Since its launch in 2005, Only Watch has been one of the most – if not the most – significant auctions in the watch world. A biennial charity auction founded by Luc Pettavino, Only Watch is organized by the Monegasque Association Against Muscular Dystrophy (MAAMD) under the patronage of Prince Albert II of Monaco.
Brands donate unique timepieces to be auctioned; 100 percent of the proceeds finance research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a debilitating and life-threatening genetic disorder that affects around one in 3,500 boys, including Pettavino’s own son, who died of the disease in November 2016.
Ahead of the eighth edition of this auction taking place on November 9, 2019 in Geneva, let’s take a look at the 50 unique watches going under the hammer in the name of doing one’s best for helping those affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Armin Strom Pure Resonance Only Watch 2019
The Pure Resonance by Armin Strom is one of the most technical watches on the planet – but you might never know it thanks to its relatively low-key appearance. Its amazingly svelte size also ensures that it is entirely wearable by mostly anyone.
Armin Strom Pure Resonance Only Watch
A stainless steel Pure Resonance already exists, but not one with a special light blue subdial color that perfectly symbolizes hope while matching the main time-telling display’s darker blue.
Further reading:
On The Wrist: Armin Strom Pure Resonance
Armin Strom Pure Resonance: Less Really Is More And That Resonates
Quick Facts Armin Strom Pure Resonance Only Watch 2019
Case: 42 mm, stainless steel
Movement: manually wound Caliber ARF16 with visible resonance clutch spring, two independent, symmetrically mirrored regulators beating at 25,200 vph/3.5 Hz frequency; 48-hour power reserve
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds
Limitation: unique piece
Auction estimate: $49,000 – $55,000 / €44,000 – €49,500 / 49,000 – 55,000 Swiss francs
Bovet Récital 23 “Hope”
Bovet launched the female-oriented masterpiece Récital 23 at SIHH in January 2019. But I never would have suspected that it could be quite so customized! Already a gorgeous watch in its serial form, the “hopeful” hand-painting on the aventurine of the main dial is nothing short of breathtaking.
Bovet Récital 23 ‘Hope’
This lovely miniature painting depicts a fairy seated on a crescent moon. And as if that weren’t enough, the delicate hour and minute hands form a heart once an hour as they “touch” in passing. And then there is the luminescent moon phase indication. What a masterpiece!
Quick Facts Bovet Récital 23 “Hope”
Case: 43 x 38.7 mm, white gold set with diamonds, sapphire cabochon
Dial: aventurine with miniature painting, 10 diamonds as hour markers (0.03 ct)
Movement: automatic Caliber 11DA17-MP, 62-hour power reserve
Functions: hours, minutes; moon phase
Limitation: one unique piece
Auction estimate: $50,000 – 80,000 / €45,000 – 72,000 / 50,000 – 80,000 Swiss francs
Breguet Type 20 Only Watch 2019
This unique iteration of the Breguet Type XX takes the watch back to its roots by using Caliber 222-derivative vintage Valjoux Caliber 235 to power it as the original Type XXs of the 1950s would have done.
Breguet Type 20 Only Watch 2019
Quick Facts Breguet Type 20 Only Watch 2019
Case: 38.3 x 13.9 mm, stainless steel
Movement: manually wound Valjoux Caliber 235, column-wheel chronograph with flyback function, 45-hour power reserve, 21,600 vph/3 Hz frequency
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; flyback chronograph
Limitation: one unique piece
Auction estimate: $35,000 – $50,000 / €31,000 – €45,000 / 35,000 – 50,000 Swiss francs
De Bethune and Urwerk Moon Satellite for Only Watch 2019
After partnering with Laurent Ferrier to create the Arpal One for the 2017 edition of Only Watch, De Bethune now partners with Urwerk to present the Moon Satellite.
De Bethune X Urwerk for Only Watch 2019
Could there be a more interesting watch in this selection just by looking at the names? Probably not. And rest assured that this fusion of the two boutique brands’ characteristic mechanisms is just as mesmerizing as the name promises.
The case is an obvious rounded Urwerk creation, but attached to De Bethune’s supremely comfortable floating lugs as many of De Bethune’s most outstanding creations are. Then there is the one-off URDB01 caliber, which was jointly developed just for the charity auction.
For a lover of independent watchmaking, this black-and-blue beauty could well be “the” only watch of this auction!
Quick Facts De Bethune and Urwerk Moon Satellite for Only Watch 2019
Case: 43 x 13.3 mm, polished titanium
Movement: manually wound Caliber URDB01, self-regulating twin spring barrels, titanium balance wheel, silicon escape wheel, four-day power reserve, 336 components, triple pare-chute shock-absorbing system (2005 De Bethune patent), 4 Hz/28,800 vph frequency
Functions: hours (wandering), minutes; moon phase, power reserve (on back)
Limitation: one unique piece
Auction estimate: $120,000 – $150,000 / €110,000 – €140,000 / 120,000 – 150,000 Swiss francs
Hermès Arceau L’Heure de la Lune Only Watch
L’Heure de la Lune is Hermès’ first “manufacture” moon complication, a stunning three-dimensional timepiece that focuses on the earth’s satellite rather than the time per se – though both are eminently legible as displays.
Hermès Arceau L’Heure de la Lune Only Watch
This is an offbeat expression of an age-old complication, but one that is perfect for physical or spiritual travelers who like to be reminded of the time and space they have flown or will fly through. And a perfect expression of the rigorous creative culture that is embedded into Hermès as a company.
The serial version of Arceau L’Heure de la Lune is offered with a choice of meteorite or aventurine dial. The Only Watch version comes in meteorite but with unique blue-hued numerals and flange.
Further reading:
Hermès Arceau L’Heure De La Lune: And Pegasus Flies On The Moon
Quick Facts Hermès Arceau L’Heure de la Lune Only Watch
Case: 43 x 17 mm, white gold
Dial: meteorite with grey lacquered subdials and mother-of-pearl moons; blued hands
Movement: automatic Hermès Caliber H1837 with Chronode module; 4 Hz/28,800 vph frequency
Functions: hours, minutes; date, double moon phase as seen from both the northern and southern hemispheres
Limitation: one unique piece
Auction estimate: $35,000 – $55,000 / €31,000 – €49,000 / 35,000 – 55,000 Swiss francs
Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Perpetual Enamel Chestnut
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Master Ultra Thin line got an extreme makeover in 2019 with the addition of enamel-over-guilloche dials in a wonderful blue. For Only Watch, JLC offers its perpetual calendar from the line in a striking chestnut-brown variation.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Perpetual Enamel Chestnut
One of the best upgrades about the new perpetual calendar movement from the revamped line is that the moon phase is shown in both the northern and southern hemispheres. And all of this fitting beautifully in an extremely wearable 39 mm case.
