Only Watch 2021 Post Auction Recap
Only Watch 2021 raised CHF 30m/EUR 28.5m/USD 32.1m, bringing the total funds raised so far for research to over EUR 100m/ USD / CHF.
“This is more than a dream come true and such a strong positive signal. For the participating watchmakers who see their creations recognized and their efforts rewarded. For the lucky buyers who now own a timepiece that is not only unique but also makes them a part of history. And for the hundreds of thousands of patients and their families who are touched by Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy as well as for the the researchers who are coming ever closer to finding the solution,” says Luc Pettavino, President of the Association Monégasque contre les Myopathies (Monaco Association Against Muscular Dystrophy) and Founder/Organizer of ONLY WATCH.
Below we highlight the star performing lots, featuring photography captured in-house during the Singapore stopover of Only Watch in early November.
Patek Philippe
The complicated desk clock Ref. 27001M-001 offered by Patek Philippe for the Only Watch 2021 charity auction was inspired by a desk clock delivered to James Ward Packard in 1923. The original model is now preserved in the Patek Philippe Museum.
This unique piece is equipped with the new calibre 86-135 PEND IRM Q SE. It features a perpetual calendar, moon phases, week-number display and power-reserve indication (31 days). It is adjusted to a precision rate of -1/+1 second per day. This exceptional Grande Complication is housed in a sterling silver cabinet with vermeil decorative elements and American walnut inlays.
Price Realised – CHF 9,500,000
Audemars Piguet
This dedicated Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin is the last unique 15202 and the last unique piece powered by Calibre 2121, the thinnest automatic movement with central rotor and date indication of its time, first introduced on the Royal Oak in 1972. Heralding a new era, the case and bracelet combine sandblasted titanium with polished Bulk Metallic Glass – a first at Audemars Piguet . When cooled rapidly, this palladium-based alloy shares several characteristics with other glasses, including amorphicity, transparency and high strength, making it highly resistant to wear and corrosion. Its non-crystalline nature results in a unique play of light.
While offering new grey hues, the Petite Tapisserie dial has retained the original Royal Oak’s typography for the signature and monogram as introduced in 1972 with the 5402 A series. The original printed denomination “Swiss” has also been kept under the hour-marker at 6 o’clock.
Price Realised – CHF 3,100,000
F.P.Journe
In 2021, F.P.Journe celebrates the 20th anniversary of the automatic Octa Calibre 1300 in all its forms. This latest opus is the ultimate version of the legendary model, with an automaton powered solely by the Octa movement’s mainspring. As one might expect, this was no easy task.
The minutes are driven by a rotating disk located at 12 o’clock, while the mobile fingers appear or disappear instantaneously, indicating the hours by their position. The fingers were inspired by a mechanical hand created by Ambroise Paré (1509-1590), the father of modern surgery.
“This watch was born in 2012 while having dinner at Francis Ford Coppola’s house in the Napa Valley. He asked me if it could be possible to tell time with a hand in a watch. I replied that the idea was interesting and required thinking about it. But how to display 12 hours with 5 fingers? It was not an easy matter and this complex challenge inspired and motivated me. Once I figured it out, Francis immediately sent the sketches for the fingers positions. After more than 2 years, I could finally focus on “Fecit”. After 7 years of development, I am proud to present the FFC prototype”.
Price Realised – CHF 4,500,000
Tudor
For Only Watch 2021, Tudor created a unique Black Bay GMT with a striking case and bracelet finish that is the result of a secret stainless-steel ageing technique. The MT5652 Manufacture Calibre powering this unique watch, capable of keeping track of time in three time zones simultaneously, also received an aesthetic treatment to match the case in style that required the bridges and mainplate to be coated in black before being aged by barrel tumbling.
The Black Bay GMT One is a Master Chronometer, one of the industry’s most demanding certified standards, guaranteeing Swiss manufacturing, precision of 5 seconds (0 +5), anti-magnetism to 15’000 gauss, stated water-resistance and stated power-reserve. Achieving this certification required a substantial number of changes to the TUDOR Manufacture calibre and highlights the brand’s technical expertise and know-how.
Price Realised – CHF 650,000
Hublot
A unique and innovative piece, from the case to the movement. The Hublot Big Bang Tourbillon Only Watch bears the Only Watch 2021 colour codes. A unique piece, in 45 mm, cut in transparent and orange-coloured sapphire, that sports the iconic Big Bang design and showcases the mechanics of the self-winding Tourbillon Manufacture movement.
