A PRECIOUS COMMODITY

EXTREMELY RARE PIECES GOING UNDER THE HAMMER AT ONLY WATCH CHARITY AUCTION

After making a stop in Bangkok in early October, the Only Watch 2017 world tour is in Taipei today and will travel to New York and Los Angeles before rounding off in Geneva with the exhibition taking place from Nov 9-11 at the Four Seasons Hôtel des Bergues.

The one-of-a-kind watches will then be auctioned to raise funds for Association Monégasque contre les Myopathies (AMM) in driving research on Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), which affects approximately one in 3,500 males at birth worldwide.

Symptoms such as a decline in muscle strength usually appear between the age of four and six, and afflicted boys are confined to a wheelchair by the age of 12. Few individuals with DMD live beyond their 30s.

The biennial charity auction will have Christie’s offering the 50 lots to international watch connoisseurs, who can bid in person, via the internet or by phone.

Donors range from long-established Swiss maisons to less familiar watchmaking ateliers, who bring their one-off timepiece specifically created for the 7th edition of the Only Watch or a unique piece of an iconic model.

For the first time, more than half of the participating brands offer a memorable experience to successful bidders, such as a visit at their workshops, a private lunch/dinner, meeting brand ambassadors and walking the red carpet at prestigious film festivals.

Here are seven of the philanthropic editions dedicated to the fight against DMD.