Further reading:
Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Moon Enamel: Once In A Blue Moon
Quick Facts Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Perpetual Enamel Chestnut
Case: 39 mm, white gold
Movement: automatic manufacture Caliber 868/2; 4 Hz/28,000 vph frequency; power reserve 38 hours
Functions: hours, minutes; perpetual calendar with date, day, month, year, and moon phase (southern and northern hemispheres)
Limitation: one unique piece
Estimate: $55,000 – $70,000 / €49,000 – €63,000 / 55,000 – 70,000 Swiss francs
Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Skelet-One Ceramic
Jaquet Droz has been creating beautiful pieces of horology and automata for nearly three centuries, and in that time there has been little to no emphasis on exposed or skeletonized movements. That changed with 2018’s introduction of the Skelet-One, which deftly combines the brand’s focus on simple elegance and old-world craftsmanship with modern cool, providing the observer with the ability to fully appreciate the movement.
Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Skelet-One Ceramic for Only Watch
Dramatic, yes, and absolutely stunning: Jaquet Droz was able to retain the figure-eight shape its dials are so famous for without sacrificing transparency by using a sapphire crystal subdial for the large seconds.
The unique piece of this model for Only Watch incorporates red elements: the railroad tracks, the hands, and the strap all contrast with the black ceramic case. Red was chosen to represent the color of love and the flag of Monaco, where this charity auction was born and continues to be based.
Further reading:
Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Skelet-One: One Of These Things Is Not Like The Others
Quick Facts Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Skelet-One Ceramic
Case: 41 x 12.3 mm, ceramic
Movement: automatic Caliber 2663 SQ with twin spring barrels, silicon balance spring and pallet fork
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds
Limitation: one unique piece
Auction estimate: $28,000 – $35,000 / €25,000 – €31,000 / 28,000 – 35,000 Swiss francs
Richard Mille RM 11-03 Automatic Flyback Chronograph McLaren
In March 2018 at the Geneva Motor Show, Richard Mille introduced its first wristwatch made with and for its partner McLaren. Jointly designed by McLaren designer Rob Melville and Richard Mille designer Fabrice Namura, the chronograph based on the watch brand’s now-iconic RM011 takes design cues from many of McLaren’s supercars.
Richard Mille RM 11-03 Automatic Flyback Chronograph McLaren
The mechanics of this watch are well known, but the new case exhibits cutting-edge novelty as it is made using Richard Mille’s own Carbon TPT, a material comprising hundreds of tiny 0.03 mm filaments of carbon arranged in parallel layers, interlaced with “McLaren orange” Quartz TPT, making it extremely resistant to shock and wear as well as being lightweight, which is not unimportant in a sports watch measuring a stately 49.94 x 44.5 x 16.23 mm.
The titanium chronograph pushers echo the design of the headlights on the McLaren Senna GTR Concept Ultimate Series introduced at the same time as the watch – and buyers of the car were prioritized when it came to acquiring one of the 500-piece limited edition retailing for 180,000 Swiss francs – while titanium inserts on the bezel bearing the McLaren logo are reminiscent of the track-only car’s air intake snorkel. The orange rubber-ringed titanium crown is shaped like a lightweight McLaren wheel.
This piece offered at Only Watch is the prototype, making its acquisition a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Further reading:
Richard Mille and McLaren: New RM 11-03 Timepiece Celebrates This Match Made In (Car) Heaven
Quick Facts RM 11-03 Automatic Flyback Chronograph McLaren
Case: 49.94 x 44.5 x 16.23 mm, Carbon TPT and Quartz TPT
Movement: automatic Caliber RMAC3, base plate and bridges in grade 5 titanium, 4 Hz/28,800 vph frequency; power reserve 55 hours, variable-geometry rotor
Functions: hours, minutes, subsidiary seconds: annual calendar with large date and month, flyback chronograph
Auction estimate: $220,000 – $250,000 / €198,000 – €225,000 / 220,000 – 250,000 Swiss francs
Akrivia Chronomètre Contemporain Only Watch
Akrivia founder Rexhep Rexhepi donates to the Only Watch cause for the first time with a variation on his Chronomètre Contemporain, winner of the Men’s category at the 2018 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève.
Akrivia Chronomètre Contemporain Only Watch
This version of the platinum-encased Chronomètre Contemporain comes with a unique hand-hammered dial, an Akrivia specialty.
Further reading:
Akrivia Rexhep Rexhepi Chronomètre Contemporain: A Fork In The Road, A Pivot, Or Something Else Entirely?
Quick Facts Akrivia Chronomètre Contemporain Only Watch
Case: 38 x 9.5 mm, platinum case by J.P. Hagmann
Dial: blue-grey enamel with hand-hammered surfaces and white enamel numerals
Movement: manual winding Caliber RR-01
Functions: hours, minutes, hacking seconds with zero reset function
Limitation: unique piece
Auction estimate: $40,000-$60,000 / €36,000-€54,000 / 40,000-60,000 Swiss francs
Andersen Genève “Montre à Tact” Only Watch 2019 “Pièce Unique” Tribute to Craftsmanship
A.H.C.I. co-founder Svend Andersen is well known for his “Montre à Tact” watches that “tactfully” place the time display on the side of the case for sneaky viewing. Usually, though, Andersen’s watches also have the time shown on the regular dial. However, this 100-percent Geneva-made edition does not, featuring art instead.
Andersen Genéve Montre à Tact Only Watch 2019 ‘Tribute to Craftsmanship’
That is not only what’s unique about this watch: the dial, completely crafted by Genevan artisans, also depicts a scene showing Geneva at sunset. Assembled on a two-tone mother-of-pearl plate only 0.4 mm thick, four elements have been hand engraved, including Mont Blanc in red gold, the lake shore and Salève in blue gold, a belle époque boat in white gold, and Geneva’s trademark Jet d’Eau in mammoth horn.
Quick Facts Andersen Genève “Montre à Tact” Only Watch 2019 “Pièce Unique” Tribute to Craftsmanship
Case: white gold, 42 x 9.8 mm
Movement: unspecified automatic movement upgraded in house with time-window module
Functions: hours, minutes
Limitation: unique piece
Auction estimate: $50,000 – $55,000 / €45,000 – €49,500 / 50,000 – 55,000 Swiss francs
Arnold & Son DSTB Only Watch
This fanciful timepiece with its elegant subdial and technical-looking “true beat” (jumping) seconds is given a full-on technical visual for this year’s edition of Only Watch thanks to its DLC-coated anthracite-colored stainless steel case and pitch-black dial. The sky-blue numerals and indexes placed around the sapphire crystal seconds subdial add a light-hearted on-theme touch.
Arnold & Son DSTB Only Watch
In the true spirit of Only Watch, Arnold & Son allows the future owner of this intriguing timepiece to personalize the dial with engraved initials or some other item.
Further reading:
Anchors Ahoy! The Arnold & Son Dial Side True Beat (DSTB)
Quick Facts Arnold & Son DSTB Only Watch
Case: 43.5 mm, DLC-treated anthracite-colored stainless steel
Movement: automatic Caliber A&S6003 with “true beat”
Functions: hours, minutes, and dead beat seconds
Limitation: unique piece
Auction estimate: $28,000 – $38,000 / €25,000 – €34,000 / 28,000 – 38,000 Swiss francs
Artya Son of Earth Precious Butterfly Engraved
While a good portion of the timepieces that Artya makes are already unique pieces thanks to their artistic dials, only a handful can boast being decorated with the clever butterfly wing (genuine, but not taken from a living creature) that immortalizes the infinite beauty of the winged creatures with oh-so-short lifespans on the dial of a timekeeper.
