The 2023 Only Watch Collections
Lot 1 - ANDERSEN GENÈVE - JUMPING HOURS ONLY WATCH 2023
Estimate: CHF 40,000 - 50,000
Platinum, pink gold and jade stone – elegance and refinement at its best. The hour is indicated through a window at 12 o’clock, while the minutes are displayed on a sub-dial at 6 o’clock.
Andersen Genève has been proudly supporting Only Watch since the first edition in 2005, when it was the very first lot auctioned. For the 10th Edition, we’re happy once again to donate a Unique Piece to this noble cause.
This time, Andersen Genève is presenting an exceptional version of the acclaimed Jumping Hours, launched in 2020 to celebrate the brand’s 40th Anniversary.
This Unique Piece combines a platinum case, plus pink gold crown, with a unique dial of pure jade stone, delicately cut to a thickness of just 0.4mm and worked to a perfectly flat, flawless finish. This requires incredible skill to create without breaking it: at its thinnest point, where the hour wheel is recessed beneath it, the dial is just 0.15mm thick.
The effect is bewitching. Seen from afar, the dial seems a deep, alluring black, forming a rich contrast with the minutes hand, chapter ring and brand logo in powdered pink gold. Close inspection, however, reveals the veins and details running through the jade – the unique qualities of the stone. It is a watch that showcases both the minimalistic elegance and the high craftsmanship of the Jumping Hours, in the most luxurious and alluring way.
Lot 5 - ATELIER DE CHRONOMÉTRIE - AdC30 ONLY WATCH
Estimate: CHF 50,000 - 70,000
Time only with sub-seconds encased in a 18K grey gold round case with stepped lugs with a superb two-tone sandwich dial with 18K rose gold and blued steel leaf hands.
For this new Only Watch edition the AdC team wanted to take another step forward and the AdC30 is the result. It is a very special and unique timepiece which also comes with a new in-house calibre (M284), a case with an enhanced design and a dial handmade by the team in Barcelona for the first time.
True to this goal, the design of the handmade 18K grey gold case has been improved giving a larger stepped shape of the lugs. It is a delicate case that combines perfectly with a very original sandwich dial with a complex execution. The result is a noticeable exquisite look.
The calibre M284 is the new AdC’s in-house movement, and it comes with a special handmade frosting decoration different from the regular M284 version. Its timeless look is totally aligned with the brand DNA, evoking the past with an architecture inspired in the calibres from the 1940's.
A rich mixture of high-end traditional finishes such as handmade frosting, anglage, perlage, polished countersinks, straight graining, étirage des flancs, black polish and beveled screws make it unique.
Lot 24 - FURLAN MARRI - FURLAN MARRI x DOMINIQUE RENAUD x JULIEN TIXIER – SECULAR PERPETUAL CALENDAR - PIÈCE UNIQUE FOR ONLY WATCH 2023
Estimate: CHF 20,000 - 30,000
An ultra-simplified secular perpetual calendar signed Furlan Marri x Dominique Renaud x Julien Tixier. Hours, minutes, date, day of the week, month, leap year indication on the central hand. Secular year indication (Maltese cross). Rhodium-plated silver case and bracelet.
For its first participation at Only Watch 2023, the young independent watch brand Furlan Marri has teamed up with renowned watchmakers Dominique Renaud and Julien Tixier to create an ultra-simplified, modular secular perpetual calendar.
A secular module is grafted onto this perpetual calendar, making it accurate over the next 4 centuries, which make up the secular years. Of these 4 centuries, 3 will not be leap years.
Dominique Renaud carries in him the inventor’s flame: he first puts his ideas down on paper and then turns them into models, the old-fashioned way, as he did in the days of Renaud & Papi, with plexiglass and metal parts.
Then it’s the turn of Julien Tixier, who, in addition to co-inventing, translates the concepts and ideas into something the computer can understand so that all the parts work together and can be manufactured: the case, the components of the date module, the dial, but also the finishes and various treatments, such as electroplating and titanium treatment.
Lot 33 - KONSTANTIN CHAYKIN - STARGAZER ONLY WATCH 2023 PIÈCE UNIQUE
Estimate: CHF 150,000 - 220,000
Meet Stargazer Only Watch 2023, the most complicated Konstantin Chaykin watch! For the first time, the Wristmon gets 16 complications, a double-sided reversible design and a pre-shaped reversible strap – it can be worn with the tourbillon open to admire it.
