Only Watch is the charity auction that consists solely of unique pieces from the participating brands, who generously create one-offs which are then donated to the sale. The entire proceeds go to fund the research for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Under the High Patronage of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, the event this year will be handled by Christie’s, on 11 November on Geneva, with – at the time of writing – nearly 50 lots.
In 2015, any jaded auction observer was shocked out of complacency by the sale of a unique Tudor Submariner, the precursor to the Black Bay Black, which fetched an outrageous CHF 375,000. Only Watch has never been short of surprises, but few anticipated a bid of around 100 times the retail value of the regular watch on which the one-off was based. This year, Tudor has a unique piece that might match its record-setting predecessor, while the big-ticket pieces from Patek Philippe, FP Journe, Kari Voutilainen and a surprise collaboration between Laurent Ferrier and Urwerk, of which no images yet exist, will vie for the hottest lots of the day.
We’ll follow this preview with a comprehensive list of all the lots announced. For the time being, here are five of the most exciting pieces: