The estimate was $120,000 - $180,000.
In the rarefied atmosphere of independent watchmaking, where production numbers often hover in the double digits and waiting lists stretch across decades, certain names achieve legendary status. Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, and Vacheron Constantin represent the "establishment." But for the deep-pocketed connoisseur with a taste for the arcane, three names have emerged from the shadows to form an unholy trinity of design, metallurgy, and scarcity: Blackadder, Gisella Moretti, and The Holle 40 . blackadder gisella moretti the holle 40
From a collectible standpoint: It represents the peak of the 2020s "société fermée" (closed society) of watchmaking. You are not buying a timekeeper; you are buying a membership card to a club where the entry fee is a half-million dollars and the handshake is a UV light. The estimate was $120,000 - $180,000
From a pure horological standpoint: The movement is fragile (three balance springs often go out of sync during air travel). The case scratches if you look at it wrong. The "Holle Blink" mechanism has a known failure after 1,000 activations (about 3 years of daily wear). From a collectible standpoint: It represents the peak
In January 2024, the listed a piece described as: "Attributed to Blackadder & Moretti, Circa 2020. Case back stamped: Holle 40/0 (Prototype)."
The first major commercial success of Blackadder was the Series II “Gisella Moretti” limited edition. This model featured a dial made from a single slice of fossilized ammonite , sourced from the Moretti quarry in Verona. The collaboration between Vancura and the Moretti family (renowned Italian lapidary artists) birthed a watch where the whorls of a 200-million-year-old fossil dictated the layout of the sub-dials. Why Collectors Hoard it Blackadder produces roughly 40 pieces a year. Their movement, the Caliber BA-07 , features a "delayed retrograde" minute hand that ticks forward 30 degrees every 10 minutes before snapping back to zero—a visual metaphor for the futility of timekeeping that appeals to existentialist billionaires.