With the Stargazer watch, Konstantin Chaykin is writing a new chapter in his saga of unique timepieces created for the Only Watch charity auctions. The master is certain: "The art of watchmaking has many facets. It's an expression of the creative spirit, it raises complications and designs to the level of art, it perpetuates age-old traditions. At the same time, it can contribute to medical research, an extremely important aspect for which the "Only Watch" initiative is one of the symbols.
For the 2023 edition of Only Watch, Konstantin Chaykin focused on the idea of a multi-complication watch. He combined the Joker design with an unprecedented number of complications. The Stargazer features a total of 16 complications, including a tourbillon and 11 astronomical functions. This includes a symmetrical case shape, swinging H-shaped lugs, and a reversible strap with special fastening and a reversible buckle. The Stargazer features two dials allowing for numerous indications without compromising legibility. Some complications are unprecedented in the history of watchmaking: a discrete moonphase, sunrise and sunset azimuth indicators – these inventions are patent pending.
Lot 34 - KRAYON - KRAYON ANYWHERE ONLY WATCH 2023
Estimate: CHF 150,000 - 250,000
What if you could tell the exact time of sunrise – or sunset – at a precise location chosen by the wearer, anywhere in the world? As an ode to nature, Krayon celebrates the natural elements through Anywhere Only Watch 2023 - made of titanium, a first for Krayon.
Krayon had previously explored the technique of miniature painting – where each colour is deposited by hand in tiny cells hollowed out of the metal – to create a work of incredible refinement for the 2021 edition of Only Watch. This time, Krayon again keeps the colour blue and explores the very intricate and precise technique of pointillism, as inspired by Théo van Rysselberghe’s painting.
The artist’s perceptiveness with minute brushstrokes, the paint deposited in small, skilful touches, giving almost imperceptible reliefs to this ‘canvas dial’, the rich palette of a multitude of shades of blue, the reflection of the sky on the waves, the light caressing their surface, creating contrasts to reveal a myriad sparkles…
In a masterfully controlled circular movement, the dial reveals an exceptional creation, honouring age-old techniques by calling on the rare specialists who still hold their secrets today.
The technical prowess of the movement and the artistic sensibility of the dial: this watch born of the vision of watch designer Rémi Maillat, founder of Krayon, keeps alive time-honoured Swiss traditions, while delighting connoisseurs and lovers of refinements that have become only too rare.
Lot 49 - RESSENCE - RESSENCE TYPE 1²
Estimate: CHF 20,000 - 30,000
TYPE 1² Only Watch 2023 defies the odds with timeless hope. The Ressence TYPE 1² Square Only Watch 2023 captures the essence of disorder and victory, with a unique DNA-inspired dial symbolising the pursuit of a cure.
This watch embodies a profound message of hope and victory. The dial of the TYPE 1² OW23 is where its distinctiveness truly shines. To symbolise this genetic anomaly, the dial features a blue painted DNA chain on a silver background. The unique visual representation, combined with Ressence's signature revolving discs, forms a two-dimensional dial design that delicately portrays the disorder and hope intertwined with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
Furthermore, the TYPE 1² OW23 watch incorporates a weekly revelation. Every Sunday at midnight, when all the discs align, the dial reveals a well-aligned DNA chain, a moment that represents the hope for a cure and the progress of research.
This captivating feature reinforces the idea that with every passing second, the advancement of research brings us closer to victory over the disease. Since blue is one of the main colours of the Only Watch 2023 edition and can be associated with vast and seemingly infinite expanses, as the ocean and the sky, or hope and knowledge; it was chosen as the accent colour of this one-of-a-kind dial. The blue calf leather strap is also a nod to the Only Watch colours, with a red lining and green edging, punctuating the watch's design.
Lot 48 - RESERVOIR x TELOS WATCH - RESERVOIR x TELOS WATCH EDITION ONLY WATCH 2023 TIEFENMESSER TOURBILLON
Estimate: CHF 50,000 - 60,000
The Tiefenmesser Tourbillon is a new Reservoir x Télôs watch co-creation: this unique crafted piece is unveiled exclusively for Only Watch 2023, combining creative vintage display - 240° retrograde minute and jumping hour - with renowned high-watchmaking savoir-faire from Switzerland."
