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For a watch enthusiast or a fine collector there is always the classic
who may not be experts, but are excited
rendez-vous such as SIHH, Baselworld or Geneva auctions to feed its
by the adrenaline rushes. The second
passion. But every two years, Only Watch unveils a selection of unique
group is more traditional and above all
timepieces to the horology world. On September 28, bidding will begin
more
for the fifth time at this biennial auction of special timepieces, which,
staying away from the spotlight, traders
in a mere nine years, has reached the highest rung in the ranking of
in
charitable activities that have become de rigueur in the luxury sector.
operating through dealers. And of course
Only Watch was first launched in 2005 by the Monaco Association
there are also those come for charity's
Against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (the AMM in French, the
sake. They have lower profiles but deeper
Association Monégasque contre les Myopathies). The goal is to raise
wallets, ready to support a cause that
money to help combat on of the more vicious forms of muscular
inspires and motivates them whenever
dystrophy that affects about one in 3,500 boys. The auction is held in
they are called upon. Pettavino knows
the Principality and is under the patronage of His Serene Highness
what the stakeholders want. The buyers
Prince Albert II, Sovereign Prince of Monaco. Needless to say, Only
and collectors have the auction. The
Watch attracts the crème de la crème. This, in turn, inspires watch
artist-engineers have their exposure. And
manufacturers to go the extra mile to produce unique pieces. Some
the fans have the World Tour. Like pop
brands take one of their legendary models and put it in a new and
stars, the watches going on the block are
unusual setting. Others create a timepiece from scratch or use an
first shown to the public on a world tour
existing case. Still others introduce a new limited edition collection and
under the aegis of Antiquorum, the
auction the first piece as a unique prize. Watchmakers who may not be
premium watch auction house. They’ll
able to throw all their resources at this project sometimes produce a
start in Singapore on September 6 before
variation on a theme with a different dial or a little flourish. The
going to China for a six-day tour Hong
element of surprise is often enough to justify a reissuing of this kind,
Kong, Shanghai and Beijing. Then they fly
but creativity is nevertheless the order of the day and anyone trying to
to New York (September 16-17), Geneva
get away with a quick repackaging of an old product tends to get found
(September 20-23) and finally spend a
out rather quickly. The top brands all vie for position, of course (see
few days in Monaco (September 23-28).
sidebar The Big 33 in 2013). One of the most steadfast participants is
Last but not least, the Internet buzz
Patek Philippe, which chalked up 1.4 million of the 4.5 million euros
should
raised at the 2011 event with the last of the 3939s offered in stainless
Watchonista
steel. The deceptively innocent dial in a 33-mm case belied the two-
contribution and has put up its own page
tone minute repeater and the tourbillon visible through the transparent
where fans, collectors, experts, journalists, bloggers and the curious
case back. This year, Patek is also putting up a favourite from the past:
can see the watches, comment, discuss, speculate, rejoice, and dream...
discreet,
the
know
not
collectors and
to is
consciously
potential
be happy
buyers
Only WaTch The Superlative charity auction
underestimated. to
bring
Luc and Paul Pettavino
its
by
alexander friedman, watchonista.com
a 5004T from the Grand Complication series (1995-2011) with split seconds, perpetual calendar, hand-guilloché carbon pattern dial and a very exclusive titanium case. This 5th
Duchenne muscular Dystrophy (DmD) the Disease was first DescribeD by the neapolitan physician Giovanni semmola
edition also have a very feminine touch with
in 1834 anD Gaetano conte in 1836. however, DmD is nameD after the french
the creations of Backes & Strauss, Blancpain,
neuroloGist Guillaume benjamin amanD Duchenne (1806–1875), who, in the 1861
Chanel, Frédérique Constant and Van Cleef &
eDition of his book "parapleGie hypertrophique De l'enfance De cause cere-
Arpels. And the Louis Vuitton watch received a
brale", DescribeD anD DetaileD the case of a boy who haD this conDition. a
personal touch from Paul Pettavino… Only
year later, he presenteD photos of his patient in his "album De photoGraphies
Watch has definitely struck the right chord.
patholoGiques." in 1868 he Gave an account of 13 other affecteD chilDren.
