Only Watch Charity Timepiece Auction Raises $6.85 Million

The fifth edition of the biennial Only Watch auction held September 28 at the Hermitage Hotel in Monaco raised a record of more than 5 million euros (more than $6.85 million), with all proceeds benefiting research for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. 

You can view all the watches from the auction by following this link.

The auction, part of the Monaco Yacht Show, attracted competitive bidding from China, Belgium, Switzerland, Kazakhstan, the United States, Monaco and many other parts of the world, according to the statement from Antiquorum Auctioneers, one of the event organizers. The other organizers were Association Monegasque Contre les Myopathies, the Monaco Yacht Show and the 33 watch brands who created one-of-a-kind timepieces for the event. Also up for bid was a selection of 14 vintage champagne bottles from Lanson. 

Participating watch brands were: Backes & Strauss, Bell & Ross, Blancpain, Breguet, Chanel, Chopard, Chronoswiss, Christophe Claret, Corum, Cyrus, deLaCour, De Bethune, DeWitt, Frédérique Constant, Girard Perregaux, Harry Winston, Hublot, Ikepod, Jaquet Droz, Julien Coudray, Laurent Ferrier, Louis Vuitton, Maurice Lacroix, Montblanc,  Patek Philippe, Piaget, Richard Mille, Roger Dubuis, Armin Strom, Ulysse Nardin, Vacheron Constantin, Van Cleef & Arpels and Zenith.

The auction was preceded with a worldwide preview that made stops in Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, New York City, Geneva and finally at the world renowned Monaco Yacht  Show.

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Watch Brands Create 33 Unique Timepieces for 'Only Watch' Charity Auction

Armin Strom One Week Skeleton Water

Some of the world’s best-known watch brands have created 33 unique timepieces for men and women that will go on the auction block to finance research to combat Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Backes & Strauss Victoria Princess Red Heart

Known simply as “Only Watch,” the fifth edition of this auction will be held September 28 at the Hôtel Hermitage in Monaco. Held every two years as part of the Monaco Yacht Show, it is the first and the largest charity auction for the international watch industry.
 

Bell & Ross Collector's Box of Six Unique Watches

Proceeds from the sale will be donated to the Monegasque Association against Muscular Dystrophy—the promoter of Only Watch along with Antiquorum Auctioneers and the Monaco Yacht Show—to finance research for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a degenerative neuromuscular disease affecting 1 in 3,500 boys, therefore 250,000 children, adolescents, and young adults around the world.

Blancpain Women, Only Watch 2013

The luxury timepieces that will be on offer cover a breadth and depth of styles and functions. Several include designs that pay tribute to the event and the Principality of Monaco, such as the Van Cleef & Arpels “Lady Arpels Une journée à Monacopanoramic view of Monaco,” with a turquoise dial that depicts a panoramic view of Monaco. Several contain tourbillons and a few are prototypes, such as the Richard Mille Tourbillon Prototype Yohan Blake, which was worn by the Jamacian Sprinter during the London Olympic Games, where he won gold and silver medals.

Breguet Classique Chronograph Openworked 5284

Beginning August 30, the Only Watch collection of timepieces will go on a world tour that will conclude with a presentation during the Monaco Yacht Show (September 25th to 28th). The dates and locations of the tour are as follows:

Chanel, Premiere Flying Tourbillon

* Tokyo, August 30, Mandarin Oriental;
* Singapore, September 6 – 7, The Hour Glass;
* Hong Kong September 9 – 10, Antiquorum;
* Shanghai, September 12 – 13, location to be announced;
* Beijing, September 14, location to be announced;
* New York, September 16 – 17, Antiquorum;
* Geneva (September 20 – 23, Antiquorum;
* Monaco, September 25 – 28, Monaco Yacht Show.

Chopard, L.U.C Tourbillon Only Watch 2013 Edition

The auction will take place on September 28 at 11 a.m. (7pm EDT) in the “Salle Belle Epoque” of the Hôtel Hermitage.

