The 4^th edition of Only Watch (held on September 23^rd 2011) will go down in the charity auction history books for several reasons. Supported by His Serene Highness Prince Albert of Monaco, and organised every two years by the Monaco Association Against Muscular Dystrophy, the Monaco Yacht Show and Antiquorum, the operation united 40 brands that each agreed to create a one-of-a-kind model, the proceeds of which are to be entirely donated to research in the fight against this disease. The conductor of this exceptional concert of creativity and solidarity, Luc Pettavino, could not conceal his emotion when it came time to thank all participants (the watchmakers along with all those involved in the travelling exhibition – 11 countries spanning three continents – as well as the global communication freely offered to the Only Watch cause). The result was especially touching within the current fragile economic context that seemed liable to affect the bidding.

Fortunately, these combined efforts and good will were rewarded in unexpectedly ample measure, since collectors bought up the 40 lots for a sum double that of the 2009 edition and totalling €4.56 million – spearheaded by a Patek Philippe Ref. 3939 steel watch that fetched €1.4 million! In chronological order, the first good news came with the sale of the Tourbillon Gagarin by Blu for €300,000. Then came the turn of the X-Watch by DeWitt which found a buyer at €410,000.-, subsequently topped by the Richard Mille RM 027 Rafael Nadal that rocketed to €510,000.- Another pleasant surprise was the fierce competition for the Complication Amoureuse from Van Cleef & Arpels, with Japanese and Russian collectors progressively pushing the bidding up to €215,000.- The  brands that had done the most to activate their network in order to exacerbate desire for their unique piece achieved the best results, such as MB&F which saw its HM4 sell for €170,000.- Check out the full results on www.onlywatch.com