We continue to highlight a few of our favorite watches from among the more than sixty watchmakers that have created timepieces for the Only Watch charity auction, which commences Sunday, November 5, in Geneva. Christie’s will auction these incredible one-of-a-kind watches to raise funds that benefit research in the battle against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
While you may have seen a few of the watches set for auction earlier this year when Only Watch announced them, we thought you’d enjoy seeing many of these impressive designs again just ahead of the event.
The watches are currently touring the globe. After concluding their U.S. visit at Christie’s in New York on September 17, the tour will visit Monaco next, followed by stops in Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore, Dubai and back in Geneva. See the Only Watch website for tour dates and details.
In this post we highlight The MP-15 Takashi Murakami Tourbillon Only Watch (pictured above) by Hublot and the artist, another exceptional piece in the auction this year. Like many in this year’s auction, it glows with bright color and requires a high technical level of workmanship.
This sapphire-cased watch showcases a unique central tourbillon especially conceived for this watch. In addition to showing Hublot’s technical acumen, the idea here is to show that the tourbillon represents the heart of the person who buys it at the auction.
Murakami explicitly requested the inclusion of a central tourbillon, which is now Hublot’s very first central tourbillon.
In this design, the cannon pinion and the hour wheel had to be pivoted around the tourbillon support by creating a co-axial construction. This was made possible thanks to the central flying tourbillon that is seemingly suspended in mid-air with two hands passing under its cage to indicate the hours and minutes.
These hands gravitate towards twelve luminescent indices that echo the colors of the 2023 edition of the Only Watch. And with two barrels, the manual movement offers an incredible 150-hour power reserve. Mounted in series but on a single plane, these barrels can be admired through the sapphire case back.
Vulcain introduces a version of its Cricket Nautical dive watch with a new design that echoes the original from 1961. The new model retains the Nautical’s pioneering alarm and dive-time display but adds a sapphire crystal to the 42.2mm steel case.
The newest Vulcain Cricket Nautical.
As one of the first dive watches with an alarm, the Cricket Nautical extended the independent watchmaker’s primary claim to fame as a premier Swiss manufacturer of alarm watches.
The new Cricket Nautical makes it a simple task to read the dial indications underwater with two superimposed dials. One of the dials is fixed and the other rotates (via a crown at 4 o’clock) to calculate diving decompression times.
Vulcain’s proprietary system features a rectangular aperture that displays the stop times required at the typical diving depths of ninemeters, six meters and three meters when ascending after an extended dive.
Vulcain offers its own ‘Triple Case Back’ case design that acts as a resonance chamber to project the alarm during a dive. A clear caseback version, nicely embellished with the stylized Vulcain V, is also available as an option. (See full specifications below). Likewise, Vulcain also offers a choice of a sapphire or acrylic crystal.
Inside Vulcain fits its owns manual-wind Caliber Vulcain Cricket Manufacture V-10 and protects it with a case water resistant to 300 meters.
Vulcain offers two different dial options with the new Cricket Nautical, each faithful to the original watch from 1961. One option features a black dial, faux-patina indexes and hands and an emerald green minute track.
The second option also features a black dial but with white Super-LumiNova hour markers and hands and a blue minute track.
Price: $4,862.
Specifications: Vulcain Cricket Nautical
Movement: Vulcain Cricket Manufacture V-10, a hand-wound alarm movement with two barrels, 18,000 vph and a 42-hour power reserve. Decoration includes nickel-plated treatment, blued screws, skeleton ratchets (on sapphire case back version). Functions: Hours, minutes, center seconds, alarm, decompression scale adjustable via screw-in crown at 4 o’clock. Alarm duration is twenty seconds.
Case: 42.2mm by 17.35mm steel with‘Triple Case Back’ that acts as a resonance chamber, allowing the alarm function to be used underwater, or sapphire crystal version embellished with the stylized “V”. Water resistance to 300 meters.
Dial: Semi-matte black dial with decompression tables. The domed sapphire crystal is treated with an anti-reflective coating; a domed plexiglass version is also available.
Strap: Black leather with a water-resistant carbon texture,steel pin buckle.
Arnold & Son expands its Perpetual Moon collection (a favorite here at iW) with the new Perpetual Moon 41.5 Platinum Celestial Blue,a stunning platinum-cased watch that glows with a ‘Stellar Rays” engraved dial and a large white mother-of-pearl moon.
The new Arnold & Son the new Perpetual Moon 41.5 Platinum Celestial Blue.
The watchmaker creates the ray-shaped dial decor by applying irregular engraving to various depths and widths to produce a fluctuating sequence that allows light to reflect and refract. Artisans then add a several layers of transparent lacquer to accentuate the effect.
Arnold & Son renders its ultra-large moon in white mother-of-pearl with hand-painted shadows, all liberally coated with Super-LumiNova. This is placed amid a grained sky comprised of midnight-blue PVD. And as with all models in the Perpetual Moon collection, the moon is surrounded by the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia constellations, which are also hand-painted and coated with luminescent material.
This new model measures 41.5mm in diameter, the new size of the recently redesigned Perpetual Moon series. In addition to refining the case size with the revision, Arnold & Son also re-shaped the lugs, creating a more elegant form with beveled ends.