Artya Son of Earth Precious Butterfly
Quick Facts Artya Son of Earth Precious Butterfly
Case: 44 mm, stainless steel with gold bezel and lateral inserts, hand-engraved
Movement: automatic Artya Aion movement, officially certified C.O.S.C. chronometer, 42-hour power reserve, 4 Hz/28,800 vph frequency
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds
Limitation: unique piece
Auction estimate: $15,000 – $35,000 / €13,500 – €31,500 / 15,000 – 35,000 Swiss francs
Ateliers de Monaco Tourbillon Oculus 1297 Only Watch
This high-quality, low-volume brand is located in the principality of Monaco – which makes the Only Watch auction, also born in Monaco, near and dear to its heart. Perhaps that’s why co-founder and CEO Pim Koeslag decided to generously donate a tourbillon model. And what a tourbillon!
Ateliers de Monaco Tourbillon Oculus 1297 Only Watch
Regulated to a tolerance between 0 and 2 seconds per day, it is likely one of the most precise on the market. Also of note is its case made of a gorgeous material that combines forged carbon with 18-karat gold flecks, a method developed by Ateliers de Monaco that creates unique cases.
Quick Facts Ateliers de Monaco Tourbillon Oculus 1297 Only Watch
Case: 44 mm, forged carbon with 18-karat gold, titanium core
Movement: automatic Caliber dMc-980 with one-minute tourbillon, patented eXtreme Precision regulation, 42-hour power reserve, 4 Hz/28,800 vph frequency
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds
Limitation: unique piece
Auction estimate: $50,000 – $70,000 / €45,500 – €63,000 / 50,000 – 70,000 Swiss francs
Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Tourbillon Openworked Only Watch Edition
Audemars Piguet launched its new Code 11.59 collection in January 2019. Here the Le Brassus-based manufacture donates the Tourbillon Openworked from that line in a unique two-tone case consisting of pink and white gold.
Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Tourbillon Openworked Only Watch Edition
Further reading:
Code 11.59 By Audemars Piguet: How To Fail At Marketing, AKA To Break The Rules You Must First Master Them
Quick Facts Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Tourbillon Openworked Only Watch Edition
Case: 41 mm, pink and white gold
Movement: manually wound Audemars Piguet Caliber 2948 with one-minute tourbillon, 80-hour power reserve, 3 Hz/21,600 vph frequency
Functions: hours, minutes
Limitation: unique piece
Auction estimate: $190,000 – $240,000 / €171,000 – €216,000 / 190,000 – 240,000 Swiss francs
Bell & Ross BR 05 Skeleton Gold Blue
Bell & Ross just launched its brand-new sports watch collection called BR 05. While not a gigantic departure from its now-iconic BR 01 line that perpetuates the idea of a circle within a square, closely resembling aviation cockpit instruments, this new collection with its integrated bracelet and more rounded corners has struck a popular nerve.
Bell Ross BR 05 Skeleton Gold Blue
The exceedingly attractive version in precious red gold with a blue-tinted sapphire crystal covering the visible movement on the front is bound to be just as much of a hit with collectors bidding. A blue-colored rotor adorns the open case back, while a blue rubber strap completes the amazing look of this watch.
Quick Facts Bell & Ross BR 05 Skeleton Gold Blue
Case: 40 mm, red gold
Movement: automatic BR-CAL.322 (base Sellita SW300-1), skeletonized, 38-hour power reserve, 4 Hz/28,800 vph frequency
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds
Limitation: unique piece
Auction estimate: $20,000 – $25,000 / €18,000 – €23,000 / 20,000 – 25,000 Swiss francs
Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Barakuda for Only Watch
At the Swatch Group Time to Move event in May 2019, Blancpain introduced a modern version of the Fifty Fathoms Barakuda to great critical acclaim. The piece offered at Only Watch 2019 has a unique dial sporting blue Super-LumiNova markers and hand inlay as well as a unique rotor engraved with “Only Watch.”
Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Barakuda for Only Watch
Quick Facts Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Barakuda for Only Watch
Case: 40.3 x 13.23 mm, stainless steel, 300-meter water resistance
Movement: Blancpain Caliber 1151 with silicon balance spring, twin spring barrels, 100-hour power reserve
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; date
Limitation: unique piece
Auction estimate: $13,000 – $20,000 / €12,000 – €18,000 / 13,000 – 20,000 Swiss francs
Boucheron Ajourée Amvara
“Infinite space” – the Sanskrit “amvara” part – is occupied by an entwined snake set with 166 diamonds: Boucheron’s lovely jewelry watch is both symbolic and complicated to create thanks to the form of the curved serpent, which is a trademark spirit animal for the French jeweler.
Boucheron Ajourée Amvara
Quick Facts Boucheron Ajourée Amvara
Case: 18 mm, white gold set with 166 diamonds, button for time setting on case back
Movement: quartz Caliber ETA E01
Functions: hours, minutes
Limitation: unique piece
Auction estimate: $28,000 – $40,000 / €25,200 – €36,000 / 28,000 – 40,000 Swiss francs
Carl F. Bucherer Patravi ScubaTec Only Watch 2019
This ultra-attractive diver’s watch decorated with manta rays on the case back and dial usually only comes in stainless steel. For Only Watch, the Lucerne-based manufacture has crafted a unique piece in 18-karat white gold.
Carl F. Bucherer Patravi ScubaTec Only Watch 2019
Quick Facts Carl F. Bucherer Patravi ScubaTec Only Watch 2019
Case: white gold with ceramic bezel, 44.6 x 13.45 mm, automatic helium valve
Movement: automatic Caliber CFB 1950.1 (based on ETA 2824-2), officially certified C.O.S.C. chronometer, 38-hour power reserve, 4 Hz/28,800 vph frequency
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; date
Limitation: unique piece
Auction estimate: $25,000 – $30,000 / €22,000 – €27,000 / 25,000 – 30,000 Swiss francs
Chanel The J12 Inseparable for Only Watch 2019
The ultimate partner or buddy watches! This lot comprises two brand-new automatic J12 models powered by Chanel’s manufacture movement in a unique black-colored execution.
Chanel The J12 Inseparable for Only Watch
With one black and one white variation each of this new watch, the biggest problem here is deciding who gets to wear which one.
Quick Facts Chanel The J12 Inseparable for Only Watch 2019
Case: 38 x 12.6 mm, one in white ceramic and one in black ceramic
Movement: automatic blackened Caliber 12.1, power reserve 70 hours; 4 Hz/28,800 vph frequency, officially certified C.O.S.C. chronometer
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; date
Limitation: one unique piece of each
Auction estimate: $22,500 – $27,000 / €20,000 – €24,000 / 22,500 – 27,000 Swiss francs
Christophe Claret Maestro Corail
Christophe Claret has donated a unique piece working from the base of his Maestro watch that features an undulating coral snake at its core along with some interesting displays like the Memo mechanical reminder function and a large date display comprising two cones.