Anyone with the proper wherewithal can buy a
Duchenne was the first who DiD a biopsy to obtain tissue from a livinG patient
stunning watch at a high price. But doing it for
for microscopic examination. the DmD is a Deficiency in the Dystrophin Gene,
a charitable cause generates new waves of
which enables muscles to be resistant to effort. tissue DeGenerates in all mu-
motivation. Only Watch manages to combine two special groups. The first consists of the bright-eyed newbies and wealthy passers-by
scles, incluDinG in the heart, ultimately leaDinG to Death. the monaco association aGainst Duchenne muscular Dystrophy was founDeD in april 2001 to raise funDs to finance research into the Disease, orGanise rounD tables to
“recoGnizeD as the worlD’s first charity watch auction, only watch will take place on september 28th in monaco anD will be conDucteD by the watch auctioneers, antiquorum. 33 of the worlD’s leaDinG watch manufactures will each Donate a unique timepiece specially createD for the occasion” More infos: www.onlywatch.com www.amm.mc www.antiquorum.com www.watchonista.com www.ommagazine.it
create awareness of the conDition anD improve the quality of life of sufferers. 88 OM
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A delicate sprinkling of rubies intersperse Backes and Strauss’ trademark ‘ideal cut’ diamonds. These rubies have been carefully selected, not only due to their Equipped with the manual-wound ARM09 calibre, the Armin Strom One Week Skeleton Water ONLY WATCH 2013 unveils its truly exclusive inner mechanics. The crown wheels, visible from the dial side, can be clearly seen to move, when the movement is being wound.
association with love and passion, but because they are said to represent vitality, energy and health, all of which are qualities that are integral to this charitable event.
Blancpain Woman ONLY WATCH 2013, seconds, dial adorned with mother-ofpearl dial marquetry set with diamonds, entirely hand-decorated oscillating weight, self-winding. Unique piece. Breguet Classique Chronograph openworked 5284 is manifestly an exceptional watch. Painstakingly finished and elaborately decorated by hand, its design’s embodies a full measure of respect for high watchmaking centuriesold values. Unique piece.
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For Only Watch 2013, Bell & Ross has designed a collector’s box of six unique watches. They are all inspired by instruments that are essential to aeronautical navigation and have, as their common and unique denominator, a touch of orange.
Chanel, for Only Watch 2013. «Première Flying Tourbillon» watch in 18-carat white gold set with 169 brilliant-cut diamonds and black high-tech ceramic. “Camélia Flying Tourbillon” Calibre Movement exclusively developed for CHANEL by Renaud et Papi (APRP SA).
Chopard, L.U.C Tourbillon Only Watch 2013 Edition The one-of-a-kind platinum tourbillon features an exclusive handengraved dial and movement and is equipped with the 9-day power-reserve L.U.C Calibre 02.17-L. Ref. 161929-9001
X-TREM-1 Pinball made by Christophe Claret for Only Watch is a flying tourbillon equipped with a retrograde hours and minutes display system that is radically different from existing watchmaking conventions. Two tiny metal balls magically move with no mechanical connection thanks to magnetic fields.
DB28 Skybridge MC Unique Piece in platinum with De Bethune star-‐studded sky in blued mirror- ‐polished grade 5 titanium encrusted with white gold and diamond stars representing the sky of November 19, 1857, the establishment of The National Monegasque Feast Day.
Chronoswiss for Only Watch 2013: a unique mechanical wristwatch combining the high arts of skeletonizing, fire enameling and guilloche main, featuring a dial dedicated to the theme of “The Three Apes”. Unique piece skeletonized by hand.
The Red Dots by deLaCour for Only Watch architectural influenced dial is accentuated by a tension ring with a design that continues through the center of the dial giving the impression of it floating on a void, giving it an exuberant and sophisticated attitude.
Corum dedicates a Ti-Bridge 3-Day Power Reserve to ONLY WATCH. Confirming its commitment to research on Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Corum creates a one-of-a-kind version of the Ti-Bridge with linear 3-Day Power Reserve indicator.
The Twenty-8-Eight High Jewellery Skeleton Tourbillon by DeWitt is a unique piece with special finishes made for ONLY WATCH: a pearly white skeleton movement and a “Black Gold” surface treatment on the flange. It is also engraved with “ONLY WATCH 2013” on the case back.
In a market dominated by automatic watches, CYRUS for ONLY WATCH 2013 launch a timepiece with manual double barrel winding and a 7-day power reserve. The mov. is a 100% in-house manufacture movement, created under the aegis of renowned, award-winning Swiss watch maker Jean-François Mojon.
