Phillips to expand international watches team

Auction house Phillips has announced a “significant” expansion to its team of international watch specialists, with new roles in New York, Geneva and Hong Kong.

The new appointments include Douglas Escribano as senior international specialist in New York; Amy Chow as senior specialist in Hong Kong; and Alex Ghotbi as a specialist and associate director in Geneva.

The announcement follows the division’s inception a little more than a year ago and the appointment of Same Hines as its international head of watches in August last year.

Following the company’s inaugural watch auctions in Geneva and Hong Kong last year, Phillips said the expanded team will prepare for the May auctions in Geneva, which include a special thematic sale of epic steel chronographs on May 14, and the Hong Kong sale on May 31.

Hines said: “In a very short amount of time, our watch department has pushed the boundaries of watch collecting and established a leading market position that is widely admired by collectors around the world.

“We are excited by the addition of Doug, Amy and Alex to our team – they have all worked to build long-term relationships with many of the world’s most influential and passionate collectors.”