Birkin bag, F1 cars and a sketch by Rembrandt among $1 billion worth of collectibles heading to Abu Dhabi

The first-ever Abu Dhabi Collectors' Week is set to smash records before it even opens, with a staggering $1 billion worth of rare artworks, cars, jewellery and watches being brought over for the event.

Hosted by Sotheby's auction house in conjunction with Abu Dhabi Investment Office, the event will run from December 2-5, and is being staged as the most valuable auction to be held in the region.

Collectibles at auction

Over four days, there will be sales of rare cars, watches, jewellery and even real estate worth an estimated $150 million, that includes such exceptional items as one of only five Birkin bags gifted to actress Jane Birkin by French luxury house Hermes; the largest Fancy Vivid Orangy Pink Diamond ever discovered; and four high-performance racing bikes from Italian manufacturer and four-time Tour de France winner Colnago.

A Boucheron emerald and diamond ring (estimate $300,000-$500,000) will be auctioned at inaugural Abu Dhabi Collectors Week. Photo: Sotheby's

There is also the first complete set of Patek Philippe Star Caliber 2000 watches to ever go under the hammer, as well as a Zaha Hadid-designed property in Austria and another on the French Rivera.

Given the event is running alongside Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, naturally there will be exceptional opportunities for car enthusiasts, including a world-first chance to own the chassis of the new 2026 McLaren Formula One team car months before it is publicly revealed. Another ground-breaking concept, the Triple Crown Project, sees Sotheby’s and McLaren Racing unite to offer three as-yet-unveiled and unraced competition cars.

A Colnago racing bike is expected to fetch up to $20,000 at the auction. Photo: Sotheby's

Rare art on display

Accompanying the auction will be a major fine art exhibition that allows visitors to enjoy remarkable works such as the “finest sketch” by Dutch artist Rembrandt to ever go under the hammer, and Dame mit Facher (Lady with a Fan), regarded as the final portrait by Gustav Klimt.

The famous Guennol Lioness will also be part of the exhibition. A Mesopotamian limestone sculpture measuring less than 8cm in height, it remains the most expensive antiquity ever sold at auction, having gone under the hammer in 2007 for $57 million.

Also present will be Banksy's Girl Without Balloon,