Sir Michael Caine and his wife Shakira had recently put memorable items from his film career, as well as jewellery, furniture and artwork, up for sale as they are downsizing into a new home.
The two-time Oscar winner, 88, sold his 18k gold Rolex Oysterquartz Day-Date, which climbed from an initial asking price of £8,000-12,000 to £125,250 – a record price at auction for that model. When Caine bought it in 1979, it would have cost around US$1,300-2,700, and the steel version of the same model, around US$1,000 back then.
The watch had seen some screen time as well, appearing in the movie Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988), in which he plays a suave con man trying to dupe an heiress out of her fortune.
“It’s going to be quite a wrench to part with so many treasured parts of my life and career, but it’s the right time to be moving on,” Caine said before the sale, which took place at Bonhams in London. “I hope these mementoes will give their new owners as much pleasure as they have given us.”
