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Only Watch 2023 Favorites: Louis Vuitton 

This year more than sixty watchmakers have created timepieces for the Only Watch charity auction, which begins 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 Louis Vuitton Tambour Einstein Automata, one of premier pieces in the auction this year. 

The watch displays time only on demand with a movement Manufactured by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, the calibre 525. Einstein’s famous mop of hair crafted in steel and extends beyond the 46.8mm steel case, with one particular lock being a disguised automata push-piece. When this push-piece is actuated, four animations spring to life on the dial.

Once the lock of hair is pushed, the forehead aperture display changes to show the hour. Then the atom model rotates, with one of its valence orbitals (a lacquered, pointed end) moves to the appropriate position on a 0–60 scale to provide the minutes.

Other automata includes the Monogram Flower eye that narrows its petals and the tongue that  extends fully. Even the power reserve is playful.

When the 100-hour power reserve dips low, the indicator transitions from LV to OW. E no longer equals LV². Instead, the letters are replaced with the initials of the Only Watch, a visual cue that prompts the wearer to wind the watch.

The Tambour Einstein Automata Only Watch 2023 marks the first time that grisaille enamel has been used in a Louis Vuitton timepiece. More than 50 hours of enameling went into Einstein’s face alone, with an additional 80 hours dedicated to the base dial in translucent black enamel with overlay of white enamel “chalk” scribbles.

Estimate: CHF 340,000 – 440,000.

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Only Watch 2021 Raises $32.1 Million for Charity

The ninth edition of the Only Watch charity timepiece auction raised $32.1 million to fund research to combat Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Auctioneer Christie’s reports that the event, held at the Geneva Palexpo for the first time, resulted in all fifty-three one-off horological creations designed for the auction sold to collectors from across the globe, with many reaching final hammer results after spirited bidding volleys.

Five of the auction items drew final bids exceeding $1 million. These included pieces by Patek Philippe, F.P. Journe, Audemars Piguet, Richard Mille, and De Bethune/Kari Voutilainen.

The auction, which lasted more than three hours, took place to a crowd of 850 collectors, philanthropists, watchmaking manufacturer representatives, scientists and press.

To see a full listing of the Only Watch 2021 final results click here.

“As the world emerges in the post-pandemic era, it is both humbling and gratifying to see how Only Watch’s message of hope, determination and confidence in the future has again resonated so strongly both with the community of watchmakers who contributed such masterpieces and the community of watch aficionados and generous donators who participated from around the world,” says says Luc Pettavino, President of the Monaco Association Against Muscular Dystrophy and Founder/Organizer of the auction.

Here are a few of the highlights:

De Bethune and Voutilainen Kind of Magic. Estimate $219,444 to $274,306. Final was $1,426,389.
F.P. Journe and Francis Ford Coppola FFCBue, Estimate was $329,167 to $438,889. Final was $4,937,500.

 

Patek Philippe, Complicated Desk Clock. Estimate $438,889 to $548,611, Final was $10,423,612.

 

 

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo Only Watch. Estimate $175,556 to $351,111. Final was $3,401,389.
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The Watches

Only Watch 2021 Favorites: F.P. Journe

This year more than fifty watchmakers have created timepieces for the Only Watch charity auction, which commences Saturday, November 6, in Geneva. Christie’s will auction these incredible 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 inspired designed again just ahead of the event.

The watches will tour the globe starting September 22 in Monaco, and can then be seen in exhibitions in Dubai (September 30 to October 3), Tokyo (October 8 to 10), Singapore (October 15 to 20), Hong Kong (October 25 to 27), Macau (October 28) and finally back in Geneva on November 4-6. Click here for details about the Only Watch world tour.

Today, we highlight the offering from F.P. Journe. The independent watchmaker’s entry into the auction is a stunning central-dial automaton inspired by a mechanical hand created by Ambroise Paré (1509-1590), the father of modern surgery, this unusual 42mm tantalum-cased watch displays time via hand-signs. The hand will rotate to the hour marker (indicated by the pointer) and will show a specific number of fingers to indicate the hours. At 1 o’clock, for example, only one finger will appear while the others remain clenched (see below).

The automaton is powered solely by the Octa movement’s mainspring.

F.P. Journe devised the movement from his Octa Caliber 1300, which celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2021.

Journe explains: “This watch was born in 2012 while having dinner at Francis Ford Coppola’s house in the Napa Valley. He asked me if it could be possible to tell time with a hand in a watch. I replied that the idea was interesting and required thinking about it. But how to display 12 hours with 5 fingers? It was not an easy matter and this complex challenge inspired and motivated me. Once I figured it out, Francis immediately sent the sketches for the fingers positions. After more than 2 years, I could finally focus on “Fecit”. After 7 years of development, I am proud to present the FFC prototype”.

We expect the final sale price for this watch to exceed its auction estimate.

Auction estimate: CHF 300,000 – CHF 400,000.

 

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Only Watch 2021 Favorites: Bell & Ross

With the ninth edition of the Only Watch auction only weeks away, we’re reminding readers about the lineup of incredible watches set for auction at the biennial charity event.

This year more than fifty watchmakers have created timepieces for the charity auction, which commences Saturday, November 6, in Geneva. Christie’s will auction these incredible 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 inspired designed again just ahead of the event.

Note than some of our readers may be able to see all the Only Watch offering in person in the weeks just prior to the event.

The watches will tour the globe starting September 22 in Monaco, and can then be seen in exhibitions in Dubai (September 30 to October 3), Tokyo (October 8 to 10), Singapore (October 15 to 20), Hong Kong (October 25 to 27), Macau (October 28) and finally back in Geneva on November 4-6. Click here for details about the Only Watch world tour.

Today, we highlight the offering from Bell & Ross, which has devised this BR01 Cyber Skull Sapphire, an orange-tinged, all-sapphire example of a series of Skull watches Bell & Ross has offered in recent years.

Bell & Ross machined the sapphire case from three blocks of sapphire and created the skull itself from six blocks of sapphire. The Skull dial was metalized on the back with the Only Watch orange color, a hue that also happens to be one of the colors of choice to enhance legibility in airplane cockpits. The back of the watch also features a special engraving for Only Watch.

In addition to clearly impressive sapphire work here, Bell & Ross has added a fun technical feature that will likely bring grins to the wearer. The automaton movement activates the jaw, which opens and appears to snigger when the wearer winds the spring.

Only Watch auction estimate: CHF 90,000 – CHF 110,000.

 

 

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