Some news from Singapore, where an online auction is scheduled for early September. Ideal if you are a high net worth type looking for portable assets that banks can’t steal or freeze whenever they feel like it. Just saying. Here’s the word;
Singapore-based premier investment advisory firm for high-end watches, FutureGrail, is pleased to announce its inaugural online auction of collectible timepieces, going live on 8th September and running until 21st September 2023.
The FutureGrail auction offers one of the lowest premiums available for high-end and collectible timepieces, ensuring an unparalleled opportunity for both buyers and sellers. With a buyer’s premium of only 5% charged on top of the hammer price, FutureGrail strives to create equality and foster mutually beneficial outcomes.
Ali Nael, CEO and Founder of FutureGrail, expressed: “Creating equality in the market and a win-win situation for buyers and sellers is key goal that FutureGrail endeavors to achieve.”
“As one of our core values to foster customer success and long-term relationships, the 5% seller’s premium will be waived for returning watches purchased by customers on our platform within one year of purchase date. We stand behind the watches offered for sale backed by our grading of the pieces and end-to-end, in-house expertise, ensuring a seamless experience for our clients,” says Nael.
“The condition reports and descriptions of the watches by Mr. Tellier depicts the most accurate representation of each timepiece,” explained Mohsin Rizvi, COO, and Co-founder of FutureGrail. “We strive to offer buyers complete transparency and peace of mind regarding their purchased assets.”
Arnaud Tellier, Head of Curation at FutureGrail, emphasizes the crucial role of experts in ensuring the integrity of auctioned items. Tellier explains that his role is to use his expertise to “assess items accurately, identifying their origin, authenticity, state of preservation and market value.”
Tellier was previously the head of the Patek Philippe Museum for 11 years and is also the former Director of one of the world’s oldest horology auction houses.
“Our objective is to offer auction-quality items in all price ranges, selected for their attractiveness, technical, aesthetic, or historical interest, provenance, rarity, and state of conservation” he explains.
Tellier also has some tips for collectors entering their first auction: “It is important to note that taking part in an auction requires adequate preparation, particularly in terms of researching the items, setting a budget, understanding the rules of the sale, and assessing all presented details, we aim to facilitate this process by being client driven.”