34 Distinct One-of-Kind Pieces Estimated to Auction At $10,000 to as much as $735,000

Less than 24 hours from “hammer time” and we wanted to share with you the “suggested” prices for each of the 34 “Only Watch” watches in case you are thinking about putting in a bid.

But first, what a difference two years social media can make for a special event such as this! The watch blogosphere has been buzzing for months with excitement over the 34 unique pieces that will be auctioned in Monaco less than 24 hours from now in what is sure to be a spectacular event. In fact we learned just yesterday that the event will be live-Tweeted by watch journalist Beth Doerr – so put her in your Twit-Stream now (Twitter: @doerrelizabeth)!!

If you follow watches, it is highly unlikely that you haven’t come across a blog or forum post highlighting one or all of these watches – of course First In Watches was the first to kick things off back in early-June with our feature article giving you a first look at each of the 34 pieces (see: ONLY WATCH 2009 – 34 One-of-a-Kind Watches), and since then we have gone more in-depth on some of our favorites including the following: MB&F’s Sage Vaughn HM-2, Bovet’s 3-in-1 Mona Lisa Watch, Tourneau’s Jump Hour, Piaget’s Emperador Coussin, Louis Vuitton’s Tambour, Chanel’s J12 Joallerie with pink sapphire, and Blancpain’s 500 Fathoms. Some of our watch-blogging friends have also written some good articles about their favorites, too. In particular we enjoyed this recent article from Hodinkee with some great pics of some of the more “unique” unique pieces including Cabestan’s Winch Tourbillon Vertical, Confrere Horlogere’s La Clef du Temps Tourbillon, and MB&F’s Sage Vaugh HM-2.

So what are the “odds” on what these watches will sell for? Due to their rarity and the fact that there is now reserve price, it really is hard to say! But here is where the bidding is likely to start, courtesy of Patrizzi & Co. who will be running the auction:

• Confrerie Horlogere $514,500 – $735,000
• Cabestan $411,600 – $514,500
• Patek Philippe $264,600 – $470,400
• Bovet $147,000 – $220,500
• Cartier $132,300 – $220,500
• Audemars Piguet $132,300 – $220,500
• De Bethune $132,300 – $205,800
• Breguet $117,600 – $176,400
• Tag Heuer $102,900 – $132,300
• MB&F $102,900 – $176,400
• Van Cleef & Arpels $102,900 – $132,300
• Ateliers deMonaco $88,200 – $132,300
• Louis Vuitton $88,200 – $132,300
• Ulysse Nardin $88,200 – $132,300
• Chanel $73,500 – $88,200
• Montblanc $66,150 – $88,200
• Piaget $51,450 – $73,500
• Franck Muller $51,450 – $73,500
• Bell & Ross $51,450 – $73,500
• Gerald Charles $51,450 – $73,500
• Omega $44,100 – $73,500
• Chaumet $36,750 – $51,450
• Vacheron Constantin$36,750 – $51,450
• Franc Vila $29,400 – $58,800
• Girard-Perregaux $29,400 – $44,100
• Hermes $29,400 – $44,100
• deLaCour $29,400 – $44,100
• Jaquet Droz $22,050 – $36,750
• Tourneau $22,050 – $36,750
• Blancpain $22,050 – $36,750
• Hublot $22,050 – $36,750
• Corum $17,640 – $29,400
• Frederique Constant $11,760 – $23,520
• Zenith $10,290 – $17,640

In closing, First In Watches will leave you with this cool “Only Watch preview” video produced by TheTimeTV, which is probably as close as most watch fans will ever come to these amazing watches:

Related posts:

1. A 3-in-1 Mona Lisa Watch and More for Only Watch 2009
2. ONLY WATCH 2009 – 34 One-of-a-Kind Watches
3. Blancpain 500 Fathoms for Only Watch 2009

I have covered several of the unique watches being presented for auction at the Monaco Yacht Show’s “Only Watch” event coming up in September (which you can click over to from the Related Posts section at the bottom of this post), and today I thought it time to take a closer look at the piece from Blancpain.

