PRESS RELEASE
ONLY WATCH Charity Auction Realises
SFr. 11.2 Million / €10.3 Million / $11.2 Million
All Proceeds to Benefit Research into
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Unique Patek Philippe Sells for SFr. 7.3 Million / €6.7 Million
* Highest Price Ever Paid for a Wristwatch Sold at Auction *
GENEVA - 7 November 2015 - The 6th edition of the biennial Only Watch auction took place this afternoon at Phillips, in association with Bacs & Russo, and realised SFr. 11,268,000 / €10,366,560 / $11,268,000, the charity auction’s highest ever total. The auction offered 44 unique watches, each donated by a leading watch manufacturer, with all proceeds of the auction benefitting research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. The highest price was paid for a Patek Philippe ref. 5016A which sold to a standing ovation for SFr. 7,300,000 / €6,716,000 / $7,300,000 - the highest price ever paid for a wristwatch sold at auction. The auction took place in a packed saleroom at La Reserve Hotel in Geneva, and followed an international touring exhibition which showed the watches in Monaco, Beijing, Hong Kong, New York, London and Geneva.
Luc Pettavino, President of Association Monégasque contre les Myopathies (AMM) and Founder of Only Watch: "I want to thank everyone who has helped us to make this edition an amazing success, and in particular: HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, the watchmakers, the co-organizers Phillips in association with Bacs & Russo and the Monaco Yacht Show, and all our partners. This fantastic result will allow us to strengthen our efforts in targeting a cure for this severe disease."
Aurel Bacs of Phillips, in association with Bacs & Russo: "It has been a privilege for us to have hosted the 6th edition of Only Watch, and to have been able to play a part in supporting such a worthy cause. This project has seen the world of watches come together with incredible generosity, not least the 44 manufacturers who donated unique timepieces."
A full list of results from the auction can be found by clicking here.
Selected images can be downloaded here.
The top 5 prices were:
* Patek Philippe: The first and only stainless steel reference 5016A-010 sold for SFr. 7.3 million (€6.7 million / $7.3 million) - the highest price ever paid for a wristwatch at auction. Offered with an estimate of SFr. 700,000 to 900,000, the watch was subject to an intense 9 minute bidding battle between two telephone bidders, before eventually selling to a standing ovation.
* Richard Mille: A prototype Tourbillon RM 27-02 worn and tested by Rafael Nadal during Rolland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open in 2015, sold for SFr. 650,000 (€598,000 / $650,000).
* FP Journe: A Tourbillon Souverain Bleu, representing the first time a tourbillon has been cased in tantalum, sold for SFr. 550,000 (€506,000 / $550,000).
* Tudor: A unique Heritage Black Bay One, manufactured in homage to the Submariner 7923 of the 1950s, sold for SFr. 375,000 (€345,000 / $375,000) - over 100 times its low estimate.
* Voutilainen: The first GMT-6 cased in stainless steel, fitted with an enamel dial, sold for SFr. 145,000 (€133,400 / $145,000).
ONLY WATCH is a world-renowned charitable fundraiser which has been held every two years since 2005, and which raises money into research on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Participating watch brands this year, all of which donated a unique watch, were: Armin Strom, Bell & Ross, Blancpain, Boucheron, Bovet Fleurier, Breguet, Carl F.Bücherer, Chanel, Chopard, Christophe Claret, Chronoswiss, De Bethune, De Grisogono, Dewitt, FP Journe, Frédérique Constant, Girard Perregaux, H.Moser & Cie, Harry Winston, Hermès, Hublot, IWC, Jacob&Co, Jaquet Droz, Leroy, Laurent Ferrier, Louis Vuitton, Maurice Lacroix, MB&F, Patek Philippe, Perrelet, Piaget, Rebellion, Richard Mille, Speake Marin, Thomas Mercer, Tudor, Ulysse Nardin, Urwerk, Vacheron Constantin, Van Cleef & Arpels, Voutilainen, Vulcain and Zenith.
Phillips, in association with Bacs and Russo, will offer The Geneva Auction: Two on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November, with each session starting at 6.30pm. Full sale results will follow the conclusion of Sunday’s session. In the meantime, individual results can be found by clicking here.
Press contacts:
ONLY WATCH:
Johan Pizzardini
johan@monacoyachtshow.mc
+377 93 10 41 70
PHILLIPS:
GENEVA
Asta Ponzo
PR Consultant watch department
aponzo@phillips.com
+41 799618566
LONDON
Alex Godwin-Brown
Head of Press, Europe
agodwin-brown@phillips.com
+ 44 20 7318 4036
NEW YORK
Michael Sherman
Chief Communications and Public Relations Officer
MSherman@phillips.com
+1 212 940 1384
HONG KONG
Victoria Cheung
Public Relations Consultant
victoria@victoriapr.com.hk
+852 6086 1672