Christophe Claret Maestro Corail
Quick Facts Christophe Claret Maestro Corail
Case: 42 x 16.06 mm, black PVD-coated titanium
Movement: manually wound Caliber DMC16, twin spring barrels, 72-hour power reserve, 3 Hz/21,600 vph frequency
Functions: hours, minutes; date, Memo function
Limitations: unique piece
Auction estimate: $86,000 – $106,000 / €77,000 – €95,000 / 86,000 – 106,000 Swiss francs
Cyrus Klepcys Alarm Only Watch
This striking timepiece for the charity auction is based on the existing Klepcys Alarm by Cyrus, but offered in a color scheme that does not exist in the serial version. This watch offers an unusual alarm sound that resembles more a minute repeater than a typical mechanical alarm. And it strikes for 16 seconds.
Cyrus Klepcys Alarm Only Watch
Quick Facts Cyrus Klepcys Alarm Only Watch
Case: 46 x 17.15, black DLC-coated stainless steel
Movement: manually wound Caliber CYR1280, 72-hour power reserve, 4 Hz/28,800 vph frequency, twin serially operating spring barrels,
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; day/night indication, alarm
Limitation: unique piece
Auction estimate: $41,500 – $47,500 / €37,000 – €43,000 / 41,500 – 47,500 Swiss francs
Czapek Faubourg de Cracovie Only Watch 2019 – Courage Every Second
This unique edition of Czapek’s lovely Faubourg de Cracovie chronograph features semiprecious chalcedony chronograph counters against the dial backdrop of another semiprecious stone, onyx. The blue hue of the chalcedony references the corporate color of Only Watch. Additionally, the dial bears a hopeful inscription – “courage every second” – which also adorned the boutique brand’s donation to the 2017 edition of the auction.
Czapek Faubourg de Cracovie Only Watch 2019
The case also differs from the serial version in that it is ADLC-coated titanium.
Quick Facts Czapek Faubourg de Cracovie Only Watch 2019 – Courage Every Second
Case: 41.5 x 13.9 mm, ADLC-coated titanium
Dial: onyx and chalcedony
Movement: automatic Caliber SXH3 (Vaucher), 5 Hz/30,600 vph frequency; power reserve 65 hours, column wheel chronograph, column wheel and vertical clutch, officially C.O.S.C. chronometer certified
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; chronograph
Limitation: one unique piece
Estimate: $24,000 – $36,000 / €22,000 – €32,000 / 24,000 – 36,000 Swiss francs
DeWitt Academia Slide Only Watch
DeWitt’s interesting Academia case with its “columns” is only overshadowed in this instance by the element that makes this watch unique: hour numerals that slide along a track until one is flipped to a horizontal position, thereby displaying the current hour.
DeWitt Academia Slide Only Watch
Quick Facts DeWitt Academia Slide Only Watch
Case: 49 x 15.3 mm, black DLC-coated titanium
Movement: automatic Caliber DW0101, 4 Hz/28,800 vph frequency
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds
Limitations: unique piece
Auction estimate: $60,000 – $80,000 / €54,000 – €72,000 / 60,000 – 80,000 Swiss francs
Fabergé Lady Compliquée Winter
The Lady Compliquée’s interesting appearance was inspired by Peter Carl Fabergé’s Peacock Egg of 1908 – though that is not all it was inspired by: read the full story of its creation in Fabergé Inaugurates Rebirth With Exceptional Lady Compliquée.
Fabergé Lady Compliquée Winter
Displaying hours and retrograde minutes via an ingenious Agenhor-designed manual-winding movement, the “fan” depicts the current minute in retrograde manner, opening its lusciously lacquered, sky-blue sections (in Only Watch corporate colors) to form a seeming carpet of frost as it goes along. Once it has reached 60 minutes, the fan snaps shut. This is no ordinary retrograde, obviously. Jean-Marc and Laurent Wiederrecht of Agenhor invented a whole new system to accommodate it.
Further reading:
Fabergé Inaugurates Rebirth With Exceptional Lady Compliquée
The Fabergé Lady Compliquée Peacock Emerald Fans Out Into Colorful Gems
You Are There: Visiting Watchmakers With Heart At Jean-Marc Wiederrecht’s Agenhor
Reflections On The 2015 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève
Quick Facts Fabergé Lady Compliquée Winter
Case: 38 mm, platinum, bezel set with 45 brilliant-cut diamonds (1.585 ct) and 8 blue sapphires (0.245 ct)
Dial: mother-of-pearl marquetry set with 5 diamonds (0.0105 ct), white mother-of-pearl rotating hour ring and minute track, latter printed with “create beauty to do good”
Movement: proprietary manually wound Caliber 6901, 32.7 x 3.58 mm, 38 jewels, 242 components, 50-hour power reserve, 3 Hz/21,600 vph frequency
Functions: hours (revolving dial), minutes (retrograde fan)
Limitation: one unique piece
Estimated price: $50,000 – $70,000 / €45,000 – €63,000 / 50,000 – 70,000 Swiss francs
Ferdinand Berthoud Chronomètre FB 1 – Night Star
Ferdinand Berthoud is Chopard co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele’s pet project and functions as something of an independent maker inside Chopard. Based on what Scheufele and his team believe historical watchmaker Ferdinand Berthoud might have created had he continued to live to the modern day, the complicated chronometers emerging from this workshop are unusual inside and out.
Ferdinand Berthoud Chronomètre FB1 – Night Star
Caliber FB was chiefly inspired by Berthoud’s marine chronometer no. 6 from 1777, which is on display at Chopard’s L.U.CEUM in Fleurier. This particular marine chronometer is driven by a movement that includes a constant force chain-and-fusee system with pillar-supported plate architecture. Precision was the foremost goal.
Caliber FB’s pillar-style movement architecture comprising German silver plates and bridges and polished titanium pillars references eighteenth-century marine chronometers. The case – here uniquely in anthracite-colored ceramized titanium – has an interesting shape that does not allow anyone to mistake it for any other watch.
Further reading:
Chronomètre Ferdinand Berthoud FB 1, Winner Of The Aiguille d’Or At The 2016 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève
Who Was Ferdinand Berthoud And Why Should We Care?
Quick Facts Ferdinand Berthoud FB Chronomètre FB 1 – Night Star
Case: 44 x 13 mm, anthracite-colored ceramized titanium
Movement: in-house manual winding Caliber FB-T.FC.L with fusée and chain with one-minute tourbillon, officially C.O.S.C. chronometer certified, pillar-style architecture, 3 Hz/21,600 vph frequency, 53-hour power reserve
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; power reserve indication, age of the moon, moon phases
Limitation: one unique piece
Estimated price: $170,000 – $200,000 / €150,000 – a €180,000 / 170,000 – 200,000 Swiss francs
F.P. Journe Astronomic Blue
Talk about a unique watch! This bold tantalum watch with blue chrome dial is outfitted with an F.P. Journe prototype movement crafted in 18-karat pink gold filled chock-full of astronomical functions – 18 of them according to the Geneva-based watchmaker.
