timepiece, worn by Timothy Dalton’s stunt double, featured during a car chase where 007 is driving a tanker truck in Mexico. Laura Bishop, watch manager at Fellows Auctioneers, said: “This is one of the rarest and most fascinating watches we have ever had up for auction at Fellows. It’s amazing to think this watch was on screen in a James Bond movie. “The more I read about the provenance of the watch, and how it featured in such a classic Bond scene, the more excited I get about selling it.” JEWELLERY FOCUS 15