The Blancpain 500 Fathoms Only Watch N°1/1 is water-resistant to 1000 metres and and is generously sized at 48 mm-diameter.  Most interesting to me about this particular watch is its anthracite grey, semi-translucent dial which is is adorned with a carbon fibre centre.  I really like how the date disc is slightly visible through the use of a translucent,  sapphire blue ring on the dial – it is almost as if the date disc is submerged below a layer of deep, blue ocean water – with just enough penetrating light that you can still get a glimpse of it.  Great design work that fits well the theme and history of Blancpain’s dive watches!

You can see what I mean in this closeup of the dial:

The watch has a sapphire crystal case-back for viewing the self-winding Calibre 1315, as well as its entirely hand-decorated oscillating weight shaped like a boat propeller (wish I had a picture of this!).   Here is a pic of the entire watch:

Again, this is a one-of-a-kind piece and all proceeds will go to support medical research for Duschenne Muscular Dystrophy – so all you deep pocketed, deep sea watch collectors out there who will be at the event – bid high!

Related posts:

1. Blancpain 500 Fathoms Cannes 2009 Limited Edition
2. Blancpain Fifty Fathoms blah blah
3. ONLY WATCH 2009 – 34 One-of-a-Kind Watches

Piaget’s Emerpador Coussin “first step on the moon” Commemorates 40th Anniversary Moon Landing

Well now we get a look at another “piece unique” for Only Watch 2009, this one from Piaget, master of the ultra-thin movement.   Only Watch is an annual charity auction of unique watches created by many of the most elite watch brands in Switzerland.   If you want to get up to speed on this event, I’ve blogged about it several times already (see here and here), and also shared lots of pictures of many of the amazing “Only Watch” watches on the Perpetuelle.com forums (see here) – have a look!

Piaget’s Only Watch 09 is based on Piaget’s Emperador Coussin.  This year, Piaget’s third year participating in Only Watch, the brand wanted to create a watch that represented something special related specifically to 2009. They decided to illustrate the creative approach of the brand by linking their unique watch to the celebration of the 40th anniversary of man’s first step on the moon in 1969.

OK, yes, I know – Omega “owns” the “moon watch” theme – but this is a whole new discussion that I will leave to someone else.  I will only say this is an excellent watch from Piaget – simple and elegant in the Piaget style, but with a unique twist – and I really like it!

Take a look at Piaget’s one-of-a-kind Only Watch below – do you see its moon landing tribute?  If not, keep reading below — I’ll give you a closer look after the jump.

“We wanted to make a unique piece, which had as its movement our new caliber 860P –so reinforcing the legitimacy of the brand,” says Franck Touzeau, Watch Marketing Director at Piaget.   He continues, “The result was a very nice complication with extra large moon phases positioned at 6 o’clock in a 12mm diameter aperture. The moon is made out of a gold plate. To give it this rough appearance it was heated until boiling stage and then cooled down. This enables it to have an irregular aspect that resembles the craters of the moon. Furthermore, on the moon phase disk we have engraved our interpretation of the tread left by Neil Armstrong after the first step on the moon.”

Philippe Léopold-Metzger, Piaget International’s CEO, stated:  “We loved it as soon as we saw it.  For us elegance is of most importance, and this watch is very elegant. The problem with today’s watch business is that sometimes people want to put 25 complications in a watch and you end up with a watch that is so complicated it is basically unreadable. This watch, on the other hand, has a very pure dial and when you look at the dial it is elegant and easy to read with its large indexes and 12mm moon phase aperture – the biggest moon phase on the market.” Furthermore, this high precision caliber only counts 1 day of digression every 122 years. It can therefore be considered as an astronomical moon phase.

Following the gold tradition of Piaget, the metal of the case of the Piaget Only Watch 09 is in pink gold with moon phases in white gold – all commemorating that first step on the moon 40 years ago.  Here is a nice closeup of the dial where you can see the “first step on the moon” and below this the case back engraving.

