Ulysse Nardin announced today a new limited edition (100 pieces) Maxi Marine Diver – the “Monaco YS”.  That’s “YS” as in “Yacht Show” – because the brand is participating this year (for the first time) in the Monaco Yacht Show.  It’s actually a pretty cool looking watch, although I find the timing of this announcement to be a bit strange – why didn’t Ulysse Nardin just get in on the “Only Watch 2009″ charity auction held yesterday as part of the same Monaco Yacht Show festivities?  Anyway, here’s the watch:

The case is 42.7mm in diamter, in black DLC (diamond-like-carbon) treated and hardened stainless steel, with a see-through caseback so you can admire the movement. Water resistant to 200 meters.  As for the watch’s functions – it has a small power reserve indicator at 12 o’clock and a small seconds and round date window at 6 o’clock.   The partially skeletonized hour and minute hands are equipped with dark grey luminous material which glows in the dark (presumably in the normal yellow-green color of most lume).  The dial has UN’s distinctive black wave-patterned bezel, accendted with 18 ct rose gold inlay.  Interestingly, rubber strap has a black ceramic folding clasp as well as black ceramic accents which can be seen in the above photo.  Here’s the watch from a different angle:

While this watch could certainly do without the cheesy “Limited Edition” stamp on the strap, the rose gold inlays contrast nicely with the black DLC and make this overall sharp looking dive watch.

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:

Perpetuelle.com Moderator James Bond recently attended a splendid “Get Together” (or “GTG” as the hard core watch enthusiasts refer to them) in Boston, MA.  The watches in attendance at this GTG were phenomenal and I wish I could have been there to enjoy them (I’m sure the people were nice, too).  In addition to a beautiful Rolex Red Daytona, the lineup of vintage watches was amazing.  I am sharing a couple teasers below, but you’ll need to click here to check out Mr. Bond’s full report on the Perpetuelle.com World Watch Forum.  Partial Listing of Watches in attendance include: Rolex “Red Daytona”, Vintage Ulysse Nardin, Vintage Omega Seamster 300, Vintage IWC, Pink dial Minerva, Omega Seamaster Broad Arrow, Chopard, Breguet Type XX, Omega SMP, (Vincent?) Calabrese.

Thanks for the great GTG report, James!

Rolex Red Daytona

Photo: James Bond

“Group Shot”

Photo: James Bond

Again, click here to check out Mr. Bond’s full report on the Perpetuelle.com World Watch Forum.

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.