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Watch Auctions
Top brands set for charity watch auction
New York--The world’s top watch brands will make time for a good cause next month in Monaco, the scene of the fourth “Only Watch” charity auction.
Started in 2005 by Luc Pettavino, president of the Monegasque Association against Muscular Dystrophies and held every two years, Only Watch brings together the world’s most prestigious brands to raise money to support research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a debilitating neuromuscular disease.
This year’s auction is scheduled for Sept. 23 during the Monaco Yacht Show with HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco presiding. It is organized by Antiquorum Auctioneers Geneva.
Here’s a look at some of the brands and their one-of-a-kind timepieces that will be part of Only Watch in 2011.
Blancpain is donating the Villeret Grande Decoration featuring an ultra-thin, hand-wound Calibre 15B movement stemming from the pocket watch in the same collection.
The 45mm, red gold timepiece has a clean, cambered grand feu enameled dial while its movement was engraved with scenery from Monaco by master engraver Marie-Laure Tarbouriech (above).
Breguet created a white gold Réveil Musical watch (below) that plays “Castle in the Sky” either on demand or at a pre-set time. The original dial features a child’s hand that completes a full rotation to touch the adult hand located between 1 and 2 o’clock on the flange, symbolizing inter-generational support for research on Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
The 48mm timepiece features a mechanical self-winding movement with a 55-hour power reserve. The caseback is personalized for Only Watch 2011 and inscribed “pièce unique.”
Chopard has crafted the Only Watch L.U.C. Engine One Tourbillon (below) with its proprietary L.U.C. Calibre 1TRM movement. The timepiece features a 60-hour power reserve, power reserve display at 12 o’clock positioned opposite the tourbillon bridge at 6 o’clock--a first in design for Chopard--and a DLC titanium case that is water resistant to 50 meters.
This special Only Watch version of the L.U.C. Engine One Tourbillon is black and yellow and has “Only Watch 2011” engraved on the side of its case.
From Girard Perregaux is the ww.tc Only Watch (below) featuring the GP03387 self-winding movement, which combines the simultaneous display of the date, small seconds, world times and a “fly-back” chronograph.
For the first time, Girard Perregaux’s engineers used ultra-light titanium oxide to produce the white single-piece watch-case middle of this timepiece. The 43mm watch also features an exhibition case-back in smoked sapphire crystal.
From Glashütte is a red gold Senator Chronometer with a black matte dial highlighting the roman numerals and panorama date (below).
The timepiece features the Glashütte Original manual winding Calibre 58-01 movement, which powers the Senator Chronometer model and is accompanied by a wood case created as a tribute to marine chronometer housings.
Jaquet Droz is donating a Petite Heure Minute model with an ivory grand feu enameled dial with a miniature landscape painting of Monaco (below).
The 43mm, 18-karat red gold timepiece has a self-winding mechanical movement, 68-hour power reserve with a 22-carat white gold oscillating weight bearing a sunray motif and a Jaquet Droz secret signature.
Piaget is offering its first Altiplano Skeleton with black PVD treatment (below). The Calibre 838P timepiece features gold hands and accents.
From Richard Mille is the RM 027 (below) worn by tennis superstar Rafael Nadal when he won the 2011 Monte Carlo championship for the 7th consecutive year. The tourbillon watch has a manual winding mechanism and weighs less than 20 grams. Richard Mille produced only 50 RM 027 timepieces.
Urwerk will be auctioning the UR-103 Phoenix, a white gold timepiece hand-engraved with the mythical bird by master engraver Jean-Vincent Huguenin.
The 103 (above) features a 36-hour power reserve and a rotating satellite complication; the time is indicated by the orbiting hour satellites as they pass the arc of the minutes. The slanting sides of the satellite allow wearers to tell the time without turning their wrist while SuperLumiNova allows the watch to be read both day and night.









