For A Good Cause

Raising a record sum of SFr10,776,500 (S$14,770,000) for a good cause, Only Watch 2017 was the charity auction of the year. A few weeks ago, we highlighted seven of the 50 pieces that caught our eye.

On 11 November at the Four Seasons des Bergues in Geneva, all 50 unique timepieces went under the hammer. Auctioned by Christie’s, some watches smashed their estimates while others fell short. Read on to find out which lots were hot and which were not.

Most Expensive: Patek Philippe

Sold: SFr6,200,000 (S$8.2 million)
Estimate: SFr900,000 – SFr1.1 million (S$1.23 – S$1.5 million)
A minute repeater with monopusher chronograph, perpetual calendar and moon phase, Patek Philippe’s Ref. 5208T-010 did not disappoint auction pundits who were certain this grand complication cased in titanium would exceed Christie’s estimate. It may not have hit CHF10 million as some predicted, but this ultra-rare beauty is still the world’s fourth most expensive wristwatch.

Best Performer: Tudor

Sold: SFr350,000 (S$478,000)
Estimate: SFr4,500 – SFr5,500 (S$6,150 – S$7,500)
Even an experienced auctioneer like Christie’s couldn’t have foreseen the crazed bidding that took place when Lot 6 appeared on stage. Exceeding its estimate by a whopping 70 times, the Tudor Black Bay Bronze One with its left-hand crown and khaki green dial comes with a never-before offered visit to the Tudor manufacture – we’re sure it’s worth every penny.

New Record: FP Journe

Sold: SFr1.15 million (S$1.57 million
Estimate: SFr200,000 – SFr400,000 (S$273,000 – S$456,000)
When FP Journe makes a unique watch, everybody sits up and pays attention. This Chronographe Monopoussoir Rattrapante has a tantalum case and a gorgeous manual-winding movement made of 18k rose gold. This timepiece surpassed the Philippe Dufour Duality sold at a recent Phillips auction for SFr915,000 (S$1.25 million) to become the most expensive timepiece made by an independent watchmaker.

Perpetually Popular: Audemars Piguet

Sold: SFr800,000 (S$1.093 million)
Estimate: SFr80,000 – SFr120,000 (S$109,000 – S$164,000)
Cased in black ceramic, this Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar comes with a blue Grande Tapisserie dial with polished counters in solid grey gold. Exceeding the estimate by a very impressive eight times, it is the first perpetual calendar in the collection that’s encased in this sexy yet strong material.

Dark Horse: Blancpain

Sold: SFr53,000 (S$72,000)
Estimate: SFr10,000 – SFr17,000 (S$13,000 – S$23,000)
It might not be a million-dollar watch but this Blancpain Tribute to Fifty Fathoms MIL-SPEC still exceeded its estimate by four times – not too bad at all. This specific model is not different from what Blancpain launched at BaselWorld but it comes with a unique experience that’ll literally take your breath away: Apnea classes by Gianluca Genoni, holder of 18 apnea world records.

Other lots that also did well:

These were the lots that did not meet their estimates.