Christophe Claret X-TREM-1 Pinball

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Chronoswiss, The Three Apes

Corum Ti-Bridge 3-Day Power Reserve

Cyrus Kambys Model

De Bethune Skybridge

DeLacour Red Dots

DeWitt Twenty-8-Eight High Jewellery Skeleton Tourbillon

Frederique Constant Double Heart Woman Set

Girard Perregaux Chrono Hawk Only Watch

Harry Winston Only Watch 2013 Midnight Big Date

Hublot Bright Red Ceramic "Classic Fusion"

Ikepod Horizon

Jaquet Droz 'The Loving Butterfly'

Julien Coudray 1518 'Draw Me a Happy Child' by the Children of the World

Laurent Ferrier Galet Classic Only Watch

Louis Vuitton Tambour Spin Time Regatta

Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Seconde Mysterieuse

Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Rising Hours for Monaco

Patek Philippe Only Watch 2013 Special Reference 5004T

Piaget Altiplano Automatic Skeleton

Richard Mille Tourbillon Prototype Yohan Blake

Roger Dubuis La Monegasque

Ulysse Nardin Marine Chronometer Manufacture Only Watch

Vacheron Contantin Patrimony Traditionnelle Heures du Monde

Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Une Journee a Monaco

Zenith El Primero Stratos Flyback Striking 10th Tribute to Felix Baumgartner, Prototype I/I

‘Only Watch’ Charity Auction Raises $6.2M for MD Research

From left: Ronnie Wood from The Rolling Stones, Luis Garcia (Directeur de Recherche CNRS), Philippe Ferreyrolles, Monique Pettavino, HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, Tess Pettavino, Gaëlle Tallarida (Managing Dierctor Monaco Yacht Show), Peter Rigby (Chief Executive Informa), Paul Pettavino, Luc Pettavino (President AMM) - Photo: © Claude Charvin

The "Only Watch" charity auction raised more than 4.5 million euros ($6.2 million) for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research.

The biennial event was held September 23 at the Hotel Hermitage in Monaco in a star studded affair that included Prince Albert II of Monaco and Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood. The auction featured a collection of 40 timepieces created specifically for the auction from the top brands in the Swiss watch industry. The pieces went on a world tour to Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo, Los Angeles, New York, Milan, Geneva and Monaco prior to the sale.

A Patek Phillipe attracted the highest bid of the evening for its Ref. 3939. The stainless steel minute repeater wristwatch with tourbillon escapement, black enamel dial with a stainless steel prong buckle fetched 1.4 million euros ($1.9 million), nearly three times its asking price. Other timepieces that led auction results included a DeWitt, "Concept Watch No. 3 – X-Watch," that sold for $410,000 euros ($558,381); a BLU Gagarin Platinum flying tourbillon that celebrates the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's historic flight in space that sold for 300,000 euros ($408,571); and a a Van Cleef & Arpels, Poetic Complication “From the Earth to the Moon,” No. 1/1 that sold for 215,000 euros ($292,673).

View 38 of the 40 timepieces that were sold.
 
In addition to a full room of buyers and celebrities, the fourth edition of the event attracted strong internet and intense telephone bidding. International participation included Japan, Switzerland, Hong Kong, China, the United States and the Russian Federation.

“The auction result is more than exceptional,” said Luc Pettavino, president of the Association Monégasque contre les Myopathies and Founder of Only Watch. “Only Watch 2011 is the fruit of an excellent collaboration between watch manufactures, partners, media, organizers ... but it is first and foremost an outstanding work done by men and women coming from very different horizons who joined their energies to create hope in research on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.”

All proceeds from the auction will finance research, organize scientific roundtables and fund International Collaborative Effort (ICE).

“Thanks to Only Watch, we are going to be able to finance ICE (a program that was started in 2008),” said Luis Garcia, directeur de Recherche at the CNRS. “This program brings together 15 leading teams worldwide who work on therapeutic strategies on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, in particular exon skipping, gene and cell therapies.”

The event is organized by the Association Monégasque contre les Myopathies, Antiquorum Auctioneers and the Monaco Yacht Show (which is held at the same time), along with the support of 40 of the watchmakers, the auction concluded a series of preview exhibitions that took place in (during the Monaco Yacht Show).

40 Luxury Timepieces on Sale at ‘Only Watch’ Charity Auction

The luxury watch industry is as competitive as it is generous. Both of these traits will be on display in the coming months as 40 of the top watch brands in the world have donated highly prized timepieces for the Only Watch international charity auction on September 23 in Monaco. All proceeds from the auction will go toward supporting research on Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a highly debilitating neuromuscular disease that affects children, primarily boys.

