A First Look At ONLY WATCH 2023

Only Watch 2023 boasts 62 brands and collaborations come together for the 10th edition of the iconic charity auction of unique timepieces benefitting research on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

The lots will be auctioned in collaboration with Christie’s, for the fourth consecutive time, on 5 November 2021, at Palexpo in Geneva.

Here are some of the lots that have caught our eye on first glance!

Patek Philippe – A Tribute to Philippe Stern

This edition of Only Watch coincides with the 85th birthday of Philippe Stern, Patek Philippe Honorary President, both happening in November. Thierry Stern, President of the Geneva manufacture, has chosen to pay tribute to his father by creating an exclusive limited-edition wristwatch with his favorite grand complication, which will feature an entirely new movement. This movement, designed and produced exclusively for this tribute watch, will never be used again. “This is a way of thanking him for everything he taught me and all the passion for excellence that he deployed in favor of Patek Philippe”.

The first watch of this 30-piece limited edition, produced in a unique Only Watch design version, will be offered to the Only Foundation for its fundraising auction. Patek Philippe is thus honoring the exceptional career of Philippe Stern who contributed to the renewal of fine watchmaking, while also supporting a cause that is dear to the Stern family.

Going by the unique creations from Patek Philippe for past editions of Only Watch, such as the Complicated Desk Clock offered in 2021 and the first and only Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A-010 in steel from 2019, this one will no doubt be anything short of stunning. Keep your eyes peeled for the big reveal!

Hublot MP-15 Takashi Murakami ONLY WATCH Sapphire

This sapphire watch is inspired by Takashi Murakami’s iconic smiling flower with at its centre Hublot’s first ever central tourbillon, surrounded by twelve petals set with 444 gemstones. The watch boasts an impressive power reserve of 150 hours. Blossoming around as many values as there are colours, whether these are high-tech, exquisite, playful, unique, hypnotic… Haute Horlogerie meets Haute Joaillerie on this highly creative watch.

Imagining this piece, Takashi Murakami explicitly requested the inclusion of a central tourbillon. A challenge in and of itself, this would become Hublot’s very first central tourbillon. This complication represents the fusion of art and horological design. The idea is certainly to have Haute Horlogerie take centre stage physically, but not only that. The idea is also to show that the tourbillon – the beating heart of the watch – represents the heart of the person who buys it at the auction in aid of research against Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and also the hearts of those children fighting the disease. Hublot has risen to the challenge, with exceptional design choices that integrate the aesthetic components to the technical requirements of the central tourbillon, while ensuring the time indication in the same central position is not compromised.

With its MP-15, Takashi Murakami has created the ultimate gift for the winning bidder. A unique calligraphy in black ink on coffee filter paper, “Time of Rainbow”, by Takashi Murakami will be gifted with the sale of the MP-15 Takashi Murakami Only Watch Sapphire.

Girard-Perregaux Neo Constant Escapement Only Watch Edition

A loyal supporter of Only Watch, Girard-Perregaux unveils a unique Neo Constant Escapement Only Watch Edition. This evolution of the groundbreaking Constant Escapement L.M., a model that won the “Aguille D’Or” at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie Genève 2013, the piece unique incorporates numerous aesthetic and technical improvements and serves to showcase the Manufacture’s technical prowess and legendary craftsmanship, all expressed in a neoteric form.

A problem that afflicts most watches is that when fully wound the force from the spring barrel, ultimately serving the regulating organ, is excessive. Conversely, as the energy within the barrel diminishes, prior to the point of total exhaustion, the regulating organ receives insufficient force that impairs precision.

The Constant Escapement addresses such problems, providing a uniform supply of force to the regulating organ and, by default, extraordinary rate stability.

For the 2023 edition of Only Watch, Girard-Perregaux has masterminded a pièce unique inspired by its famous Bridges collection. Encased in sandblasted 18K pink gold and measuring 45mm in diameter, this exemplar of Haute Horlogerie incorporates numerous refined finishes. The timepiece eschews a conventional dial, revealing many functional parts front of house. This inventory of components includes twin barrels and a unique silicium blade that buckles back and forth, serving the regulating organ with a uniform pulse of force.

Ulysse Nardin Freak S Only Watch

The Freak S is a marvel, a spaceship on the wrist. The Freak S Only Watch edition is a new iteration of this masterpiece, signed with Only Watch tones that sublimate this watch, making it impressive and eye-catching. True to the FREAK collection principles, the micromechanical machinery featured in the Freak S is a carrousel, with no hands, no dial, and no crown. The Freak S indicates the time thanks to the rotation of its own movement. Two bridges rotate around its center. They respectively indicate the hours and minutes. An arrow shows the hours while the nose cone of the spaceship indicates the minutes.

Whereas in traditional tourbillons the balance wheel makes one rotation per minute within a cage, in the Freak S, it’s the whole movement – including its regulating organ – that makes a complete turn on itself in one hour. Time setting on the Freak S is done by rotating the bezel in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction.

The Freak S incorporates the following innovations: a double oscillator in silicon and a double escapement in DiamonSil, a vertical differential and a “Grinder” automatic winding system (twice as efficient as a traditional winding system).

Freak S Only Watch is an exclusive interpretation of this timepiece. Featuring two plates, one indicating the unique edition “1/1” in place of the crown and one “Only Watch” on the opposite side, this masterpiece features Only Watch’s signature 2023 colours: red, pink, blue, green, yellow and orange tones enhance this watch, making it impressive and eye-catching.

TUDOR Prince Chronograph One

TUDOR is celebrating a classic chronograph from the ‘70s in a charming, modern way. For the first time a brand-new prototype Manufacture Chronograph Calibre, fully developed by TUDOR, is being presented in a unique 18K yellow gold interpretation of a TUDOR classic, the “Big Block” chronograph.

TUDOR watches are all about value, reliability, and robustness —and that often means watches that typically favours materials like stainless steel or titanium— but for Only Watch, TUDOR dared to break the rules with an entirely new 18K yellow gold case that celebrates the return of the legendary “Big Block” Chronograph, the first TUDOR automatic chronograph, released in 1976. The unique Prince Chronograph carries on this spirit with another incredible first: a brand-new Manufacture Chronograph Calibre entirely developed by TUDOR. The prototype of this calibre, movement “number 0” in the development process, is found inside the TUDOR Prince Chronograph “One”. The new caliber, MT59XX, features column-wheel construction and meets all TUDOR Manufacture Calibre performance standards.

Only Watch 2023 will make its Singapore stopover at Malmaison by The Hour Glass in October. Stay tuned for further details. For more information about Only Watch 2023, visit the website.