The two timepieces come from the collection of award-winning underwater cinematographer Alfred Giddings, best known as the co-producer for the 1997 film Titanic, directed by James Cameron.
A 1976 steel Rolex 'Red' Submariner (Ref. 1680) worn by Giddings on dives to the wreckage of the Titanic is expected to return between $USD20,000 ($AUD30,460) and $USD40,000 ($AUD60,910).
The second watch to hit the auction block is a 1984 yellow gold Rolex Submariner (Ref. 1680/8), which also appeared on the set of the Titanic, worn by actor Bill Paxton.
This timepiece enters the auction with an estimate of between $USD30,000 ($AUD45,680) and $USD60,000 ($AUD91,370).
Giddings later partnered with Cameron again for the 1989 film The Abyss. The Important Watches auction will be hosted by Sotheby’s on 6 December.
“There really was no competition; it was simply the best,” Giddings said, discussing his 1976 model.
“The appropriate diving watch was the thing to have, and this watch performed flawlessly, emphasis [on] flawlessly, for all those years, both underwater in different pressure environments and different submersibles: on Titanic, on the Andrea Doria, shipwrecks of Truk Lagoon, Bikini Atoll, the North Pole, Antarctica.”
As part of a storied career, Giddings filmed projects with National Geographic and the BBC and on films such as For Your Eyes Only (1981) and Never Say Never Again (1983).
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