Only Watch 2021

Christie’s Geneva will host the ninth edition of Only Watch, the biennial charity auction whose aim is to raise funds for research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Since its first edition in 2005, Only Watch has raised more than 70 million Euros to support the Association Monégasque contre les Myopathies.

The 2019 edition of the event made history as the unique Grandmaster Chime offered by Patek Philippe sold for $31 Million, thus becoming the most expensive timepiece of all time. 54 brands will offer one-off luxury watches – among them, Audemars Piguet, Blancpain, Breguet, Girard-Perregaux, Hublot, Montblanc, Patek Philippe, TAG Heuer, Tudor, Ulysse Nardin, Zenith. Scroll down to take a look at three of them and click here for the full list.

In the weeks preceding the auction, the watches will be presented to the public, media, and horological enthusiasts, during a promotional tour that will start on 22 September in Monaco and end in Geneva after making stops in Dubai, Tokyo Singapore and Hong Kong. The auction will take place on 6 November, at 2pm (Geneva time), at the Four Seasons Hôtel des Bergues.

  

The Tribute to Fifty Fathoms No Rad revisits a Blancpain diving instrument from the mid-60s. The model created for Only Watch features a chapter ring, hands and a bezel time scale featuring orange-coloured Super-LumiNova®, this shade referring to the colour representing the 2021 edition of Only Watch. The dominant element on the dial is the "no radiations" logo, whose original yellow and red colours have been replaced by orange and yellow.

 

The Breguet Type XX Only Watch 2021 flyback chronograph reproduces the codes of the first generation of civilian Type XX timepieces. The bronze color of its dial is a nod to the original models with dials colored in this way. This unique 38.30 mm piece comes equipped with a Valjoux 235 movement, directly derived from the Valjoux 222 used by Breguet in the 1950s and early 1960s.

 

This unique Tudor Black Bay GMT features a case and bracelet finish that is the result of a stainless-steel ageing technique. The bridges and mainplate of the MT5652 Manufacture Calibre were coated in black before being aged by barrel tumbling. The Black Bay GMT One is a Master Chronometer. Achieving this certification required a substantial number of changes to the movement and highlights the brand's technical expertise and know-how. 

 

 

Pubblicità d'epoca - Ebauches SA (1946)

“Chiamateci e i pezzi arriveranno!” Ebauches SA pubblicò questo annuncio nel 1926. A vent’anni dalla sua fondazione, il gruppo che comprendeva i maggiori fabbricanti svizzeri di movimenti grezzi – Ebauches si può tradurre con “sbozzi” – godeva di una posizione dominante. Ne facevano parte, tra gli altri, AS (A. Schild), ETA, FHF (Fabrique d’Horlogerie de Fontainemelon) e Valjoux. La massima parte delle Case elvetiche utilizzava movimenti forniti da Ebauches SA. Le eccezioni erano rappresentate dalle manifatture di gamma alta. Ma alcune di queste – per esempio Jaeger-LeCoultre, Patek Philippe e Rolex – equipaggiavano i loro cronografi con calibri provenienti da Ebauches, più precisamente da Valjoux. 

Per comprendere l’importanza di questa produzione basta dare un’occhiata all’indice dei nomi di Orologi da polso 1900-1959. Un paio di mesi fa ho pubblicato una classifica delle Case citate nelle 432 pagine del mio ultimo libro, escludendo i fabbricanti dei movimenti. La “vincitrice”, con 53 apparizioni, era Jaeger-LeCoultre. Il primato si deve al fatto che la Casa di Le Sentier fabbricava e vendeva non solo orologi ma anche movimenti, in particolare a Vacheron & Constantin. Se la classifica tenesse conto del gruppo Ebauches SA e delle aziende che ne facevano parte, credo che i risultati sarebbero sorprendenti per molti appassionati. Qualche esempio: le citazioni del gruppo sono 18 (decimo posto della classifica virtuale); AS ne ha 16, ETA 9, FHF 13 e Valjoux 24 (sesto posto virtuale della graduatoria, meglio di Audemars Piguet, Cartier e Vacheron & Constantin).  

Ti piacciono le pubblicità d'epoca? Visita la pagina su Watch Ads, la mia storia illustrata in due volumi della comunicazione e del design nell'orologeria del Novecento. Guarda il video sull'opera e scarica l'anteprima di 20 pagine del Volume 1.

 

 

New releases - Mauron Musy MU 05 Skeleton Armure

 

This timepiece features four successive levels of dials, formed by a bezel, a flange, and two levels of dials with different treatments: one in NAC platinum alloy, the other in titanium or gold, depending on the model. Each surface has its own specific finish – polished, satin, angled, sunburst, or frosted. Mauron Musy has opened up the dial just enough to reveal the vital components of the caliber: the escapement, barrel, and hour and minute pinion. The MU05 Skeleton Armure comes in a limited edition of 13 timepieces.

 

 

New releases - Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Diver

The three watches in khaki, blue or grey feature a new dial aesthetics as well as an interchangeable strap system directly integrated into the case’s studs and buckle. The automatic movement (Caliber 4308) with second and instant-jump date indication is equipped with a patented setting mechanism that brings stability and precision when adjusting the watch’s function.

Vintage timepieces - Vacheron & Constantin

One of the 400 watches featured in Orologi da polso 1900-1959, my brand new book about the history of the wristwatch. Like its predecessor, the out-of-print Lancette & C., the volume is in Italian only.

Uno dei 400 orologi illustrati in Orologi da polso 1900-1959, il libro che ho appena pubblicato sulla storia dell'orologio da polso. Come il suo predecessore Lancette & C., ormai esaurito, è solo in italiano.

 

Orologi da polso 1900-1959 - È pronto!

 

Orologi da polso 1900-1959 sta per arrivare nelle librerie e negli shop online!

Clicca qui per i dettagli sul libro.

 

 

New releases - Baume & Mercier Riviera

    

The new generation of the Riviera features a 42 mm steel case, a dodecagonal bezel equipped with four screws, Swiss Made self-winding and quartz movements, and built-in interchangeable straps in steel or supple materials. The 10616 model seen here is driven by the Baumatic in-house caliber and has a transparent blue sapphire dial as well as an open caseback.