B onjour , from what was, for a long time, the home of movers and shakers in the auction market: Geneva, Switzerland. Actually, I come to you from the train as I head up to Zürich and onward, but you're not here for a travel report. In a way, though, Geneva's results this week—or rather, how the auction houses came into the week and positioned themselves—show some geographic realignment.

Phillips continues to set records with another "white glove" sale (100% of lots sold) that was the first live watch auction to break $100 million. With $112.3 million worth of watches sold and 17 lots over CHF 1 million—Patek Philippe, Rolex, Cartier, F.P. Journe, Harry Winston, Voutilainen, and Philippe Dufour—Phillips seems to largely dominate the energy in Geneva these days.…