TEN OF THE BEST
TIMEPIECES AT
ONLY WATCH 2019
THERE ARE 52 WATCHMAKERS
DONATING UNIQUE TIMEPIECES
TO THIS YEAR’S ONLY WATCH
CHARITY AUCTION, ALL OF WHICH
ARE MASTERPIECES IN THEIR OWN
RIGHT. ALL DESERVE TO GO FOR
TOP DOLLAR, AND WE HOPE THERE
IS A BATTLE AT AUCTION FOR EACH
ONE. TOM MULRANEY TAKES A
LOOK AT TEN TO CONSIDER AT THE
NOVEMBER SALE.I
f you’ve ever had cause to
question the creative and
philanthropic spirit of the
luxury watch industry, look
no further than Only Watch for
reassurance. Established in 2005,
this biennial auction offers an
eye-watering selection of unique
timepieces from some of the
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seven editions have already
raised a combined total of
over 40 million Swiss Francs
to fund research on Duchenne
muscular dystrophy. Making it,
without question, the premier
international watchmaking
charity event.
That total is set to increase
substantially come this November,
when the eighth edition of Only
Watch gets underway at the
Four Seasons Hôtel des Bergues,
in Geneva. With 52 companies
participating, picking our favourite
entries has proven a challenging task.
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we’ve managed to whittle our list
down to a respectable top ten. Read
on to discover what we picked and
why, as well as to learn more about
this incredible charity event.
The Only Watch charity auction
is the brainchild of Luc Pettavino,
co-founder of the AssociationMonégasque contre les Myopathies
(AMM) and former CEO and
shareholder of the Monaco Yacht
Show. AMM was set up in 2003 to
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medical research on Duchenne
muscular dystrophy (DMD).
Pettavino’s son suffered from this
genetic disorder and sadly passed
away in November 2016 at the age
of 21.
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took place in Monaco in 2005 under
the patronage of HSH Prince Albert
II of Monaco. Since then, the biennial
event has continued to grow in
size and popularity, with 50 unique
pieces on offer this year. (Although
52 brands are participating, MB&F
has teamed up with L’epée 1839 on
the Tom & T-Rex table clock, while
independent brands De Bethune and
Urwerk are co-creating a wristwatch).
Christie’s has volunteered its services
as auctioneer for the second edition
running and will not charge any
buyer’s premium on sold lots. An
impressive 99% of the proceeds
raised from the sale will go directly to
funding research projects.
It really is a fantastic initiative but
the more cynical among us have to
wonder, what’s in it for the brands
that participate? Certainly, there’s
the philanthropic aspect, doing good
because it feels good and is the rightthing to do. The fact that Only Watch
generates exceptional global publicity
and gives the brands exposure to a
broader audience than they might
otherwise reach are also added
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every lot is just about guaranteed to
sell. This is for charity after all.
Of course, some entries sell far
above their estimates. Tudor, a mid-
market maker of dive watches that
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proven to be a particularly strong
performer. In 2015, the Heritage
Black Bay One, a homage piece to
the Submariner 7923 of the 1950s,
hammered at an astonishing CHF
375,000. 100 times over its low
estimate. At the next edition in 2017,
Tudor followed this up with a Black
Bay Bronze, offered in a unique
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on the left and a khaki green dial.
That watch again blitzed its estimates,
hammering for CHF 350,000. Prices
that simply could not be achieved
by the brand at a normal auction.
Whether Tudor can continue its
unprecedented run this year remains
to be seen.
Tudor is not the only entry we’ll
be keeping an eye out for at the
eighth edition of the Only Watch
charity auction this year. Here’s our
suggested top ten (in alphabetical
order):CHARITY / ONLY WATCH 2019
24 WATCHPRO / AUGUST 2019 / watchpro.com