The renowned yacht show held every year in the Principality opened on Wednesday. I was there for the day, not to admire the superyachts lined up against the pontoons of the Port Hercule but to see the exhibition of the full Only Watch 2015 collection. This was the start of a world tour for the 44 watches that will be sold at a charity auction in Geneva on 7th November.
With generosity and creativity, each of the participating watch brands in the 6th edition of Only Watch has conceived a unique timepiece. On my visit to the Only Watch stand I had a rare opportunity to see all of these remarkable pieces. But only 43 of the 44 watches were there, since the watch offered by Richard Mille, the prototype of the RM 27-02 tourbillon created especially for Rafael Nadal, is still on the wrist of the nine-times Roland Garros champion!
It is difficult to choose among these unique watches, especially since every brand has excelled itself in its attempt to offer a genuinely exceptional timepiece worthy of this event. Nevertheless, if I had to pick three, I would choose those that have a symbolic message that goes beyond their technical and mechanical prowess.
One example is the watch conceived by H. Moser & Cie., the Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Only Watch. In order to pay tribute to the young sufferers of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the children of employees at the brand wrote out the 31 digits on the perpetual calendar by hand. The colour red, the fundamental symbol of the very essence of life, is highlighted on the Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Only Watch in the form of a red central seconds hand and the stitching on the strap.
As in previous years, Paul Pettavino, the son of Luc Pettavino, President of the Monaco Association against Muscular Dystrophies and the organiser of Only Watch, has worked with Louis Vuitton to design its unique piece, the Escale Worldtime Only Watch 2015 “The World is a Dancefloor”. For the 2015 edition, Paul took inspiration from the world of the Escale WorldTime watch and decided to play on the theme of coloured squares to create a 1970s dancefloor. The colourful and vibrant dial bears the inscription “The world is a dancefloor”.
The “Espoir & Paix” (hope and peace) watch offered by Christophe Claret also conveys a nice message. Like the Aventicum, this watch uses a mirascope at the centre of the dial to highlight an emerald, whose green colour symbolises hope. “Peace” is represented on the case back, which is engraved with the miniature portrait of Alfred Nobel and the names of all 129 winners of the Nobel Peace Prize listed in chronological order, the most recent in the 6 o’clock position.
After Monaco, the Only Watch 2015 collection will be shown in Hong Kong (2-5 October), Beijing (9-12 October), New York (17-20 October), London (24-27 October) and finally in Geneva (5-7 November).
About Only Watch
Organised jointly by the Monaco Association against Muscular Dystrophies and the Monaco Yacht Show and under the patronage of His Serene Highness Prince Albert of Monaco, Only Watch is a charity auction at which unique watches are sold in aid of research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic disease that leads to a progressive degeneration of the muscles. Over ten years and five editions, Only Watch has generated over 15 million euros in proceeds, which have made a significant contribution to advances in research.
Click on the photo at the top of this article to see more pictures of Only Watch 2015 collection.