F.P. Journe Astronomic Blue for Only Watch
Quick Facts F.P. Journe Astronomic Blue
Case: 44 x 13.75 mm, tantalum
Dial: blue chrome with silver elements
Movement: manually winding F.P. Journe Caliber 1619, prototype, 18-karat pink gold plates and bridges; twin spring barrels, one-minute tourbillon with remontoir
Functions: hours, minutes, dead beat seconds; second time zone, sidereal time, display of sunrise and sunset, day/night indication, moon phase, power reserve indication, annual calendar, equation of time, minute repeater
Limitations: unique piece
Auction estimate: $300,000 – $600,000 / €270,000 – €539,000 / 300,000 – 600,000 Swiss francs
Frédérique Constant Meteorite Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar Manufacture
The Geneva-based brand’s clean perpetual calendar looks smashing – and becomes unique – with the addition of blued Namibian meteorite subdials and a tourbillon housed in a pink gold case.
Frédérique Constant Meteorite Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar Manufacture
Quick Facts Frédérique Constant Meteorite Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar Manufacture
Case: 42 mm, pink gold
Movement: automatic Caliber FC-975 with one-minute tourbillon, 38-hour power reserve, 4 Hz/28,800 vph frequency, silicon escapement
Functions: hours, minutes; perpetual calendar with day, date, month, and moon phase
Limitations: unique piece
Auction estimate: $32,000 – $36,000 / €29,000 – €32,000 / 32,000 – 36,000 Swiss francs
Girard-Perregaux Laureato Absolute Chronograph for Only Watch
Girard-Perregaux re-issued its Laureato at the beginning of 2017 and now offers a unique version of the pared-down (but larger) Laureato Absolute in black DLC-coated titanium with blue accents. An “Only Watch” logo has been polished and lacquered on the case back.
Girard Perregaux Laureato Absolute Chronograph for Only Watch
Quick Facts Girard Perregaux Laureato Absolute Chronograph for Only Watch
Case: 44 x 14.65 mm, black DLC-coated titanium
Movement: automatic Caliber GP03300-1058 with 54-hour power reserve
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; date, chronograph
Limitations: unique piece
Auction estimate: $13,000 – $16,000 / €12,000 – €14,000 / 13,000 – 16,000 Swiss francs
Grönefeld 1941 Remontoire for Only Watch
This outstanding watch, and winner of the 2016 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie’s Men’s category, comes to Only Watch with a unique frosted dial. It is also important to note this watch’s importance because only 188 movements featuring the eight-second constant force remontoir will ever be made – and this is one of those 188 specimens.
Grönefeld 1941 Remontoire for Only Watch
Further reading:
Why I Bought It: Grönefeld 1941 Remontoire
Why The Grönefeld 1941 Remontoire Won Best Men’s Watch At The 2016 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève
Quick Facts Grönefeld 1941 Remontoire Only Watch
Case: 39.5 x 10.5 mm, stainless steel
Dial and hands: solid silver frosted dial with faceted applied baton indices from Comblemine; printed minute track, seconds, and signature; blued-steel lancette hands
Movement: manually wound Caliber G-05 with stainless steel bridges; free-sprung overcoil balance; several jewels set in gold chatons; 36-hour power reserve; 21,600 vph/3 Hz frequency
Functions: hours, minutes, hacking subsidiary seconds
Limitations: unique piece
Auction estimate: $48,000 – $69,000 / €43,000 – €62,000 / 48,000 – 69,000 Swiss francs
H. Moser & Cie Endeavour Perpetual Moon Concept Only Watch
Moser & Cie’s Perpetual Moon Concept Only Watch is the ideal acquisition for aficionados of minimalist expression with its finely finished manually wound movement featuring a unique funky red balance bridge and a deep Vantablack dial, the darkest human-made substance (for more on it see How Vantablack And Other Coating Technologies Are Disrupting Watch Norms).
H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour Perpetual Moon Concept Only Watch
Further reading:
How Vantablack And Other Coating Technologies Are Disrupting Watch Norms
Moser & Cie. Venturer Concept Vantablack: Perfection Exists
Quick Facts H. Moser & Cie Endeavour Perpetual Moon Concept Only Watch
Case: 42 x 12.9 mm, red gold
Movement: in-house manual winding Caliber HMC 801 with 7-day power reserve; 2.5 Hz/18,000 vph frequency, twin spring barrels, Straumann hairspring
Functions: hours, minutes, (hacking) seconds; day/night indication, moon phase
Limitation: one unique piece
Auction estimate: $35,000 – $45,000 / €31,000 – €40,000 / 35,500 – 45,000 Swiss francs
Hublot Classic Fusion Tourbillon Sapphire Orlinski Only Watch
An Hublot sapphire-crystal-and-resin Classic Fusion case – that has been faceted! – paired with 54 baguette-cut topazes on the bezel and a blue rubber strap make for one cool-looking watch!
Hublot Classic Fusion Tourbillon Sapphire Orlinski Only Watch
Making this lot even more unique, though, is the fact that is comes in a box that is part of a Richard Orlinski sculpture called “Wild Kong.”
Further reading:
Back In Black: 3 New Watches With Black Dials From Patek Philippe, Hublot, And Omega
Our Predictions In The Ladies Category Of The 2019 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG)
Quick Facts Hublot Classic Fusion Tourbillon Sapphire Orlinski Only Watch
Case: 45 x 16.3 mm, faceted sapphire crystal and resin with white gold bezel set with 54 baguette-cut topazes
Movement: automatic Hublot Caliber Unico HUB6021 with one-minute tourbillon, openworked, 115-hour power reserve
Functions: hours, minutes
Limitations: unique piece
Remark: delivered in a gift box decorated with a sculpture by French contemporary artist Richard Orlinski
Auction estimate: $160,000 – $180,000 / €144,000 – €162,000 / 160,000 – 180,000 Swiss francs
Jacob & Co. Epic X Chrono Messi Only Watch Special Edition
Jacob & Co. clothes this unique version of its signature 47 mm Epic X case with a red-white-and-blue outfit representing Only Watch’s corporate color. Additionally, the winning bidder will receive a meet-and-greet with Lionel Messi, one of the world’s foremost soccer players.
Jacob & Co. Epic X Chrono Messi Only Watch Special Edition
“When we decided to participate in Only Watch, we knew that we had to do something spectacular,” said Jacob Arabo, founder of Jacob & Co. “Producing a piece unique watch that pairs horology and extraordinary gem-setting with an exclusive experience, getting the chance to meet one of modern football’s living legends, Lionel Messi, makes this Only Watch lot out of this world. I hope it will raise a great deal of money for the cause.”
