The Only Watch 2021 charity auction concluded this weekend at the Palexpo in Geneva, raising close to CHF30 million for research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMS). This means that over the course of nine auctions, Only Watch has raised more than CHF100 million. This year, the top lot was the Patek Philippe Complicated Desk Clock, which sold for CHF9.5 million. Patek Philippe holds the crown for the highest bid realised at CHF31 million for the Grandmaster Chime in 2019. That happens to be the world’s most expensive watch.
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This remarkable watch aside, Only Watch 2021 was probably even more successful in terms of individual watches beating estimates. Some notable examples are the F.P. Journe x Francis Ford Coppola FFC Blue (CHF4.5 million) and the Tudor Black Bay GMT One (CHF650,000, beating an estimate of CHF4-8,000). That Tudor is probably one of the best performers of this auction.
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These watches were all amongst our favourites (as noted here), which also include the TAG Heuer Only Watch Carbon Monaco (CHF290,000), Breguet Type XX Only Watch 2021 (CHF250,000), Blancpain Tribute to Fifty Fathoms No Rad for Only Watch (CHF130,000) and the Girard-Perregaux Casquette Only Watch 2021 (CHF80,000). These are not the only lots to outperform expectations this year, with the auction overall outdoing the last one, as previously noted. In any event, it is gratifying to see such an outpouring of support for research into a cure for DMS. It is worth remembering that a prodigious 99 per cent of all proceeds go to the cause.
By Ashok Soman