Audemar Piguet Jules Audemars Gstaad Classic Chronograph

Under the patronage of Prince Albert II, 40 timepieces will be sold by the horological auction house, Antiquorum, at the Hotel Hermitage. The event, the fourth edition of the luxury watch auction, is expected to draw luxury watch connoisseurs from around the world as well as online and telephone bidders. The sale will be preceded by a nine-city world tour beginning August 30 that will end with a three-day exhibition at the Monaco Yacht Show, which is co-organizing Only Watch with the Monaco Association against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and Antiquorum.

Bell & Ross BR01 Casino pink gold watch

The last edition of Only Watch, in September 2009, raised 2.5 million euros ($3.5 million), which were donated to 15 scientific partners and their teams, including 90 researchers and clinicians in five countries (France, Italy, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States).

Blancpain

Luis Garcia, research director at the CNRS Paris, said the financial support from the last Only Watch auction went to support research that accelerated clinical developments on Duchenne muscular dystrophy over the past two years, including several clinical trials on exon skipping, some of which are already entering phase 3.

BLU Gagarin Tourbillon

“For all these research efforts, the synergy of various scientific approaches, co-ordination between the various teams, and collaborative partnerships has all been decisive,” Garcia said.

Bovet Fleurier 7-Days Tourbillon Reversed Hand-Fitting ”Dragon & Phoenix”

As of this writing, 38 of the 40 companies have released an image of their donated piece. They are all pictured and the final two will be added when they become available.

Breguet Classique Grande Complication, Réveil Musical

The World Tour Schedule:

Singapore - August 30
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Malmaison by The Hour Glass
270 Orchard Road,
#01-01 Knightsbridge
Singapore 238857

Hong Kong - September 1
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Antiquorum Auctioneers Ltd.
9 Queen’s Road, Suite 704
Central, Hong Kong

Shanghai - September 3
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Private club of UOB PRIVILEGE BANKING
No. 158 Ma Dang Road Xin Tian Di,
Shanghai

Beijing - September 5
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Ritz-Carlton
No. 83A Jian Guo Road
Chaoyang District, Beijing 100025

Tokyo - September 7
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The Hour Glass Tokyo
Royal Crystal Ginza
5-4-6 Ginza Chuo-ku
Tokyo 104-0061

Los Angeles - September 9
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Westime Beverly Hills
254 North Rodeo Drive
Beverly Hills, California 90210

New York - September 12
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Antiquorum Auctioneers
595 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10022

Milan - September 15
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Orologerio Luigi Verga
Via Mazzini angolo via Dogana 3
20123 Milano

Geneva - September 16 and 17
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Antiquorum SA
2, rue du Mont-Blanc
1211 Geneva

Monaco
September 21 and 22, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
September 23, 10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Monaco Yacht Show
Port Hercule - Principauté de Monaco

The remaining watches that up for auction after the jump:

Celsius X VII II

Chanel Unique J12 Marine watch

 

Chaumet Dandy Arty Open Face

Chopard DLC titanium L.U.C One Tourbillon

Corum Golden Bridge Automatic

Cyrus KLEPCYS Pièce unique

 

De Bethune 08-01-1297 DB25 Special edition

deLaCour

DeWitt X-Watch

Franck Muller

Frederique Constant Unique Family Set of Pieces

Girard-Perregaux ww.tc

Glashütte Original Senator Chronometer

Harry Winston Midnight GMT Tourbillon

Hermes Arceau Time Suspended

Hublot Oceanographic 4000

IKEPOD Hourglass

Jaquet Droz Petite Heure Minute Monaco

Laurent Ferrier Galet Micro-Rotor

Louis Vuitton Unique Tambour Diver Chronograph

Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Roue Carrée

MB&F HM4

Montblanc Collection Villeret 1858 Vintage Pulsographe Unique Piece

Patek Philippe reference 3939

Piaget Altiplano

Richard Mille RM 027 Tourbillon Rafael Nadal

Romain Jerome Rock the rock DNA, a watch carved out of rock

TAG Heuer Monaco Mikrograph

Ulysse Nardin Freak Diavolo

Urwerk UR-103 Phoenix

Vacheron Constantin Dove watch

Van Cleef & Arpels

Vulcain

Zenith