The Only Watch 2019 auction was held on Saturday, November 9 by Christies’ in Geneva, Switzerland. The 50 one-of-a-kind watches made for the biennial auction were auctioned off to support the research into the cure of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic disorder characterized by progressive muscle degeneration and weakness. Luc Pettavino, founder and organiser of Only Watch (and winner of the 2019 GPHG Special Jury Prize): “What we do together on Only Watch is not just wishful thinking or good intentions. We are acting. The funds that we have raised over the past seven editions have been an incredible enabler for researchers all around the world to develop their science and get closer to a therapeutic solution for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. They have been used in the creation of biotech companies dedicated to drug discovery and preclinical development, they financed academic research.”
The Only Watch auction has been held biennially since 2005. To date, the charity auctions have raised more than $40 million, and this year’s sale has just added CHF 38,593,000 to that total. Main reason:
A New World Record
The Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A-010 (the only stainless steel version of the Swiss manufacturer’s Grandmaster Chime) was not only the most talked about timepiece in the auction, the watch, equipped with a reversible case, two dials and 20 complications, sold for CHF 31,000,000 to an Asian collector, making it the most expensive wristwatch in the world.
Launched in 2014 on the occasion of Patek’s 175th anniversary, the Grandmaster Chime became part of the manufacture’s regular collection in a white-gold version in 2016. The most complex Patek Philippe wristwatch features 20 complications, including five acoustic functions, two of which are patented global premières: an alarm that strikes the preprogrammed alarm time and a date repeater that sounds the date on demand. The double-face case with the guilloched hobnail pattern is endowed with a patented reversing mechanism.
“Patek Philippe thanks customers, watch enthusiasts, and collectors for their trust in the course of the Only Watch auctions; they have been backing the rising prices and have invested considerable amounts in support of struggle against muscular dystrophy.”
6 Key Takeaways From The 9th Only Watch Auction
- this year’s sale total was CHF 38,593,000, making it the biggest watch auction ever
- 99% go directly to fund research into Muscular Dystrophy
- the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A sold for CHF 31,000,000, setting a new record for the highest price ever paid for a wristwatch at auction
- the Ref. 6300A also represents 80% of the total revenue of Only Watch 2019
- 16 lots went for a lower hammer price than the estimate (see list below for all results)
- with CHF 350,000, the Tudor Black Bay Ceramic One ended up being the watch with the biggest difference between hammer price and high estimate (it sold for more than 60 times its pre-auction estimate)
Scroll down for a closer look at how the participating brands performed:
Only Watch 2019 Results: Top 20
Only Watch 2019 Auction Results: All Watches
(In descending order, prices are in Swiss francs, include the buyer’s premium and are rounded to the nearest franc)
Brand & Model | High Estimate | Hammer Price |
Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime | 3 000 000 | 31 000 000 |
F.P. Journe Astronomic Blue | 600 000 | 1 800 000 |
Audemars Piguet Code 11:59 Tourbillon | 240 000 | 1 000 000 |
Akrivia Chronomètre Contemporain | 60 000 | 360 000 |
Tudor Black Bay Ceramic One | 5 500 | 350 000 |
Richard Mille RM 11-03 | 250 000 | 320 000 |
De Bethune and Urwerk Moon Satellite | 150 000 | 300 000 |
Louis Vuitton Escale Spin Time | 100 000 | 280 000 |
Bovet Récital 23 “Hope” | 80 000 | 280 000 |
Hublot Tourbillon Sapphire Orlinski | 180 000 | 240 000 |
Hermès Arceau L’heure de la lune | 55 000 | 210 000 |
Breguet Type 20 | 50 000 | 210 000 |
Ferdinand Berthoud Chronomètre FB 1 | 200 000 | 150 000 |
Chanel J12 inséparables | 27 000 | 130 000 |
Boucheron Ajourée Amvara | 40 000 | 130 000 |
Czapek Faubourg de Cracovie | 36 000 | 110 000 |
Voutilainen TP1 Pocket Watch | 70 000 | 110 000 |
Montblanc 1858 Split Second Chronograph | 48 000 | 100 000 |
MB&F + L’Épée & T-Rex Tom & T-Rex | 40 000 | 85 000 |
Zenith El Primero A386 | 45 000 | 75 000 |
Jacob & Co. Epic X Chrono Messi | 100 000 | 75 000 |
Grönefeld 1941 Remontoire | 69 000 | 70 000 |
Konstantin Chaykin Joker Selfie | 24 000 | 70 000 |
Christophe Claret Maestro Corail | 106 000 | 70 000 |
Fabergé Winter | 70 000 | 70 000 |
Andersen Genève “Montre à Tact” | 55 000 | 70 000 |
Carl F. Bucherer Patravi ScubaTec | 30 000 | 60 000 |
Frederique Constantin Meteorite Tourbillon PPC | 36 000 | 60 000 |
JLC Master UItra Thin Perpetual Enamel Chestnut | 70 000 | 60 000 |
Bell & Ross BR 05 Skeleton Blue | 25 000 | 55 000 |
Armin Strom Pure Resonance | 55 000 | 50 000 |
Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Automatic | 50 000 | 48 000 |
H. Moser Endeavour Perpetual Moon Concept | 45 000 | 48 000 |
Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Barakuda | 20 000 | 45 000 |
Singer Track 1 | 55 000 | 45 000 |
Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Skelet-One Ceramic | 35 000 | 45 000 |
DeWitt Academia Slide | 80 000 | 45 000 |
Louis Monet Memoris | 40 000 | 42 000 |
Cyrus Klepcys Alarm | 47 000 | 42 000 |
Moritz Grossmann Réserve de Marche Classique | 50 000 | 36 000 |
Ulysse Nardin Exo-Skeleton X | 45 000 | 35 000 |
Artya Son of Earth Precious Butterfly Engraved | 35 000 | 27 000 |
Trilobe “Les Matinaux” | 12 000 | 26 000 |
Arnold & Son DSTB | 38 000 | 26 000 |
Girard Perregaux Laureato Absolute Chronograph | 16 000 | 24 000 |
Ateliers de Monaco Tourbillon Oculus 1297 | 70 000 | 24 000 |
Rebellion Re-Volt | 55 000 | 24 000 |
RJ Arraw 6919 | 21 900 | 24 000 |
Speake Marin London Chronograph | 30 000 | 20 000 |
Maurice Lacroix Aikon Mercury | 15 000 | 17 000 |
Source: Christie’s / Only Watch