This exceptional calibre is entirely designed and produced in the Hublot Manufacture, and features a self-winding system ensuring a power reserve of 72 hours. Strengthening the spectacular appearance of the dial and its contemporary design, its micro-rotor is visible on the dial side for a performance that is both spectacular and sophisticated.
Playing with the ultimate transparency, by using more sapphire in the movement itself, the Manufacture calibre is equipped with three sapphire bridges – a barrel bridge, an automatic bridge and a Tourbillon barrette.
Price Realised – CHF 320,000
Zenith
The Zenith Defy Double Tourbillon Felipe Pantone Unique Piece for Only Watch 2021 is made of a Sapphire 46mm case. The dial is openworked, and was inspired by the Defy 21 Filipe Pantone recently launched in 2021. The watch houses the El Primero 9020 movement.
The finishing we can observe are “Rainbow” PVD coated bridges and a black laser engraved main plate on the movement and special oscillating weight. The hour markers are coated with a “Rainbow” varnish and the watch hands are “Rainbow” PVD coated. The watch will be sold and delivered with a Felipe Pantone special watch box, signed by the artist himself, and an artwork made especially for this.
Price Realised – CHF 480,000
TAG Heuer
As a realised vision representing the bridge between the heritage of TAG Heuer and its quest to constantly innovate, the Only Watch Carbon Monaco is the perfect encapsulation of these two core philosophies. With its extensive use of carbon, from the case and skeletonised dial down to the hairspring, a technology that is unique to TAG Heuer, as well as the avant-garde design, showing how disruptive the Monaco is more than 50 years after its introduction, the Only Watch Carbon Monaco looks towards the future.
Underneath the surface, and visible through the largest sapphire case back mounted on a Monaco, the respect that TAG Heuer has for traditional watchmaking is on full display. The unique Heuer 02 calibre, the first to be fitted with a carbon hairspring, is hand-finished using 10 different techniques including a distinctive gratté finish giving the impression of a chequered flag. This is completed by a unique oscillating mass in the form of the TAG Heuer shield which is hand finished and hand painted in the gradient shades of Only Watch 2021.
Price Realised – CHF 290,000
Bvlgari
The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar Tantalum for Only Watch features a deep blue dial echoing the colour of the metal. In a nod to the objective of this one-off creation, the graphic design of the month of November recalls the Only Watch abbreviation in a symbolic shade of colour.
At its heart beats a 2.75 mm calibre testifying to the genius of miniaturisation. It drives the hour and minute hands as well as all the perpetual calendar functions: retrograde date display, retrograde day, month and leap-year indication. These are set by means of three correctors: one for the date at 2 o’clock, another for the month at 4 o’clock and a third for the day between 8 and 9 o’clock.
Price Realised – CHF 220,000
Girard-Perregaux
Girard-Perregaux, a loyal supporter of Only Watch, dedicated a unique piece for the now-legendary biennial auction. The Manufacture, currently celebrating its 230th anniversary, reimagined a 70’s icon, the ground-breaking Casquette.
Created in partnership with Bamford Watch Department, the Casquette Only Watch revisits the original but adds a notably modern twist.
Price Realised – CHF 80,000
Ulysse Nardin
This year, the timepiece auctioned by Ulysse Nardin for Only Watch is not a wristwatch but a wacky high-flying clockmaker’s object, a work of art, a piece of design and architecture, a toy, quite simply: the UFO, a table clock ready to welcome you on board for a new entertaining odyssey, in a “unique piece” version with an orange hue.
The spherical aluminium base of the clock on which the blown glass dome is secured by a bayonet system, is made orange by a special anodising surface treatment. The three connecting cylinders and the three lower ties of the movement have also been coloured orange. The power reserve disk, the decorative insert with the Ulysse Nardin emblem – the anchor – also coloured orange. The three dials are also painted, but with a mat appearance unlike the other metallic orange elements.
A unique piece, exclusively produced for the occasion, it will be auctioned in November 2021. Its pop details remind us that the orange colour is stimulating and full of joy. A call to the nonchalance of sunny days. As if illuminated, energised and sunlit, the UFO sways in the most refined way. So, with this orange version, this is a golden opportunity to acquire a unique original of this art object.
Price Realised – CHF 380,000
Chopard
The Alpine Eagle XL Chrono Only Watch is distinguished by its dial in Swiss granite from the Graubünden region, speckled with blue and green inclusions recalling the colours of the Alpine massif seen from the sky.