Frédérique Constant is donating a unique “Double Heart Woman Set” composed by a unique Lady Automatic Double Heart Beat timepiece with a dazzling 19 ct rose gold case “pavé” with sparkling diamonds. On the case back, there is a hand engraved reminder of the reason the watch was created by our finest craftsmen.
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Sporty. Elegant. Modern. Girard-Perregaux Chrono Hawk Only Watch leaves nothing to chance, neither the design of its case, which associates bold edges and a round bezel, nor its face, which gives prominence to the measurement of short times. Its welltested reliability and its exceptional finish are a testimony to fine craftsmanship.
This Unique masterpiece manufactured by Julien Coudray 1518 for Only Watch 2013 draws its inspiration from the interpretation of the theme "Draw me a happy child" by a 5-year old schoolchild in Switzerland, in the Le Locle district.
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The Harry Winston’s Only Watch Midnight Big Date embodies the quintessence of watchmaking. Topped with a bezel discreetly bearing the three iconic arches of the Harry Winston Fifth Avenue salon in New York City, the case is crafted in 18K polished rose gold.
In keeping with the Only Watch spirit involving models representing horological innovations, Laurent Ferrier again demonstrates its commitment to important causes. For this 2013 edition, it has chosen to offer the very first movement of the second version of its famous Tourbillon Double Spiral.
This red ceramic, paying tribute to the red of Monaco for Only Watch 2013, exhibits the same qualities as black or white ceramic. This bright red ceramic was the subject of months of research within the R&D Department at Hublot fand this is the first time that the "magic formula" to achieve a brightly coloured ceramic has been found.
Louis Vuitton offers to ONLY WATCH a unique TAMBOUR SPIN TIME REGATTA watch, designed in collaboration with Paul Pettavino and the Louis Vuitton team. Every detail has been chosen or designed by Paul, such as the gold boat hand engraved and covered with enamel, or the LV logo painted on the Damier canvas trunk that comes with the watch.
Jaquet Droz presents The Loving Butterfly, a watch produced as a single original piece for the 5th annual Only Watch event. This is a historical design drawn by one of the legendary automata produced by Pierre Jaquet Droz in the 18th century.
Montblanc has designed and developed a unique watch the Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Rising Hours for Monaco. Alliance of red gold and steel with Dual Carbon treatment, it displays the hours on a turning disc, that has been augmented with the appealing complication of a day/night indication in the hour display.
This Only Watch special Reference 5004T is the first and only version produced in titanium. Its Caliber CHR 27-70 Q is based on a “Nouvelle Lémania” mov., produced exclusively for Patek Philippe and completely reworked in the company’s workshops.
Combining Art and Precision, the Only Watch Marine Chronometer Manufacture of Ulysse Nardin features a 18 ct rose gold case engraved 1/1 and a handcrafted Grand Feu enamel dial. It houses the UN-118 manufacture’s caliber and the Ulysse Nardin's own oscillator and its patented hairspring.
For this fifth edition of Only Watch, Piaget has created a unique timepiece based on its emblematic Altiplano Skeleton: the Piaget Altiplano 38mm Only Watch Skeleton 1200S. To further enhance its unique features; the case is also engraved with "Only Watch 2013 - Piece Unique".
The Patrimony Traditionnelle World Time created for Only Watch brings together a set of exclusive skills cultivated by Vacheron Constantin. The dial pays tribute to the artistic crafts while the world time complication embodies the technical excellence and the open-minded spirit guiding the House for over 250 years.
Richard Mille is delighted to donate to Only Watch 2013 the Yohan Blake Tourbillon Prototype which he wore at the 2012 London Olympics Games where he won three medals and also at the Diamond League in Lausanne where he won the 100m and became the third fastest sprinter of all time over distance, beating his personal best.
Lady Arpels Une journée à Monaco de Van Cleef & Arpels for Only Watch with its turquoise dial, rotating disk in white gold and lapis lazuli, white mother-of-pearl top dial, case in white gold and diamonds, and white alligator strap, this creation in blue and white recalls the sky and sea of the French Riviera.
This timepiece admirably reflects the Roger Dubuis know-how, movement mastery and quest for excellence. We created this unique piece specially for Only Watch, integrating for the first time our exclusive automatic flying tourbillon movement within La Monégasque collection.
For Only Watch 2013, the Manufacture Zenith will introduce a unique piece, the Felix Baumgartner Stratos Prototype I/I. Unique prototype tested for the development of the El Primero Stratos honouring Felix Baumgartner, the first supersonic man in history.
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