Leading Luxury Watch Auction House, FutureGrail, Sells 1943 Patek Philippe Once Owned by Mel Blanc, the Voice of Bugs Bunny
SINGAPORE – October 26, 2026 – FutureGrail, a luxury watch auction house and museum headquartered in Singapore with regional hubs in Geneva and Abu Dhabi, has sold a Patek Philippe Ref. 1579 “Spider Lugs” chronograph formerly owned by voice actor Mel Blanc, best known as the original voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig. The 18k yellow gold chronograph, with tachometer scale and movement dating to First Series, was manufactured in 1943 and sold as Lot 3 in FutureGrail’s online auction “A Century of Watchmaking: One Collector’s Journey, 1923-2026,” with bidding held 2-6 October 2026 and sessions opening nightly at 9.00pm SGT. FutureGrail runs year-round online auctions alongside a museum, bonded vault facility and in-house watch service centre, all in Singapore.
The watch carries an original sale date of 11 July 1944 confirmed by a Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives. A 2022 Patek Philippe service invoice and Christie’s catalogue references document the chain of ownership since Blanc’s 1989 death, when the piece remained within his estate before appearing at Christie’s New York in three separate sales, in 1997, 2012 and 2018. Blanc began collecting watches in the 1940s, after receiving a Patek Philippe as a gift from his wife, and went on to assemble a personal collection that exceeded 500 timepieces. The pre-sale estimate for the Ref. 1579 at FutureGrail was USD 70,000-110,000, and the lot sold for USD 76,320.
“A Spider Lugs chronograph with this depth of paperwork rarely comes to market, let alone one tied to a figure as recognisable as Mel Blanc,” said Arnaud Tellier, Head of Curation of FutureGrail. “The Extract from the Archives, the Christie’s catalogue history, and the 2022 service record give collectors a provenance chain they can verify step by step, which is exactly the standard we hold every consignment to.”
Mel Blanc’s fame as “The Man of a Thousand Voices” gives the Ref. 1579 crossover appeal beyond traditional watch collecting, into collectors of American entertainment history and classic animation memorabilia.
“Mel Blanc received his first Patek Philippe as a gift from his wife and ended up building one of the largest private collections we’ve come across in researching consignments,” said Ali Nael, founder and CEO of FutureGrail. “Watches like this one matter because the story and the paperwork carry as much weight as the case metal, and that’s the kind of detail we want every collector to have access to when they’re bidding.”
Consignors and collectors interested in watches with comparable documentation can review FutureGrail’s consignment and valuation services or browse upcoming lots through the house’s online auctions. The auction house’s authentication and valuation team works with timepieces dating back to the 1600s, alongside modern and vintage references from Patek Philippe, Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin, Cartier, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Zenith and independent makers.
About FutureGrail
FutureGrail is a luxury watch auction house and museum headquartered in Singapore, with regional hubs in Geneva and Abu Dhabi. The company runs year-round online auctions alongside a physical horology museum, a bonded vault facility and an in-house watch service centre, combining a proprietary auction platform with in-house horological expertise to authenticate, valuate and market rare and vintage timepieces to a global community of collectors. FutureGrail is led by founder and CEO Ali Nael, a collector since 2009, and Head of Curation Arnaud Tellier, formerly director and curator of the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva for 12 years. The company aims to democratise watch collecting by making expert knowledge and access available to every collector, not only an exclusive few.
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Company Name: FutureGrail
Contact Person: Jay Kau
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Country: Singapore
Website: www.futuregrail.com