The back of the Perpetual Moon 41.5 Platinum Celestial Blue also provides both information and eye candy. There, Arnold & Son places a secondary, easily adjustable moon phase indicator. Artisans finish the manually wound A&S1512 Caliber with beautiful polished and chamfered bridges and circular satin-finished wheels. All screws are blued, chamfered and polished.
The caliber easily performs up to the high level of its finish. The movement’s two barrels and oscillating frequency of 3 Hz contribute to a whopping 90-hour power reserve.
Greubel Forsey is launching its Balancier Convexe S² and its Double Balancier Convexe with smaller titanium cases, with the former now 2mm smaller at 41.5mm across while latter model drops 1mm to now measure 42.5mm across.
The new sizes retain the watchmaker’s existing Balancier and Double Balancer movements and places each into a slightly slimmer Convexe titanium case.
The new Greubel Forsey Balancier Convexe S² (41.5 mm, at left) and the Double Balancier Convexe (42.5 mm).
Greubel Forsey’s Convexe collection is characterized by an undulating bezel, first presented in 2019, and a curved layout that dramatically displays the caliber’s open-worked gears, wheels and bridges.
The new Greubel Forsey Balancier Convexe S², now in a slimmer 41.5mm titanium case.
The collection is meant to be this high-end maker’s contemporary ‘daily wear’ collection. You’ll see none of the Greubel Forsey foundational phrases engraved on the dial or bezel within this collection. And, with 100 meters of water resistance and fully integrated lugs, the watches fits snugly on the wrist for wearing comfort rain or shine.
The watchmaker says the new sizes retain the “harmony of their proportions and the architectural requirements of the movement.” Each model limited in production and only be available between 2023 and 2026.
Balancier Convexe S²
Notably, the new size of this model places the hour ring closer to the sapphire crystal while the remaining double open-worked arch bridge maintain’s the multi-dimensional architectural design of the original.
Look for the newest Balancier Convexe S² in either a grey or blue livery (two editions).
In the grey model, Greubel Forsey utilizes a wide range of finishes meant to magnify each chromatic variation. This is created using frosted plates and straight-grained and mirror-polished surfaces. Breaking the grey layout is a colorful power reserve featuring an arrow that points out the long seventy-two-hour reserve performance.
On the blue version, Greubel Forsey offers a lighter-hued mainplate, a dark blue hour-ring and raised luminescent hour-markers. These make the large balance and small seconds display at 8 o’clock stand out.
Greubel Forsey will make eighty-eight pieces of each new 41.5 mm Balancier Convexe S² in titanium.
The Greuble Forsey Double Balancier Convexe is slightly smaller in a 42.5mm titanium case.
Double Balancier Convexe
For this model, Greubel Forsey has re-configured the case as well as the movement. The new 42.5mm case now slips more easily than its larger forebear under a fitted sleeve. It also displays a more natural titanium hue with a polished bezel with satin finishes, allowing for more dramatic light reflection, depending on the viewing angle.
Flanking each corner are the watch’s namesake two balance wheels, each inclined at 30° and separated by a constant spherical differential between the 6 o’clock and 7 o’clock positions that ‘calculates’ their average timing rate. (See below for full specification details.)
Within the bezel you’ll seem elements of contrasting light and shadow. For instance, the lettering on the barrel cover blends well with the case while the bridges of each balance wheel reveal the high level of hand-applied black polishing that characterizes Greubel Forsey movements.
Greubel Forsey offers the 42.5 mm Double Balancier Convexe with a grey rubber strap or on a beautifully integrated titanium bracelet.
Highlights: Hours and minutes, small seconds, power-reserve, 30° inclined Greubel Forsey balance wheel system.
Movement: Manual Wind with 72-hour power reserve, frequency of 21,600 vibrations/hour.
Barrels:Two coaxial series-coupled fast-rotating barrels (1 turn in 3.2 hours), one of which is equipped with a slipping spring to avoid excess tension, relief-engraved text, circular-grained, black treatment.
Bridges and main plates: Titanium, frosted, polished beveling and countersinks, anthracite or blue treatment according to the version, multi-level, open-worked suspended-arch bridge, black treatment, straight-grained and polished, polished beveling and countersinks.
Movement side: Frosted bridges, polished edges and beveling, gold plate with engraved limitation number, circular- grained, polished beveling and countersinks, straight-grained flanks .
Escapement:Titanium inclined at a 30° angle with frosted, polished countersinks, large straight-grained inclined facet, multi-level, open-worked balance wheel bridge, straight-grained and polished, polished beveling and countersinks.
Case: 41.5mm by 12.48mm (14.80mm with sapphire crystal) titanium with curved synthetic sapphire crystal, three-dimensional, variable geometry-shaped bezel, hand-polished with hand-finished straight graining, profiled lugs, screwed fixing, transparent back with high domed synthetic sapphire crystal, titanium security screws, raised engraving “Balancier Incliné” and “Greubel Forsey.”
