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Only Watch brings in millions for charity

By Hallie Engel

The fifth edition of the biennial Only Watch auction, held on September 28 at the Hermitage Hotel in Monaco, took in an unprecedented EUR 5,066,000 (£4,226,705), with all proceeds benefitting research for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

The auction room was filled to capacity with watch collectors and philanthropists eager to bid on the timepieces especially created for the auction, as well as 14 vintage champagne bottles from Lanson. Competitive bidding came from all corners of the globe including China, Belgium, Switzerland, Kazakhstan, the United States and Monaco.

Julien Schaerer, managing director of Antiquorum Geneva, said: “It was an honour for Antiquorum to once again support the Only Watch auction benefitting research for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. We are ecstatic to have raised Euro 5,066,000 (£4,226,705) for the collection of 33 unique timepieces, highlighted by the fierce bidding for the Patek Philippe Ref. 5004T, which achieved an unparalleled Euro 2,950,000 (£2,461,881), the highest price ever attained for a modern wristwatch. We would like to thank all participants for making the fifth edition of Only Watch such a resounding success and helping to spread awareness of this debilitating disease across the globe."

The auction was organised by the Association Monegasque Contre les Myopathies, Antiquorum Auctioneers and the Monaco Yacht Show, with the support of 33 watch brands. The event concluded a worldwide preview tour that included stops in Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, New York City and Geneva.

Luc Pettavino, president AMM and founder of Only Watch, said: “Only Watch is a very special project that implies an incredible cooperation based on free will and contributions made with a benevolent state of mind. It’s all about a group of people united for research on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, united to give hope, and the exceptional 5 Million Euro realized for Only Watch 2013 is a group effort of all the generous participants involved. I want to thank HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, the watch manufacturers, Antiquorum & the Monaco Yacht Show for co-organizing the event with Association Monégasque contre les Myopathies (Monegasque Association against Muscular Dystrophies) and all partners, philanthropists, collectors, media, individuals…the world over for their phenomenal support."

Participating watch brands for the fifth edition of Only Watch included: Backes & Strauss, Bell & Ross, Blancpain, Breguet, Chanel, Chopard, Chronoswiss, Christophe Claret, Corum, Cyrus, deLaCour, De Bethune, DeWitt, Frédérique Constant, Girard Perregaux, Harry Winston, Hublot, Ikepod, Jaquet Droz, Julien Coudray, Laurent Ferrier, Louis Vuitton, Maurice Lacroix, Montblanc, Patek Philippe, Piaget, Richard Mille, Roger Dubuis, Armin Strom, Ulysse Nardin, Vacheron Constantin, Van Cleef & Arpels and Zenith.

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