Over the weekend, the ninth edition of the Only Watch charity auction took place. The biennial auction, which benefits research for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, was held for the first time at the Palexpo Geneva this year.
With Christie’s conducting the auction, the event raised CHF30 million (S$44.42 million) from the sale of 53 unique timepieces from 54 leading watch brands. This brings the total amount raised by the nine editions of Only Watch to over CHF100 million. In the latest edition, five timepieces smashed the CHF1 million mark. (Note that there is no additional buyer’s premium for this auction.) Here are the five priciest pieces.
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05: Kind of Magic by De Bethune x Voutilainen — CHF1.3 million
“‘Kind of Magic‘ reflects the enchanting encounter between two watchmakers, Denis Flageollet and Kari Voutilainen, based on mutual respect, a common vision of watchmaking and a unique sense of independence,” say the press notes for this two-sided watch. Each side of this watch, housed in a 43.3mm case, bears the obvious signature of each of these two highly regarded names.
On the Voutilainen side, for instance, you’ll find his signature guilloche dial and outsize Breguet hands; while the De Bethune side features familiar elements such as the delta-shaped bridge and a chapter ring with transferred numerals. Both sides feature synchronised hands powered by the manual-winding OW21 movement with dead-beat seconds. It’s a collab that’s a lot bigger than the the sum of its parts, and its hammer price certainly reflects the buyer’s appreciation of that fact.
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