Thanks to ‘Only Watch’ auctions, watchmakers have been united across the globe since 2005 to raise funds against Duchenne muscular dystrophy. So far, more than 70 million euros have been raised across 8 auctions. Bid on November 6 for a good cause!
Among the 55 lots put up for auction this year, we have selected 5 cool collaborations to bid your money on. They might not reach the highest prices at auction, but they have the merit of originality. Our selection.
Artya & John McLaughlin
This unique version (1/1) of the Artya Guitar Watch is fully handcrafted in collaboration with John McLaughlin, the legendary guitarist.
Blandenier, a Geneva-based workshop, has agreed to join this charitable project by producing this unique dial inspired by the most mythical album of the guitarist. 110 hours of hand painting work later, these bright colours and hypnotic patterns constitute a dazzling miniature painting. Under this realization, Artya avant-gardist chronograph movement is activated with push buttons representing guitar keys.
John McLaughlin matched the Artya Masterpiece with his personal guitar, built by world-renowned luthier Paul Reed Smith, the Stradivari of guitar making. Certain guitars built by Paul are considered works of art and have been bought by collectors worldwide. The artwork on the watch face and the guitar was created by Marq Spusta, a San Francisco based artist whose art is collected worldwide and featured on numerous record albums and posters.
Girard-Perregaux & Bamford Watch Department
Girard-Perregaux, a loyal supporter of Only Watch, has dedicated a unique piece for the now-legendary biennial auction. The Manufacture, currently celebrating its 230th anniversary, has reimagined a 70s icon, the ground-breaking Casquette. Created in partnership with Bamford Watch Department, the Casquette Only Watch revisits the original but adds a notably modern twist.
David Candaux & Mikki Saturno
A collaboration between David Candaux & Mikki Saturno. David and Mikki were born in the same year and they both stand for contemporary creativity and perfection.
Mikki Saturno is an artist specialized in contemporary painting. David Candaux is a master watchmaker whose specialty is creating exceptional contemporary handcrafted timepieces. Without knowing it, both artists worked in a creation of a work that they called ‘Genesis’, etymologically strong words with roots that originate from humanity and all beliefs.
The two artists worked closely together to create a masterpiece of perfection for this special timepiece for Only Watch. Both artists gave their heart and soul to create this beautiful masterpiece using all their experience and high-end techniques.
De Bethune & Voutilainen
De Bethune and Voutilainen have decided to join their strength and know-how while respecting this tradition of independence and keeping a common vision of watchmaking. From a mutual respect for each other’s work, a unique work of art with two faces was born, offering a similar time on both sides, but a somewhat different display.
On one side, as on the other, the two independent watchmakers are perfectly distinguished by their own code. Featuring a sleek, contemporary design that gives pride of place to themechanics. It is a new reading of the hour centered around the balance, accompanied by the minute index on the periphery.
On the other side, we discover a dial with a deadbeat second and an original display of hours and minutes that breaks the familiar code of instant reading of the time. Hands superimposed where we do not expect them, equal angles between the hands when they should evolve. This face allows us to appreciate the time by capturing our attention.
Trilobe & Daniel Buren
It is from a desire for reciprocity that the Trilobe par Daniel Buren project was born: to combine a young watchmaking house with a world-renowned artist. Around a scarlet beating heart, imagine a duality between the technicality of the watchmaker and the unique proposal of the artist. It is, above all, the exhilarating prospect to realise a unique artwork to serve a great cause.
“La Réciproque” is a true sensory experience: forms, colours and meanings find their reciprocal; hours, minutes and seconds dance around each other; time passes and its form is released; black and white marry to the beating of a red heart; verticality is amused by circularity; the frantic race of the “X-Centric” rings overlaps the verticality of the 8.7cm wide strips; the gaze focuses and circulates to invite one to widen its field of vision; shapes finally come together twice a day, at the time when it all began, 2:13pm.
