On September 23, 2011, the Principality of Monaco will stage the world-famous charity watch auction Only Watch. Under the Patronage of HSH Prince Albert II, 40 unique timepieces will be sold by leading horological auction house Antiquorum.
| The Only Watch event in 2009 |
The auction, held at the Hotel Hermitage, will draw international luxury watch connoisseurs as well as online and telephone bidders.
The entire proceeds of the auction will be donated to support research on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
For this fourth edition of the charity auction, 40 of the most prestigious and innovative Swiss watchmakers have each created a unique and special timepiece, including Audemars Piguet, