OnlyWatch 2019

This year saw the return of biennial charity auction, OnlyWatch, where some of the major names in horology come together to produce 50 totally unique, one-off timepieces which are auctioned for charity through Christie’s, with proceeds funding research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Prior to the auction, the collection is showcased around the world, and whilst it was available for one weekend only in London, a visit to Christie’s to see what it is all about was an absolute must.

To start with, however, a word about OnlyWatch as it may not be something that everyone is aware of. Founded by Luc Pettavino in 2005, OnlyWatch is a charity auction raising funds to support research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy inspired by Luc’s son Paul, who sadly passed away in 2016.

Since its inception, OnlyWatch has raised an incredible £31 million and raised awareness for the condition, which manifests as progressive weakening of the muscles which leads to heart and respiratory problems, thus compromising the function of key organs in the body. For more information on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy or OnlyWatch, we have provided some links at the end of this post.

OnlyWatch 2019

The tagline on the front of this year’s OnlyWatch 2019 catalogue reads “Create beauty to do good“, and the manufacturers of the collection up for grabs this year have collectively done exactly that, with a total of 52 brands contributing to an incredible 50 pieces (including two collaboration pieces from DeBethune/Urwerk, and MB&F/L’Epee).

Arriving at Christie’s in London, initially unsure as to what to expect, I found my way to the exhibition room and had timed the visit perfectly as it was relatively quiet, making for a great opportunity to spend some time exploring the collection. The room was filled with several cabinets, each of which housed up to 10 or so timepieces on display, showcased beautifully by Christie’s as you might expect. What I was not expecting, however, was to be able to get hands on with these stunning watches and admire them up close, so imagine my surprise when I asked the question of the attendant and he responded in kind!

“Create beauty to do good”

The first watch I wanted to look at in detail was Lot 27: the Breguet Type XX. I had seen a lot of coverage of this online ahead of my visit, and I have to say it was an immensely impressive piece. Paying particular attention to the roots of the Type XX – a military aviation pilot’s watch from 1954 – this piece incorporates features true to this era and the original models, such a the beautiful bronze coloured dial and a flyback chronograph function afforded by the Valjoux 235 movement, which descends directly from the Valjoux 222 movement used during the 1950s. Additionally, the wonderful pear-shaped crown is a great nod to the roots of this magnificent watch.

With a 38.3mm case it sits very nicely and comfortably on the wrist, and it is estimated that for the princely sum of 35,000-50,000CHF it will make one very lucky owner, very happy indeed!

Next up – and I think my personal favourite – is the collaboration between DeBethune and Urwerk. Both of these independent brands have incredibly distinctive styles, and so it can be difficult to try and imagine what a fusion of these might look like. However, we need imagine no longer, thanks to Lot 15: De Bethune and Urwerk’s Moon Satellite.

This piece brings together two distinctive styles in one. Firstly, let’s look at the stunning case design, made of titanium and incorporating the floating lugs for which De Bethune are known. This entails affixing the strap to the watch case via 2 pivots/hinges at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions, as opposed to the more traditional lug placement at the top and bottom of a watch. Allowing the strap to pivot in this way offers an immensely comfortable fit on the wrist, and despite being 45x50mm in size, it certainly does not feel it.

The URDB01 calibre showcases the somewhat iconic Urwerk satellite display, where hour indicator rotates from right to left, indicating the current minute on the scale below. Once the current hour reaches 60 minutes, the next hour has arrived at 0 – in the image below, the time shown is 1:46. Sat in the centre of the minute scale, the small blue sphere is a spherical moonphase complication. With estimates of 120,000-150,000CHF this is certainly not something in my budget, however it is really quite a special watch and I was very glad to have been able to handle it up close and try it on.

Over the morning I continued trying a few other timepieces, including Lot 7: the Ferdinand Berthoud Chronometre FB1 Night Sky, Lot 14: Konstantin Chaykin’s Joker Selfie, and Lot 11: the F.P. Journe Astronomic Blue. Each of the amazed me in their own ways.

The Ferdinand Berthoud’s octagonal case shape had two small windows at 10 and 2 o’clock, built into the case-band itself. For ages I could not work out what I could see through one of the windows, before learning that it was in fact a fusee and chain tourbillon complication of which I could see the chain. This was all set off with the most exquisite dial, with hands and markers adorned with super luminova against a frosted black dial, designed to reflect the night sky.