It brings two novel touches to the Alpine Eagle collection: for the first time, a case made of bead-blasted Lucent Steel A223 and a calf leather strap. Three patents have been filed for the chronometer-certified Chopard 03.05-C flyback chronograph movement that powers it.
Price Realised – CHF 80,000
Breguet
The Type XX Only Watch 2021 flyback chronograph is notable for its specific architecture, meticulously reproducing the codes of the first generation of civilian Type XX timepieces.
The bronze colour of its dial is a nod to the extremely rare original models with dials coloured in this way. It features a small seconds subdial at nine o’clock and a 30-minute totaliser at three o’clock with an increased diameter, luminous markers and the teardrop-shaped hand. The bidirectional steel bezel comes fitted with a 12-hour scale, along with a luminous triangular marker.
This unique 38.30 mm piece comes equipped with a straight crown as seen in the Type XX civilian-use models, while the shape of the hands leads them to be referred to as “syringes”. It comes equipped with a Valjoux 235 movement, directly derived from the Valjoux 222 used by Breguet in the 1950s and early 1960s.
Price Realised – CHF 250,000
Akrivia
Both the dial and movement of the RRCCII retain the distinctive aesthetics of the original, but it was constructed from the ground up as a completely new timepiece. The RRCCII is paradoxically very much the same, yet entirely different. The dedication to quality means that one element of the RRCCII “Only Watch” remains unchanged. Made up of 14 components, the platinum case has been hand made by the legendary Jean-Pierre Hagmann.
Having retired in 2017 after some five decades as an artisanal case maker who supplied the very best brands, Jean-Pierre picked up his tools once again in 2019 to join Akrivia, with his first creation being the case for that year’s RRCC “Only Watch”.
For Only Watch 2021, Jean-Pierre returns for an encore performance. He carefully fabricated the RRCCII case by hand, including soldering each of the elegantly arched lugs to the case band, one of which bears his “JHP” hallmark.
Price Realised – CHF 800,000
De Bethune x Kari Voutilainen
In support of the Only Watch biennial charity auction of unique timekeepers, De Bethune and Voutilainen, two beautiful independent manufactures decided to join their strength and know-how while respecting this tradition of independence and keeping a common vision of watchmaking.
From a mutual respect for each other’s work, a unique work of art with two faces was born, offering a similar time on both sides, but a somewhat different display. On one side, as on the other, the two independent watchmakers are perfectly distinguished by their own code. Featuring a sleek, contemporary design that gives pride of place to the mechanics. It is a new reading of the hour centred around the balance, accompanied by the minute index on the periphery.
On the other side, we discover a dial with a deadbeat second and an original display of hours and minutes that breaks the familiar code of instant reading of the time. Hands superimposed where we do not expect them, equal angles between the hands when they should evolve. This face allows us to appreciate the time by capturing our attention. Totally bewitching!
Price Realised – CHF 1,300,000
MB&F
HM10’s rounded, compact body lends itself perfectly to the shape of the cuddly panda; the top section is coated in black and white lacquer to mimic the animal’s colouring. To accommodate the lacquer, the top section of the standard titanium case had to be crafted for this Pièce Unique in stainless steel. Other unique features include two black titanium panda ears, added atop the sapphire crystal dome, and a ceramic tail machined from Grade 5 silicon nitride.
Much like the panda’s unmistakable eyes, two black aluminium time-display domes dominate the face of the watch – a nod to the other use of the word ‘panda’ in watchmaking, where white dials with black counters are called panda dials. Other panda bear features include flexible “legs” that wrap firmly around your wrist and panda teeth that are constantly munching on bamboo shoots; the teeth also indicate the power reserve.
Price Realised – CHF 620,000
Urwerk
This UR-102 is unique in many ways. Its full, round shape is seamlessly smooth. Framed by precious platinum, the caseback features an interpretation of the Gaïa prize, a dazzling flight of fancy symbolising URWERK’s unswerving resolve to reach for the stars.
It is an iconic model, jealously safeguarded until now at the heart of the watch Maison, since it marks the beginning of the URWERK adventure in the 1990s. The foundation stone.
A watch of almost disconcerting simplicity, with a wandering hour as its only marker of time. The UR-102. This one-of-a-kind model in asphalt-coloured anodised aluminium with a platinum caseback has been newly enhanced with a midnight blue lacquer.
Price Realised – CHF 280,000
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