In the world of wristwatch auctions, the one that excites me the most is the infamous Only Watch auction. Brands come together to make out-of-this-world one-off designs to donate for auction to raise money for research on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and other neuromuscular diseases. It’s not every day that you see every single horological powerhouse bring something unique to the table, but when it comes to Only Watch, they come out in droves. With an astonishing 62 lots available, picking my top choices was difficult. After hours of looking, examining and admiring, I came up with 7 of my favourites in the 2023 Only Watch collection.
Only Watch is a biennial charity auction created by Luc Pettavino; the world’s best and most sought-after watch brands make and donate a one-of-a-kind timepiece to be auctioned off to raise money for research on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and other neuromuscular diseases. Luc’s son Paul was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in 2000 at the age of four. This marked the beginning of Luc’s quest to raise money for research to find a cure. The first Only Watch launched in 2005. Paul passed in 2016, and the Pettavino family would continue Only Watch to raise funds to find a cure and carry on Paul’s legacy, which preserved this beautiful auction and the beautiful community of passionate collectors and watchmaking artisans.
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1. Lot #28 – H.Moser x MB&F Streamliner Pandamonium
At this point, everyone knows my love for MB&F, but when you get Max Büsser (MB&F) and Edouard Meylan (H.Moser) together to create something extraordinary, you can expect it’ll be exactly that and more. With both brands coming together, we’re presented with the beautiful integrated bracelet and aquamarine dialled beauty, the H. Moser x MB&F Streamliner Pandamonium. H. Moser offered the beautiful design of the already existing Streamliner collection, and MB&F would bring their expertise in mesmerising, exquisite and highly complicated watch movements to create this sci-fi aesthetic masterpiece.
2. Lot #15 – Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Marble
This watch caught my eye immediately and screamed class. It’s not every day that you see a hyper-thin tourbillon with a case and bracelet covered in Verde di Alpi marble, but here we are. The Octo Finissimo is a high-selling watch for Bulgari, featuring many finishes and case/bracelet materials throughout their catalogue. I’m a massive fan of the Octo Finissimo line, but this version for Only Watch struck a chord with me even more than others. The beautiful green marble, the gold contrasting indices, and that beautiful tourbillon cage at 6 o’clock put the biggest grin on my face. The use of Verde di Alpi marble brings a feeling of luxury gone by. Referencing the 80s and 90s, and paired with the modern design of the Octo Finissimo, this makes a truly spectacular watch and an absolute favourite of mine.
3. Lot #7 – Baltic/Baltic Experiments Premier Quantième Perpétuel
Baltic is mainly known as a brand at the top of the microbrand food chain, creating beautiful and affordable watches that catch the eye of many collectors. However, for Only Watch, Baltic decided to pull out all the stops and present a watch that would blow the minds of many, me included, with the Premier Quantième Perpétuel. Baltic Experiments have brought a 37mm stainless steel and titanium watch featuring the new in-house perpetual calendar in collaboration with Emmanuel Bouchet based on the Vaucher Calibre 5401 with a 122-year precise moon-phase complication. From microbrand to brand pushing the boundaries, the Premier Quantième Perpétuel will be a favourite among many.
4. Lot #1 – Andersen Genève Jumping Hours Only Watch 2023
If you’re looking for minimalist elegance, you won’t get any better than this. Platinum, pink gold, and jade stone rolled into one beautiful, simplistic design that still screams elegance and complexity. Andersen Genève has supported Only Watch since the first auction in 2005, and for this year, they’ve provided a Unique Piece based on their 40th-anniversary release in 2020, the Jumping Hours. The watch features a platinum case with a pink gold crown and a 0.4mm jade stone dial, which is hand-finished flat. Powering the Jumping Hours is the Frédéric Piguet 11.50 double barrel automatic movement with a pink gold rotor, hand guilloché pattern, and the Jumping Hours mechanism developed, hand-finished and assembled in-house by Andersen Genève.
5. Lot #58 – Tudor Prince Chronograph One
I don’t think a list is complete without a classic watch or an all-gold chronograph. Tudor dug through their archives to bring us a 70s beauty: the Tudor Prince Chronograph One. This is a celebration of a classic watch and a first for Tudor, a brand-new prototype manufacture calibre fully developed by Tudor in-house and presented with an 18k gold case and bracelet with the overall design inspired by the Tudor “big block” chronograph, released in 1976. Tudor bringing a classic watch with updated/prototype technology via the MT59XX column-wheel chronograph movement is a very Tudor move I’m happy to see on this list.
6. Lot #62 – Zenith Chronomaster Sport Only Watch Set
Not one, not two, but four watches from Zenith. With the Only Watch auction, brands are told to go big, and Zenith brought some heat with four Chronomaster Sport watches available for one lucky collector. The Only Watch Set features a Blue, Red, Yellow and Green Chronomaster Sport, ceramic bezel inserts and the legendary Zenith El Premiro chronograph movement. Seeing four watches on one lot is insane, but it’ll bring a lot of traction and an exciting auction end.
7. Lot #4 – ArtyA Purity Moissanite
The last watch on this list is beyond captivating. Not only has ArtyA brought a new architectural Manufacture movement, but they’ve implemented a case material not yet used in watchmaking that could blow the doors off what’s possible. The case material in question is moissanite. For those unaware, moissanite is a beautiful stone found in the heart of a meteor and has a hardness of 9.5 on the Mohs hardness scale, making this the most protective and resistant case ever produced in watchmaking. The way the light reflects throughout the case gives the impression that the newly designed Purity movement is floating in the center of the dial. While the case is impressive, the new Purity carries three years of hard work between ArtyA and Telos to develop a reliable yet beautiful movement.
To see more pictures of these beautiful watches, or to check out the rest of the lots available, please check out the Only Watch website.
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About the Author
Born into a family obsessed with motorsport, Tyler Frederick became enamoured with speed and beautiful cars at a young age. His love of Formula 1–and all things mechanical–eventually lead him to horology. You can follow him on Instagram.
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