The 33 unique pieces created for Only Watch were sold on September 28th during the Monaco Yacht Show by Antiquorum auctioneers for a total of 5,066,000 euros. The event was attended by HSH Prince Albert of Monaco who has supported the project ever since it was first launched. Reference 5004T by Patek Philippe went under the hammer for the phenomenal sum of 2,950,000 euros after a lengthy duel between Chinese and American bidders. This edition of Only Watch thus set a new double record : for the total amount of sales (the previous record stood at 4.5 million euros for the 2011 auction) ; and for the world’s most expensive titanium watch. As in the past, the entire sum raised will serve to fund research into muscular dystrophy, notably in Switzerland. Thanks to these investments, a brand-new scientific centre has indeed just been set up in Monaco. Luc Pettavino, founder of the Monaco Association Against Muscular Dystrophy, was relieved by the outcome and it was with considerable emotion that he expressed his gratitude to the representatives of the watch brands that once again showed their trust by taking part in this charity auction. Keenly aware of the significance of this exceptional biennial event, the CEO of Patek Philippe, Thierry Stern, had travelled to Monaco along with several representatives of the firm’s senior management.
Richard Mille was once again on the podium with its Yohan Blake Tourbillon model that sold for € 350,000 The third highest bid was for the unique piece by Laurent Ferrier (€ 130,000), closely followed by Breguet and DeWitt (120,000.), Christophe Claret, Hublot and Vacheron Constantin (100,000.-), De Bethune (95,000) and Roger Dubuis (70,000. Among the brands that did particularly well by earning bids above their upper estimates, Chronoswiss, Girard-Perregaux and Maurice Lacroix managed to appeal to collectors through their creativity.
All the results may be viewed on the antiquorum.com and onlywatch.com websites.
International Chronometry Congress
Over 800 participants congregated in the Stravinski Auditorium in Montreux at the end of the September to attend 17 lectures dealing with the functions of the watch and of the movement. They also witnessed the prize-giving ceremony for the 4th edition of the Swiss Society of Chronometry’s rating competition, featuring the work of 88 students from 17 watch industry learning centres in Switzerland. In February 2013, entrants had received a mechanical movement in kit form that they were to assemble, adjust and rate. Speakers dealt with a range of topics including new or reinterpreted functions, innovative displays and original mechanisms. Two guest lectures broadened participants’ horizons: one by presenting the work of the CERN and the universe of particles; and the other by addressing the role of women in the watchmaking world. The first prize in the competition was indeed awarded to a young woman.
