Michael Schumacher's watches fetch 4 million Swiss francs at auction
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By Cecile Mantovani
ZURICH (Reuters) - Watches belonging to Formula 1 great Michael Schumacher sold for around 4 million Swiss francs ($4.41 million) at auction house Christie's in Geneva on Tuesday.
The eight watches, including timepieces by Rolex, F.P. Journe and Audemars Piguet, were put up for sale by the family of Schumacher, who has not been seen in public since suffering a severe head injury in a fall while skiing off-piste in 2013.
A custom made F.P. Journe watch with an engraved message given to Schumacher as a Christmas present by his Ferrari team principal Jean Todt sold for 1.5 million Swiss francs.
It was estimated to reach up to 2 million francs.
A second customised watch, a Royal Oak by Audemars Piguet, was sold for 415,800 Swiss francs, beating its 150,000 to 250,000 francs estimate.
"Collectors were so happy to discover these timepieces filled with history," said Christie's Head of Watches in Europe, Remi Guillemin.
The lots linked to 55-year-old seven-times world champion Schumacher are part of a broader collection owned by the family.
Originally scheduled for Monday, the sale was delayed at short notice after Christie's suffered a cyber attack.
($1 = 0.9066 Swiss francs)
(Reporting by Cecile Mantovani; Writing by Noele Illien; Editing by Ken Ferris)