And finally a closeup of he case back of the watch which is engraved with “Only Watch 2009” and “Unique Piece”

Related posts:

1. ONLY WATCH 2009 – 34 One-of-a-Kind Watches
2. A 3-in-1 Mona Lisa Watch and More for Only Watch 2009
3. Blancpain 500 Fathoms for Only Watch 2009

New “Only Watch” Watches Revealed

A couple weeks ago I wrote about and shared images of many, but not all, of the 34 “one-of-a-kind” watches that are to be auctioned by Patrizzi & Co. for charity at the upcoming (September ‘09) “Only Watch 2009″ event at the Monaco Yacht Show.

Since this time, several of the watch manufacturers who had not yet released full information and images of their “pieces uniques” have done so.  Among these more recent releases are a spectacular jump hour watch from Bovet that features a black mother-of-pearl dial with miniature painting of the Mona Lisa!  It is also wearable as a wristwatch, pocketwatch, or table clock.  Wow!  There is also a sharp looking watch from Tourneau, also with a jump hour.  See them both below.

The Unique Bovet Only Watch 09 – Bovet FLEURIER “Collection Witness 1822”

A timekeeper with an automatic movement, jump hour, and a Polynesian mother-of-pearl dial featuring a miniature painting of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa”.  A patented concept allows the watch to be transformed into a pocket watch or a table clock. 

Yes, that’s correct – A Wristwatch, Pocketwatch, or Table Clock!

And here is Tourneau’s creation for this year:

The Unique Tourneau Timepieces Only Watch 09 – Tourneau Classic 1900 II Automatic Jump Hour Ref 30029

This unique, automatic Jump Hour features a 27 jewel Soprod movement set in an oversized 42mm, 18k rose gold, coin edged case with fabulously curved and rounded lugs and an impressive domed sapphire crystal. The movement is visible through a sapphire exhibition back and the rotor is numbered 001/001. The jump hour is shown in an aperture at 60 minutes in the large minute dial which is set above the small seconds dial. With its contrasting case and sterling silver hand guilloche dial, the watch creates a very impressive appearance.

Here is Tourneau’s original “concept” drawing for the watch:

Not bad, eh!

Related posts:

1. ONLY WATCH 2009 – 34 One-of-a-Kind Watches
2. Piaget Emperador Coussin for Only Watch 2009 Revealed
3. Blancpain 500 Fathoms for Only Watch 2009

Only Watch is a charity auction of unique watches created by many of the most important watch brands in Switzerland. This exceptional event is held every two years in Monaco during the Monaco Yacht Show and is under the patronage of HSH Prince Albert 11. All the proceeds from Only Watch go to support research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. The next Only Watch auction is organized in close collaboration with Patrizzi & Co and the Monaco Yacht Show, and will take place on 24 September 2009.

Participating brands include Audemars Piguet, Blancpain, BNB Concept, Bovet Fleurier, Breguet Montres, Cartier, Corum Montres, De Bethune, Delacour, Franck Muller, Frédérique Constant, Glashütte Uhrenbertrieb, Hermès, Hublot, Jaquet Droz, Louis Vuitton, Maximilian Büsser & Friends, Mont Blanc, Omega, Patek Philippe, Piaget, Richard Mille, Swatch, Tag Heuer, Tourneau Timepieces, Ulysse Nardin, Urwerk, Vacheron Constantin, Van Cleef & Arpels, Zenith International.

Below is a mosaic of their “pieces uniques”  – you can view larger images and a quote from each respective brand about their 2009 “Only Watch” contribution HERE.

Related posts:

1. Blancpain 500 Fathoms for Only Watch 2009
2. Watches for the 2009 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix
3. A 3-in-1 Mona Lisa Watch and More for Only Watch 2009

Sage Vaughn:  Reseda Butterfly © Galerie Bertrand & Gruner

Related posts:

1. ONLY WATCH 2009 – 34 One-of-a-Kind Watches
2. A 3-in-1 Mona Lisa Watch and More for Only Watch 2009
3. Piaget Emperador Coussin for Only Watch 2009 Revealed