Elizabeth Taylor’s Franck Muller Master Banker Sells for $81,900 at Christie’s

A striking Franck Muller wristwatch once owned by the legendary actress Elizabeth Taylor has been sold at Christie’s New York for $81,900. The timepiece, a Master Banker Rosé from a limited edition of just five pieces, dramatically surpassed its pre-sale estimate of $4,000 to $8,000. The auction, held on 9 June, featured 106 lots in total and saw strong bidding across the board.

A Personal Piece from a Famous Collector

Elizabeth Taylor was known for her extraordinary jewellery collection, much of which was sold in a landmark 2011 auction at Christie’s that raised nearly $116 million. Among her most iconic pieces were custom-designed Bulgari, Cartier, and Van Cleef & Arpels creations. While watches formed a smaller part of her collection, she owned several important timepieces over the decades, often chosen for their visual boldness and luxurious materials.

The Master Banker Rosé was purchased in 2001 from the London-based jeweller Theo Fennell. Taylor acquired the first watch in a five-piece series, underscoring both the rarity and the personal significance of the piece.

Design and Functionality

The watch is built around Franck Muller’s hallmark Cintrée Curvex case, measuring 47 mm by 34 mm and crafted in solid 18-carat rose gold. It was originally paired with a heavy rose gold bracelet, giving it the unmistakable wrist presence associated with early 2000s Franck Muller creations.

Its vivid pink guilloché dial is both decorative and functional. The dial features two silver-toned sub-dials that display time in additional zones, allowing for the simultaneous monitoring of three global markets. The Master Banker line was introduced in the late 1990s as one of Franck Muller's more technical offerings, aimed at financiers and frequent international travellers.

Large Arabic numerals, generously coated with luminous material, enhance legibility in low light. Similarly luminous leaf-style hands complete the design, which balances theatricality with function.

Powering the watch is an automatic movement, likely based on an ETA ébauche with in-house modifications. Franck Muller was among the earliest of the modern independent brands to combine classical Swiss finishing with striking contemporary aesthetics.

From Family Keepsake to Auction Highlight

Shortly before her death in 2011, Taylor gave the watch to her son, Christopher Wilding. For over a decade, he kept the timepiece as a personal memento, wearing it only once each year on their shared birthday in February. The auction marked the first time the piece had been offered publicly since entering the Taylor family collection.

Its sale fits within a broader trend of renewed interest in watches with celebrity provenance. Collectors increasingly value the intersection of rarity, craftsmanship, and personal narrative.

Franck Muller and the Collector Market

Founded in Geneva in 1991, Franck Muller quickly gained prominence for its flamboyant designs, highly complicated movements, and eccentric case shapes. The Master Banker, introduced around 1996, was one of the brand’s first commercial successes outside of tourbillon-based complications. It offered business-oriented functionality in an unmistakably bold format.

Although Franck Muller as a brand has experienced shifts in collector sentiment over the past decade, rare early models in pristine condition or with notable provenance have been steadily regaining attention at international auctions. The result achieved by the Taylor watch affirms this trend and may influence future demand for other low-production, gem-set or celebrity-linked examples from the same era.

Legacy Beyond Aesthetics

Elizabeth Taylor’s Master Banker is more than a luxurious watch. It encapsulates a moment in watch design history when mechanical watchmaking was emerging from the quartz crisis and embracing bold identity. It also reflects Taylor’s lasting influence on the luxury world, where individuality and legacy continue to matter.

The watch will now likely enter a private collection, taking with it a rich narrative that bridges Hollywood glamour and independent Swiss horology. In a market increasingly driven by context and story, this result highlights the enduring appeal of watches that carry more than just time.