Wed, Jun 14, 2017


Art & Auctions
Speed champ’s watches at Bonhams sale


Bonhams’s upcoming Fine Watch and Wristwatches Sale will include a selection of bespoke watches from the collection of millionaire businessman Zef Eisenberg.

The sale will be held on June 21 at the Bonhams salesroom on New Bond Street in London.

Eisenberg is the World Land Speed Champion and holder of multiple British and world records.

In May last year, his Mad Max turbine bike shot into the record books as the fastest turbine bike ever, reaching the astonishing speed of 234.010 mph over a mile from a standing start – faster than a Concorde take-off. 

The bike uses an enhanced Rolls Royce C20W helicopter turbine with specially designed electronics to safely harness its extreme horse power.

The Mad Max Racing team was sponsored by Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer. Part of this support involved the creation of several highly advanced timepieces inspired by the bike, a selection of which will be offered at the sale.

In 2011, TAG used the turbine bike as a promotional tool for the launch of TAG Heuer’s most avant-garde timepiece: the Monaco V4, which featured the drive mechanism that was used in both bike and watch. 

The TAG Heuer V4 was built with 4 barrels inter-connected with a NASA designed belt drive system, a challenge that took 5 years to complete. It remains one of the most unusual pieces created by TAG, and is estimated at £35,000-45,000 ($45,000-51,000).

In 2013, at Goodwood Festival of Speed, TAG once again pushed the limits of watch performance and accuracy. The Mikrotimer Flying 100 was attached to the turbine bike on a ride up the famous Goodwood hill climb using a specially attached mount to track the bike’s progress. The watch proved its ability to measure to an incredible 1,000th of a second, the smallest margin possible for any mechanical chronograph wristwatch thanks to its rapidly spinning centre seconds hand. (£30,000-40,000/$38,000-51,000).

Created to commemorate the astonishing achievements of Zef, the bike and the Mad Max Racing team, TAG produced a very limited edition of only 10 Turbina Carbon watches. The design incorporated many of the bike’s features such as the glowing red highlights and the matt black carbon bodywork. The design also invokes the traditional motorsport stopwatch of the Heuer era, with its crown and pushers positioned on top of the watch. (£8,000-12,000/$10,000-15,000).

Other attractions at the sale include rare and fine watches from Rolex, Blancpain and Patek Philippe and Jaeger-LeCoultre.





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