Quick Facts Jacob & Co. Epic X Chrono Messi “Only Watch” Special Edition
Case: 47 x 15 mm, titanium and white gold with 36 baguette-cut blue sapphires
Movement: automatic Caliber JCAA05, column wheel chronograph
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; chronograph
Limitations: unique piece
Auction estimate: $70,000 – $100,000 / €63,000 – €90,000 / 70,000 – 100,000 Swiss francs
Konstantin Chaykin Joker Selfie
Baselworld 2017’s surprise hit and the winner of the Audacity Prize of the 2018 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (in the Joker Clown configuration) is offered here with a unique countenance: the Joker’s face now mirrors some of watchmaker Chaykin’s own facial features! Hence the name “Selfie.”
Konstantin Chaykin Joker Selfie for Only Watch 2019
The right eye, for example, is fitted with a watchmaker loupe. But even more interesting are the “secret” features that Chaykin built into this iteration: when the watch is in horizontal position the Joker’s right eye closes, hiding the hours. At 12 o’clock is a Joker-style emoji weekday indicator, which is hidden when the watch case is vertical.
Thanks to a clever configuration of hours, minutes, and moon phase, the Joker Selfie is able to mimic approx. 20,000 facial expressions. Certain to make any bidder smile, I expect this to be one of the auction’s hits.
Further reading:
Why I Bought It: Konstantin Chaykin Joker
What We Liked And What We Didn’t Like At The 2018 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, Plus How Well Our Panel’s Forecasts Did
Quick Facts Konstantin Chaykin Joker Selfie
Case: 42 x 13.7 mm, bulat steel
Movement: manually wound Caliber K.21-O (based on Tschistopolsky Caliber 2809), 46-hour power reserve, 2.5 Hz/18,000 vph frequency
Functions: hours, minutes, moon phase, weekday
Limitation: one unique piece
Auction estimate: $18,000 – $24,000 / €16,000 – €22,000 / 18,000 – 24,000 Swiss francs
Louis Moinet Memoris Only Watch
A shocking announcement came to the fore in 2013: backed up by an elite panel of noted historians in the watch industry (please see more on this in History Rebooted: The Chronograph’s Inventor is . . . Louis Moinet!), a virtually unnoticed find at a 2012 auction made it obvious that Nicolas Rieussec (1781-1866) was not the inventor of the chronograph as previously thought. It was Louis Moinet.
Louis Moinet Memoris Only Watch
In 2014, Louis Moinet introduced a modern timepiece paying homage to the compteur de tierces, as the historical piece was called. The new Memoris places emphasis on the chronograph function rather than the time-telling displays. The chronograph activated by just one single chronograph pusher, which contains traditional column wheel and clutch components, dominates the skeletonized display.
This unique Only Watch edition also makes the chronograph function visible on the dial, but uses blue as its base color scheme, including a beautiful aventurine plate underneath the visible chronograph assembly.
Further reading:
It’s The Little Details That Count: Louis Moinet Memoris 200th Anniversary Edition
Memoris By Louis Moinet: Paying Homage To Historical Chronographic Ingenuity
Discovery, Firsts, And The Louis Moinet Compteur De Tierces
Quick Facts Louis Moinet Memoris Only Watch
Case: 46 mm, titanium
Dial: aventurine plate underneath the visible chronograph assembly, lacquered guilloche hour and minute subdial
Movement: automatic Caliber LM79, 4 Hz/28,800 vph frequency, column wheel chronograph
Functions: hours, minutes; three-counter chronograph
Limitation: unique piece
Auction estimate: $30,000 – $40,000 / €27,000 – €36,000 / 30,000 – 40,000 Swiss francs
Louis Vuitton Escale Spin Time Only Watch 2019
The Swiss-Parisian leather goods company offers a colorful one-off version of its popular Escale Spin Time model for the charity auction.
Louis Vuitton Escale Spin Time Only Watch 2019
This watch displays the hour in a creative way: 12 cubes on the dial show diamond-set cylinders – except one, the one that is flipped to display the current hour. This cube will turn over to show its own diamonds when the hour passes, at which time another will come around to show the next hour.
The minutes are displayed by a central hand making its revolutions around a high-fire champlevé enamel dial that was created by Anita Porchet, certainly the greatest living independent enameler. The dial requiring 200 hours’ of work also features miniature painting. The diamond setting of the cubes also required 40 hours’ worth of work.
This work of art comes in a hand-painted Monogram canvas “watch trunk.”
Further reading:
Louis Vuitton Escale Spin Time Black & Fire For Only Watch 2017: A Whirling, Colorful Delight
Louis Vuitton’s Journey To Watch Nirvana (Or Meyrin)
Quick Facts Louis Vuitton Escale Spin Time Only Watch 2019
Case: 41 x 11.2 mm, white gold with diamond-set bezel, lugs and crown
Dial: 12 diamond-set cubes, enamel by Anita Porchet
Movement: automatic manufacture Caliber LV 79 with patented Spin Time technology
Functions: hours, minutes
Limitation: one unique piece
Estimate: $80,000 – $100,000 / €72,000 – €90,000 / 80,000 – 100,000 Swiss francs
Maurice Lacroix Aikon Mercury Only Watch 2019
Decorated in the corporate colors of Only Watch, the base for this unique piece is Maurice Lacroix’s Aikon – which in 2016 was derived from the quartz Calypso of the 1990s.
Maurice Lacroix Aikon Mercury Only Watch 2019
However, this interesting watch features a cool twist: when you tilt the watch, the blue hour and minute hands spin freely under the sapphire crystal. When you put the watch upright again, the hands go back to their regular positions and provide the correct time.
Quick Facts Maurice Lacroix Aikon Mercury Only Watch 2019
Case: 44 mm, titanium
Movement: automatic Caliber ML225 (based on the Sellita SW-200), 38-hour power reserve, 4 Hz/28,800 vph frequency
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds, small seconds; time memory function
Limitations: unique piece
Auction estimate: $10,000 – $15,000 / €9,000 – €13,000 / 10,000 – 15,000 Swiss francs
MB&F x L’Epée Tom & T-Rex
MB&F once again collaborates with another artist to create something unique: a clock that looks like a small man riding on some prehistoric creature – when in reality it is a time-telling instrument of the highest grade.
MB&F x L’Epée Tom & T-Rex
Tom & T-Rex is the name of the two buddies imagined by Maximilian Büsser and Maximilian Maertens and crafted by clockmaker L’Epée. Tom is a child, but one not bound by this lifetime, illness, disability, or even the shrunken imagination of adults. T-Rex carries Tom to unimaginable adventures, most likely of the prehistoric kind, before time was even a thing.
This clock launched just ahead of MB&F’S “regular” T-Rex line, which marks the eleventh co-creation between the crazy watchmaker and the Swiss clockmaker. The Only Watch version is unique in its addition of the tiny figure of Tom.