Konstantin Chaykin’s hugely successful Joker models have been taken a step further with this playful Joker Selfie version, which is a reflection of Chaykin’s self incorporating a watchmaker’s magnifying glass over the right eye/hour indication. When the watch is upright, the indication is visible but when you lay the horizontally, the eye closes. This is joined by a secret day of the week indication shown in the form of an emoji, such that the secret is only the eventual owner will know what they mean. However this day of the week indication is only visible when the hour indicator is hidden, so you’ll have to pick one or the other!

F.P. Journe is best known for the distinctive aesthetic employed on each timepiece, and the Astronomic Blue is no exception, somehow squeezing 18 functions and complications, comprising 758 individual components (not including the case!) into an incredibly legible and uncluttered dial. Amongst the features on the front of the watch are minutes, hours, second timezone, day/night indication, moonphase, sidereal hours and minutes, sunrise and sunset indicators, and a power reserve indication for the 42 hour power reserve.

This however, is only one half…!

Flipping the watch over will reveal an entirely 18ct gold calibre, with tourbillon and minute repeater complications, alongside an annual calendar and equation of time displays. Somehow, all this fits into a 44mm tantalum case for an absolutely stunning watch, worth every bit of the estimated 300,000-600,000CHF.

Throughout all this time, there was one watch which I knew was there, and I had seen, but daren’t even ask to handle… until now. That watch was Lot 28: the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime. From the Patek Philippe catalogue, these cost a whopping $2.6 million each – if you’re even able to find one given that so few are ever made (I have only ever seen these before at Baselworld and in the Patek Philipe Museum in Geneva – and obviously no hope of getting hands on in either of those places!)

BUT… when I finally plucked up the courage to ask whether I could see it… the attendant was all too happy to get it out of the cabinet! I have to admit, I had a bit of a watch nerd moment right there and then!

For those who are perhaps unfamiliar with this piece, it was first launched in 2014 to celebrate Patek Philippe’s 175th anniversary. It is the most complicated wristwatch that Patek Philippe has ever made (note: not the most complicated wristwatch ever made), with an incredible 20 complications and a mind-boggling 1366 unique parts. There are 5 different modes for chiming and sonnerie, including an alarm and date repeater alongside the grand and petite sonnerie and minute repeater. There is also a perpetual calendar, a moonphase, second timezone with day/night indicator, along with power reserve indicators for both the movement and strikework. On the reverse of the watch is a calendar display showing the perpetual calendar and a four-digit year display. You can even pull the straps away from the case which allows you to easily reverse the dial and change which side of the watch is visible when you wear it. To control and manage all this, there are a total of three crown positions, three sonnerie control positions, and 10 additional correctors or controllers on the side of the case. If you didn’t get all that, I don’t blame you, the Grandmaster Chime is truly in a league of its own.

Hopefully from that you can begin to understand why at this point I was quite excited!

So what makes this particular piece even more special than what it already is? For this year’s OnlyWatch, Patek Philippe have produced the only Grandmaster Chime which, as a one-off event, has been crafted in stainless steel. Official estimates put this watch at 2,500,000-3,000,000CHF, however other industry commentators have posited that it will fetch far more than this, and in some articles I have read even suggested it will become the most expensive watch ever sold at auction, surpassing even Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona. This all remains to be seen of course, but for now, all that remains is to show you the watch on my wrist (I still can’t quite believe I was able to wear this…!)

Edit: This watch became the most expensive wristwatch ever sold, fetching an immense CHF 31,000,000!

The OnlyWatch 2019 auction takes place in Geneva on 9th November 2019 from 2pm. You can check the final hammer prices of each of the 50 pieces on Christie’s.

For any questions, please get in touch via our Contact page, or via our Instagram.

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For more information on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy or other Muscular Dystrophy conditions, visit www.musculardystrophyuk.org, or www.mda.org

For more information on OnlyWatch, visit www.onlywatch.com

You might also be interested in:

• OnlyWatch 2021
• Recommended Reading: ‘Grandmaster Chime’ by Patek Philippe
• Collaboration Watches
• Watch Stationery and Gift Ideas
• Watch Books, Watch Boxes and more at the Watch Affinity Shop on Amazon (commissions earned)

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