Only Watch 2021 Raises CHF 30 Million (Eur 28.5milion, USD 32.1million) for Research on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in Front of an Audience of 850 Watch Enthousiasts. 25 Countries Participating.
“With this 9th Edition, Only Watch has reached another level. as the world emerges in the post-pandemic era, it is both humbling and gratifying to see how Only Watch’s message of hope, determination and confidence in the future has again resonated so strongly both with the community of watchmakers who contributed such masterpieces and the community of watch aficionados and generous donators who participated from around the world,” says Luc Pettavino, President of the Association Monégasque contre les Myopathies (Monaco Association Against Muscular Dystrophy) and Founder/Organizer of ONLY WATCH.
As the last and final stop of the Only Watch World Tour which started in Monaco and from there took the 53 creations by 54 select watchmaking brands to Dubai, Tokyo, Singapore and Hong Kong, it is only fitting that Geneva, the cradle of watchmaking, be the setting for the grand Finale.
Only Watch 2021 was held for the first time at PALEXPO GENEVA with 850 people in attendance, in response to the increasingly pressing need for a venue capable of accommodating an ever-larger public as well as media representatives from around the world.
3.30 hours of suspense, surprise and joy.
With Christie’s conducting the auction, Only Watch 2021 will also be one for annals, just like the eight editions before it. As large as it was, the room was filled with international supporters, collectors, philanthropists, watchmaking manufacturer representatives, scientists and press speaking all the languages of the world originating from 25 countries participating, and over 100 media professionals there too, to report on the event.
It was thus in an atmosphere of shared values and a shared purpose, but also of keen anticipation that H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco declared open the 9th Edition of Only Watch, adding “We don’t often take the time to reflect on the progress that’s been made. But today, we should: we’ve come a long way. We are at the dawn of a clinical trial of a therapeutic solution that’s been elaborated thanks to ONLY WATCH funding. In the very near future, 12 boys and young men will be given a drug which researchers believe will alleviate the disease. To you all, Only Watch community… you have my gratitude.”
The auction quickly gained momentum as, one by one, the 53 one-off horological creations designed especially for this 9th Edition of Only Watch came up for auction and found a happy owner – sometimes after quite spectacular bidding volleys. See below for the link to the final sale price achieved by each lot.