Quick Facts x L’Epée Tom & T-Rex
Case: 308 x 258 x 178 mm, stainless steel, palladium-plated brass and bronze
Dial: hand-blown Murano glass
Movement: L’Epée 1839 movement, 8-day power reserve; 2.4 Hz/18,000 vph frequency, key for setting and winding
Functions: hours, minutes
Limitation: one unique piece
Auction estimate: $20,000 – $40,000 / €18,000 – €36,000 / 20,000 – 40,000 Swiss francs
Montblanc 1858 Split-Second Chronograph Only Watch 2019
Montblanc has really hit a visual home run with the design of the 1858 chronographs – and each new variation seems to be more strikingly beautiful than the last. This one housed in a titanium case offers a graduated blue agate dial (how hard must that have been to accomplish?) to go with the dial’s decidedly vintage design.
Montblanc 1858 Split Chronograph Only Watch
This is Montblanc’s first satin-finished titanium case, and here it combines in an amazing way with a blue alligator-skin strap made in Montblanc’s Italian leather manufactory.
Quick Facts Montblanc 1858 Split-Second Chronograph Only Watch 2019
Case: 44 x 13.15 mm, titanium
Movement: hand-wound manufacture Caliber MB M16.31 with monopusher column wheel chronograph, 2.5 Hz/18,000 vph frequency; power reserve 50 hours
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; monopusher chronograph, tachymeter scale
Limitation: one unique piece
Estimate: €42,000 – €48,000 / $40,000 – $45,000 / 42,000 – 48,000 Swiss francs
Moritz Grossman Reserve de Marche Classique
A classic contribution by German watchmaker Moritz Grossmann, the Only Watch blue comes out as the power reserve winds down.
Moritz Grossman Reserve de Marche Classique for Only Watch
Quick Facts Moritz Grossman Reserve de Marche Classique
Case: 41 x 11.65 mm, white gold
Movement: manually wound Caliber 100.2, 2.5 Hz/18,000 vph frequency, Grossmann balance, two-thirds plate, untreated German silver
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds
Limitations: unique piece
Auction estimate: $30,000 – $50,000 / €27,000 – €45,000 / 30,000 – 50,000 Swiss francs
Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Reference 6300A-010
This bombastic timepiece – certainly not an exaggeration to describe it this way, as it is by far the biggest wristwatch of the modern era for this famous and traditional timepiece maker – was introduced in 2014 on the occasion of Patek Philippe’s 175th anniversary.
Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime for Only Watch 2019
A timepiece seven years in the making, it was also the firm’s first anniversary piece made to be worn on the wrist. Only manufactured in an edition of seven pieces in pink gold as announced in 2014, it now shows up at Only Watch in a stainless steel case with guilloche case sides – an edition the Genevan giant assures us is the first and only execution of it in this metal. Its two dials – this is a double-sided, reversible wristwatch – arrive here in pink gold (time) and black ebony (calendar).
The Grandmaster Chime is a grand complication containing 20 functions, including no less than five chiming modes, two of which are world firsts: an alarm strikes (not hammers) the preselected time and a date “repeater” sounds the date on demand. Each of the quarter-hour chimes has its own melody, too.
An inscription reading “The Only One” is engraved in the alarm subdial on the pink gold “time” side of the watch.
Further reading:
Patek Philippe’s 175th Anniversary Is A Swirl Of (Grandmaster) Flash And Emotion
Quick Facts Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Reference 6300A-010
Case: 47.7 x 16.07 mm, stainless steel
Movement: manually wound Caliber 300 GS AL 36-750 QIS FUS IRM with six patented new functions; power reserve of movement 72 hours, power reserve of strike train 30 hours; Spiromax silicon balance spring; 3.5 Hz frequency (25,200 vph), 1,366 individual components
Functions: hours and minutes; grande sonnerie, petite sonnerie, minute repeater, strike mode display (grande sonnerie/petite sonnerie/silence), alarm with time strike; date repeater; power reserve indicators for movement and for strike train; second time zone, day/night indicator, instantaneous perpetual calendar including day, month, date, leap-year cycle, four-digit year display, moon phase, 24-hour indication; crown position indicator
Limitations: unique piece
Auction estimate: $2,500,000 – $3,000,000 / €2,000,000 – €2,700,000 / 2,500,000 – 3,000,000 Swiss francs
Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Automatic
This, one of the thinnest automatic watches in the world at 4.3 mm in height (and at the time of its introduction the thinnest automatic watch in the world), was introduced to great acclaim in the run-up to SIHH 2017. It was achieved through a reversed movement construction.
Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Automatic
This unique version of it plays with Only Watch’s corporate blue color by adding blue PVD coating to the 22-karat gold peripheral rotor only visible from the front as well the rich hue of the time subdial.
Quick Facts Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Automatic
Case: 41 x 4.3 mm, pink gold
Movement: automatic Caliber 910P with peripheral rotor, case functions as base plate, 44-hour power reserve, 4 Hz/28,800 vph frequency
Functions: hours, minutes
Limitation: one unique piece
Estimate: $30,000 – $50,000 / €27,000 – €45,000 / 30,000 – 50,000 Swiss francs
Rebellion Re-Volt Only Watch
Rebellion’s watches are nothing if not muscular, and 2017’s Re-Volt certainly is a case in point: bold in stature yet light in weight, this watch’s presence refuses to be ignored.
Rebellion Re-Volt Only Watch
Reimagined here in Only Watch’s corporate colors, this titanium watch is quite a looker.
Quick Facts Rebellion Re-Volt Only Watch
Case: 38.5 x 40.35 x 13.5 mm, titanium
Movement: manually wound caliber, 48-hour power reserve, 4 Hz/28,800 vph frequency
Functions: hours, minutes
Limitations: unique piece
Auction estimate: $35,000 – $55,000 / €31,000 – €49,000 / 35,000 – 55,000 Swiss francs
RJ Arraw 6919 Only Watch
Based on the Arraw 6919 by RJ (who used to be called Romain Jerome), this concept timepiece was created in honor of the fiftieth anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969.
RJ Arraw 6919 Only Watch
Unique here is that the timepiece’s bezel was made with material taken from the original Apollo 11 spacecraft, ensconced within a high-performance acrylic composite. The regular limited-edition variation of this watch is offered in ceramic, while this unique piece is in titanium.
Quick Facts RJ Arraw 6919 Only Watch
Case: 45 mm, titanium with acrylic composite bezel containing material from Apollo 11
Movement: automatic Caliber RJ-2180 (base Sellita SW 280) with patented 360-degree moon phase, 4 Hz/28,800 vph frequency, 38-hour power reserve
Functions: hours, minutes; date, three-dimensional moon phase
Limitation: unique piece
Remark: interchangeable strap
Auction estimate: $19,900 – $21,900 / €18,000 – €20,000 / 19,900 – 21,900 Swiss francs
Singer Reimagined Track 1 Only Watch Edition
This chronograph, a winner at the 2018 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève in the Chronograph category, makes you forget everything you ever knew about how to read a chronograph: its superpower is that you can read elapsed times on the dial just like a regular watch as the chronograph’s hour, minute, and second hands are all mounted in sweep fashion from the center of the dial.
Singer Reimagined Track 1 Only Watch Edition
The time of day is uncommonly displayed on the periphery of the dial, ensuring that the chronograph remains the star of this show.
Another great element of this unique piece watch is the black Damascus steel case manufactured by Swedish independent watchmaker GoS featuring black-and-gold livery.