Dial: Three-dimensional, variable geometry hour-ring, polished, with engraved and lacquered minute-circle, three-dimensional, variable geometry hour indexes, polished, with Super-Luminova, power-reserve indicator, engraved and lacquered, gold small seconds dial with polished bevel.
Strap and clasp:Non-animal material, rubber with texture in relief, titanium folding clasp, engraved GF logo. Three-row metal bracelet in titanium, folding clasp with integrated fine adjustment, engraved GF logo on demand.
Highlights: Double Balancier, hours and minutes, small seconds, 4-minutes spherical constant differential rotation, power-reserve display.
Movement: Hand-wound movement with 72-hour power reserve. Frequency of 21,600 vibrations/hour.
Bridges and main plates: Titanium with frosted, polished beveling and countersinks, grey treatment, multi-level, open-worked centre bridge, polished beveling and countersinks.
Movement side: Flat black polished steel differential bridge, gold plate with engraved limitation number, circular-grained, polished beveling and countersinks, straight-grained flanks.
Barrels: Two coaxial series-coupled fast-rotating barrels (1 turn in 3.2 hours), one of which is equipped with a slipping spring to avoid excess tension, relief-engraved text, circular-grained, black treatment, polished chamfer.
Escapements:Inclined at a 30° angle, steel, straight graining, hand-polished beveling and countersinks, polished steel pillars, open-worked steel balance wheel bridges, hand-polished beveling and countersinks, flat black polished.
Case: 42.5mm by 14.35mm (with crystal) titanium with curved synthetic sapphire crystal, three-dimensional, variable geometry-shaped bezel, hand-polished with hand-finished straight graining, profiled lugs, screwed fixing, transparent back with curved synthetic sapphire crystal, titanium security screws, raised engraving “Double Balancier” and “Greubel Forsey.”
Dial:Three-dimensional, variable geometry hour-ring with engraved and lacquered minute-circle, three-dimensional, variable geometry hour indexes, polished, with Super-Luminova, power-reserve indicator, engraved and lacquered, differential rotation and small seconds indicators ingold. Power-reserve hands, 4-minutes and small seconds in polished steel, blued according to the version, flat black polished head.
Strap and clasp:Non-animal material, rubber with texture in relief, titanium folding clasp, engraved GF logo. Three-row metal bracelet in titanium, folding clasp with integrated fine adjustment, engraved GF logo on demand.
Ulysse Nardin revisits its futuristic UFO marine chronometer clock, made in partnership with Maison L’Epée, adding three new colorful limited editions.
All three debuts are tied to a retail partnership: a green model represents Yoshida in Japan, ice blue is for Bucherer and a champagne-colored UFO commemorates the watchmaker’s relationship with The Hour Glass in South-East Asia.
As we noted when Ulysse Nardin debuted the first UFO in 2021 to celebrate the watchmaker’s 175th anniversary, the sixteen-pound, 10.3-inch-tall aluminum and glass clock is the futuristic interpretation of what Ulysse Nardin’s designers, engineers, and watchmakers think a marine chronometer should look like in 175 years.
The UFO’s rounded base allows for a swinging motion that is meant to conjure images of the perpetually moving ocean and Ulysse Nardin’s history as a maker of award-winning marine chronometers.
Ulysse Nardin sold out its first seventy-five piece run of the dark blue UFO. In addition, a second UFO tinted orange sold for CHF 380,000 at the Only Watch charity auction in 2021. This newest UFO trio, each to be made as a limited edition of thirty pieces, will mark the clock’s final production.
The clock rocks
Maison L’Epée and Ulysse Nardin constructed the UFO to swing up to 60° from its axis – an amplitude of 120 degrees – without altering its precision.
L’Epée requires 663 components, and plenty of time, to build each UFO, with the three trapezoidal dials being among the clock’s most complex components. The manufacturer says it takes twenty-eight hours to manufacture eight of the dials. Three are placed into each UFO to allow the owner to display three different time zones at once, each seen from a different angle.
The UFO features six massive barrels that confer a full year of power reserve when fully wound with forty turns of a key. At the top of the movement L’Epee and Ulysse Nardin have installed a dramatic slow-beat, large-diameter (49mm) brass balance wheel.
The size and the leisurely 3,600 bph balance frequency (one per second) soothes the viewer while also contributing to movement’s ultra-long power reserve. And to put a finer point on the clock’s meditative rate, you’ll find a dead-beat second indicator just below the balance.
Ulysse Nardin includes a limited-edition certificate and a winding and setting key in the wooden box that houses each UFO.
Price: $68,600.
Specifications: Ulysse Nardin UFO
Three limited editions of 30 numbered pieces:
UFO | Yoshida Exclusive – 9023-900LE-8A-YOS
UFO | Bucherer Exclusive – 9023-900LE-3A-BUCH
UFO | The Hour Glass Exclusive – 9023-900LE-9A-THG
Movement: UN-902 caliber table clock, manually wound movement displaying three time zones, hours, minutes, deadbeat second, 675 components, six barrels, extra-large oscillator (49mm),0.5 Hz /3,600 Alt/H, one-year power reserve.
Case: Colored aluminum and blown glass measuring 263mm (H) x 159mm. Weight: 15.8 pounds.
