Are you looking for a one of a kind, unique watch? This year it looks like you will have to travel to Geneva in November for the bi-annual 'Only Watch' auction.
If you aren't familiar with the Only Watch auction, it's a one of a kind auction held every other year in conjuction with the Monaco Association Against Muscular Dystrophy. They partner to auction one of a kind watches in order to reaise money for the charitable medical cause. The Only Watch auction usually takes place in Monaco, but for the first time ever it will leave the home venue for Switzerland.
Unique Watch Auction
This even is truly unique, because the items auctioned extremely rare. The pieces sold are either:
- The very first watch of a limited edition
- A special prototype which cannot be purchased anywhere else
- Or a watch made specially for the occaision by a manufacturer
Watch brands who donate special pieces to Only Watch are what can really make this even special. They may offer an unique version of an existing watch be creating a special dial or case material, but sometimes they invest more heavily and care a completely new case/dial and a few manufacturers have even been known to create unique movements.
Only Watch Event
Phillips auction house will be operating this years 2015 Only Watch event. Phillips will be the 3rd auction house that manages the event despite is relatively youthful duration. While there are no hard details on the frequent switching, but is likely due to the complexity of the luxury watch world and also the complexity of the event itself. The unique watches will actually take a "world tour" before the main event. Much the same way the Olympic torch travels to the event. The even wil occur on November 7th.
One of the major differences for Only Watch 2015 in addition to the new auction partner is the venue. Until now Only Watch auctions took place in Monaco. This year Only Watch will change venues to Geneva – which is a very popular location for watch auctions from houses such as Sotheby’s or Christie’s. With that said it will be interesting to see how the change in venue alters the personality of the Only Watch event.
Which Manufacturers Are Attending?
Only Watch has announced that 40 watch brands have committed a watch to the event, but only one has officially announced their contribution. The Laurent Ferrier Galet Square has a unique dial. Other brands are likely to announce their models during the summer months in an attempt to spread out the media and marketing glow for the watches and event as a while while boosting interest. While the media attention is great for the manufacturers, there is an immense amount of pressure to make sure their watches perform well and sell above retail price. The even should be exciting and we are exciting to see high end favoriates like Patek Philippe make a splash. Stay tuned to see what happens over the next few months.
Who Is WatchGnome?
WatchGnome is the best solution for your watch battery replacement. We do things differently and take care of the hassles for you. We can replace the battery in your watch via the mail using a padded box we send you and prepaid shipping labels.
- Request Service: We send a padded box straight to your home. You just put your watch in, use the included, prepaid shipping label to put it in the mail straight back to us.
- Replace Your Battery: Our gnomes will replace your dead battery with a fresh, premium one and get your watch on-time and running again.
- Send It Back To You: We carefully repackage your recently revived watch and send it back to you!
The whole process only costs $29.95 (that includes all shipping costs, parts & labor) and usually takes 5-7 days door to door for the full watch battery replacement. Do you have a watch sitting at home waiting for a new battery? Stop procrastinating and let WatchGnome take care of it all with NO hassle!
1 comment for “The ‘Only Watch’ Auction Moves to Geneva”