Reservoir proudly presents its very first in-house Tourbillon in collaboration with Télôs watch: a major technical step change for the emerging and independent brand, achieved with the collaboration of the renowned movement manufacturer from La Chaux-de-Fonds, RESERVOIR’s strategic partner since its earliest days. The unique crafted piece takes inspiration from the nautical measuring instruments of the last century, with a typical display like the depth gauge aboard submarines. Encapsulated in a bronze case, it displays a regulator-type enamel “Grand Feu” dial, a blue hand for the retrograde minutes at 240° and jumping hours – last both being the brand’s aesthetic signature.
The unique Swiss made watchmaking savoir-faire of Télôs watch is demonstrated by the imposing presence of a tourbillon at 6 o’clock featuring 437-pieces and 46-stones. Clocked at 4Hz and powered by a double barrel, it offers a 60-hours power reserve. The case back reveals an exclusive oscillating weight engraved with indications found on “chadburns” from old submarines.
Lot 52 - SINGER REIMAGINED x GENUS - 8-TRACK WATCH FOR ONLY WATCH
Estimate: CHF 100,000 - 120,000
The 8-Track Watch for Only Watch - The crossroads of time keeping passion and automotive dreams brought to life. Ingenious, unexpected, and clever, the 8-Track Watch is the horological embodiment of technical excellence and childhood fun.
The 8-Track Watch is a fusion of ideas, passions, mechanics and two independent watch brands: a watch with a Singer aesthetic in a case inspired by the iconic watches of the 60s and 70s, with a deep connection to the world of motorsports; the perfect setting for the exceptional mechanics of the display complication invented by Genus.
With its 43mm diameter and cushion-shaped case, the elongated edges at 6 and 12 o'clock seem to magnify the case band, prolonging the arc of tension. The crown is positioned at 4 o'clock. Mounted on a leather strap perforated like the glove of a racecar driver from another time, it truly is a racer’s watch!
The engine under the hood is the powerful Genus in-house caliber, a groundbreaking mechanical concept for telling time on a wristwatch. An unprecedented design, without a dial, without hands, the display complication centers around an award-winning innovation. Two patents have been filed for this time indication system in which a mechanical component – the genus – moves freely from one orbit to another on a non-linear, intersecting figure 8 trajectory: the symbol of infinity.
Lot 57 - TRILOBE - RÉCONCILIATION
Estimate: CHF 25,000 - 35,000
Inspired by the Japanese art Kintsugi, “Réconciliation” by Trilobe embodies the philosophy of embracing life’s imperfections. The timepiece reveals the beauty hidden behind the flaws by gilding its cracks with gold leaves. This new version of the iconic Une Folle Journée, celebrates life’s transformative journey.
This piece was inspired from the Japanese art of Kintsugi (金継ぎ), which consists in repairing broken objects with gold. A profoundly inspiring philosophy: Kintsugi considers that scars carry stories that deserve to be valued. The story of this piece thus transcends physical mechanics and plunges its readers into the realm ofphilosophical contemplation. With its exposed fractures, this timepiece bears witness to the passage of time.
Like the tribulations of life that shape us, this unique creation pays tribute to the journey it has undertaken - a transformative odyssey where it has been intentionally broken, only to emerge even more precious and captivating. The impact marks on the rings and the movement are handmade by a craftsman watchmaker who achieves a hammered effect finish on the bridges, the plate, and the symbolic rings. The damaged parts are then gilded by hand with gold leaves.
Lot 60 - URWERK - SPACE-TIME BLADE
Estimate: CHF 45,000 - 80,000
Urwerk embarks on a new groundbreaking journey, redefining the very essence of time through a fresh and captivating approach. To materialize this extraordinary vision, the expertise of talented craftsman Dalibor Farny has been enlisted. Brace yourself for an experience that will take your breath away...
Let us introduce you the Urwerk's Space-Time Blade: Where Science-Fiction and Time telling meet in a glowing magic. Let the digits of light guide you through the Spacetime continuum, as this remarkable glass column illuminates not only the hours, minutes, and seconds but also kilometers depicting our smooth Earth travel.
Encapsulated into the glass by the talented Dalibor Farny, this extraordinary creation blends artistry and precision, inviting you to venture into a world where time becomes a luminous journey.
The auction will take place on November 5, 2023, at 2pm at PALEXPO, in Geneva (as well as online and via phone for bidding). Preview in Hong Kong will be hosted between October 5-6, 2023. Stay tuned!