Joopiter, Pharrell Williams’ digital-first auction and commerce platform, is formalizing a category that has become an increasingly important part of its business with the launch of a dedicated watches division.
The new division will be led by Nate Borgelt, who joins as head of watches overseeing the category across stand-alone and multi-consignor auctions. Borgelt’s collecting expertise spans midcentury sports watches, early 20th-century wristwatches and desk clocks, antique American pocket watches and contemporary independent watchmakers.
He joins from Bonhams, where he most recently served as head of watches for the Americas, overseeing the department’s sales and consignments. Prior to that, he was senior international specialist of watches and head of sale for Sotheby’s New York watch department, where he worked on several landmark auctions, including the 2014 sale of Henry Graves Jr.’s Patek Philippe Supercomplication, which realized $24 million and was the most expensive watch ever sold at auction at the time.
The appointment comes as Joopiter continues to evolve beyond the celebrity single-owner auctions that helped establish the platform following its 2022 debut. Since then, the company has expanded into multi-consignor sales across categories including fashion, art, jewelry, design and collectibles, while also launching an always-on Marketplace in 2025 that enables collectors to buy and sell authenticated luxury goods outside of scheduled auctions.
Recent auctions have included collections from Nigo and Kim Jones, as well as a sale of Karl Lagerfeld memorabilia and personal objects consigned by his longtime collaborator Sébastien Jondeau, reflecting the platform’s growing reach across categories.
Watches have become a prominent part of the company’s evolution. Among the notable timepieces sold through the platform, a Richard Mille RM 65-01 Split-Seconds Chronograph signed by Williams, went for $375,000, and a Patek Philippe Celestial Ref. 6104R-001 sold for $387,500.
Last year, the digital-native platform launched a dedicated watch auction, “The Art of Time,” featuring 28 timepieces spanning the 1930s through the 2020s from brands including Audemars Piguet, Blancpain, Bueche-Girod, Cartier, Franck Muller, Gérald Genta, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Otsuka Lōtec, Patek Philippe and Rolex. The sale reflected the platform’s broader approach to collecting, pairing blue-chip watchmakers with independent brands and lesser-known references.
Borgelt said he aims to build on that momentum by continuing to source exceptional timepieces while presenting them in a way that resonates with today’s collectors. “My goal is not only to push the category to reach new heights, but also to continue to find great pieces, tell their stories well, and give collectors the access and transparency they expect today,” he said to WWD.
Additional watch-focused auctions under the new division will launch in the coming months.