As if all that weren’t unique enough, Singer also offers the winning bidder the opportunity to visit its watch facilities in Geneva and its car facilities in Los Angeles.
Quick Facts Singer Reimagined Track 1 Only Watch Edition
Case: 43 x 15 mm, DLC-coated Damascus steel by GoS
Movement: automatic AgenGraphe column wheel chronograph, 60-hour power reserve, automatic winding with peripheral rotor under the dial
Functions: hours and minutes on disks; central coaxial chronograph displaying jumping hours (to 60 hours), jumping minutes, and seconds
Limitation: unique piece
Auction estimate: $45,000 – $55,000 / €40,000 – €49,000 / 45,000 – 55,000 Swiss francs
Speake-Marin London Chronograph Only Watch Edition
Speake-Marin offers a blue-themed chronograph outfitted with a refurbished vintage Valjoux Caliber 92 from the 1950s or 1960s.
Speake-Marin London Chronograph Only Watch Edition
Quick Facts Speake-Marin London Chronograph Only Watch Edition
Case: 42 mm, titanium
Movement: manually wound Caliber Valjoux 92, 40-hour power reserve, 2.5 Hz/18,000 vph frequency
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; chronograph
Limitations: unique piece
Auction estimate: $18,000 – $30,000 / €16,000 – €27,000 / 18,000 – 30,000 Swiss francs
Trilobe Les Matinaux Only Watch Edition 2019
Trilobe is a new brand founded by the French aesthete Gautier Massonneau with the mechanical poetry of watchmaker par excellence Jean-François Mojon of Chronode. Both men are extremely passionate about their new watches, which could be set to capture the attention of like-minded watch enthusiasts.
Trilobe Les Matinaux Only Watch Edition 2019
The Les Matinaux model was specifically inspired by the poetry of René Char as collected in a tome called Les Matinaux, where he expresses the very human emotions of hope, courage, warmth, and wisdom.
Using a patented system of three disks (hence the “tri”) on the dial to tell the time, this watch’s appearance is like that of few others in the history of timekeeping.
The back of this unique Only Watch edition is engraved with one of Char’s poems (thanks to a partnership with Paris publishing house Gallimard) as well as a representation of his original signature. “Impose ta chance, serre ton bonheur et va vers ton risque. A te regarder ils s’habitueront.” (“Impose your luck, embrace your happiness, and go toward your risks. They’ll get used to looking at you.”)
Quick Facts Trilobe Les Matinaux Only Watch Edition 2019
Case: 40.5 x 10.25 mm, bronze
Movement: automatic highly modified ETA Caliber 2892, proprietary X-Centric module, 42-hour power reserve, 4 Hz/28,800 vph frequency
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds
Limitation: one unique piece
Auction estimate: $9,000 – $12,000 / €8,000 – €11,000 / 9,000 – 12,000 Swiss francs
Tudor Black Bay Ceramic One
This is Tudor’s very first ceramic Black Bay model, and as such it is destined to be a big hit among collectors bidding at this unique auction.
Tudor Black Bay Ceramic One
This watch has been a multiple winner at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève in various iterations over the years. And here it shows up in a daring all-black look bound to make bidders go wild.
Quick Facts Tudor Black Bay Ceramic One
Case: 41 x 14.8 mm, black ceramic, PVD-coated steel case back, black PVD-treated titanium bezel
Movement: automatic Caliber MT5602, officially C.O.S.C. certified chronometer, 70-hour power reserve, black PVD-coated rotor, variable inertia balance, silicon balance spring, 4 Hz/28,800 vph frequency
Functions: hours, minutes, hacking seconds
Limitation: one unique piece
Auction estimate: $4,500 – $5,500 / €4,000 – €5,000 / 4,500 – 5,500 Swiss francs
Ulysse Nardin Exo-Skeleton X
Ulysse Nardin linked the development of a concept watch with its offering at Only Watch 2019: “The exoskeleton theme was a unanimous decision,” said Patrick Pruniaux, CEO of Ulysse Nardin. “We were determined to establish a strong link between the timepiece and its purpose. This is a cause close to our hearts and we wanted to express that through the Exo-Skeleton X.”
Ulysse Nardin Exo-Skeleton X
The exo-skeleton idea is reflected in a “carapace” (the upper section of a shell or exoskeleton like a turtle or a crab might have), flexible double blades attaching the case to the lug with a screw. The idea was to enhance the timepiece’s flexibility by “bionically” allowing some motion between the lug bar and the case.
Quick Facts Ulysse Nardin Exo-Skeleton X
Case: 42 mm, titanium, flexible blades between lug and case
Movement: manually wound Caliber UN-371, silicon balance wheel with nickel flyweights, 96-hour power reserve, 3 Hz/21,600 vph frequency
Functions: hours, minutes
Limitations: unique piece
Auction estimate: $35,000 – $45,000 / €31,000 – €40,000 / 35,000 – 45,000 Swiss francs
Voutilainen TP1 OW2019
Kari Voutilainen’s workshop generally only deals in unique pieces – all the more reason to bid on this pocket watch done Kari style!
This cushion-shaped titanium case is not one that we normally see housing Voutilainen’s impeccable movements, and neither is the blue-themed dial in various guilloche optics providing a unique interchange of textures.
Voutilainen TP1 OW2019
The movement inside is a vintage LeCoultre ébauche, all Voutilainen though, thanks to the impeccable finish that the Finnish watchmaker’s workshop is so renowned for.
The hard-to-miss inscription on the back of the case – “Kari & Venla” – refers to the fact that this watch is the first collaboration between the studious master watchmaker and his 20-year-old daughter Venla, who just graduated from watchmaking school. Venla chose the color combinations and movement finish, while Kari designed the case and dial.
Quick Facts Voutilainen TP1 OW2019
Case: 50.3 x 50.3 x 14 mm, titanium
Dial: solid silver, guilloche
Movement: manually wound vintage LeCoultre movement
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds
Limitations: unique piece
Auction estimate: $50,000 – $70,000 / €45,000 – €63,000 / 50,000 – 70,000 Swiss francs
Zenith El Primero A386 Only Watch
Back in 1969, 50 years ago, Zenith introduced the El Primero beating at a frequency of 5 Hz, making it one of the first serially produced high-frequency movements on the market as well as one of the first automatic chronographs (there were three such introductions that year).
Zenith El Primero A386 Only Watch
The A386 is a loyal recreation of that first watch housing the El Primero, and here it arrives with one subdial in blue for Only Watch.
Quick Facts Zenith El Primero A386 Only Watch
Case: 38 x 12.6 mm, white gold
Movement: automatic Caliber El Primero 400, 5 Hz/36,000 vph frequency, column wheel chronograph, 50-hour power reserve
Functions: hours, minutes, seconds; date, chronograph
Limitations: unique piece
Remark: lifetime warranty and maintenance
Auction estimate: $19,900 – $29,900 / €18,000 – €27,000 / 19,900 – 29,900 Swiss francs
For more information, please visit www.onlywatch.com.
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That Journe is incredible.