Always a major highlight on the horological calendar, Only Watch is the most prestigious charity auction of the luxury watch industry. Since 2005, millions of euros have been raised to finance research and development of treatment against neuromuscular diseases, particularly Duchenne muscular dystrophy. It’s about creating beauty for good — the more unique and playful the better.
Like every year, the Swiss watchmaking industry and luxury brands from further afar has banded together in the name of a good cause. The timepieces are one-of-a-kind works of art from another planet, sure, but at the end of the day, the funds raised are the most important thing.
Below, we’ve rounded up a list of our favorite watches from the 2021 edition.
Brand: Audemars Piguet
Model: Royal Oak Jumbo Extra Thin
Editor’s Note: Meet the last unique 15202 powered by the Calibre 2121, which will be retired at the end of the year. A truly unique take on one of the greats.
Brand: Tudor
Model: Black Bay GMT
Editor’s Note: Tudor’s Black Bay is having a bit of a moment, and now it looks even better thanks to this stunning bracelet finish that is the result of a secret stainless-steel aging technique.
Brand: Bell & Ross
Model: BR 01 Cyber Skull Sapphire
Editor’s Note: Cannily, the orange “metallization” process on the rear of the faceted sapphire crystal skull is a nod to Only Watch 2021’s official color scheme. It’s not exactly subtle, but an outrageous showcase of craftsmanship nonetheless.
Brand: Chanel
Model: J12 Paradoxe
Editor’s Note: Chanel presents a pair of its highly successful J12 Paradoxe watch, first launched in 2000, including a special black execution.
Brand: Hermès
Model: H08
Editor’s Note: Hermès might not be the first name that comes to mind when one thinks of horology, but as far as luxury watches go, they always make a decent fist of it. The Only Watch edition of the new H08 model offers up two new interpretations in a single box.
Brand: Hublot
Model: Big Bang Tourbillon
Editor’s Note: Like Bell & Ross, Hublot riffs off the ceremony’s color scheme for an eye-catching, transparent remix of its wildly popular Big Bang model.
Brand: H. Moser & Cie
Model: Streamliner Cylindrical Tourbillon
Editor’s Note: Featuring a spherical tourbillon and Vantablack dial, this bonkers creation certainly isn’t something you’d wear to the office on the daily.
Brand: Richard Mille
Model: RM 67-02, Charles Leclerc prototype
Editor’s Note: It wouldn’t be an over-the-top watch party without Richard Mille involved. This RM 67-02 Prototype was developed as a “second skin” for Ferrari F1 driver Charles Leclerc. The red strap is a nod to his Monaco place of birth, and is the lightest strap the brand has ever created.
Brand: F.P. Journe
Editor’s Note: This crazy watch was conceived over dinner when gangster modern Francis Ford Coppola asked if the time on a dial could be shown using the outline of a human hand. “He asked me if it could be possible to tell time with a hand in a watch,” says François-Paul Journe. “I replied that the idea was interesting and required thinking about it. But how to display 12 hours with five fingers? It was not an easy matter, and this complex challenge inspired and motivated me.”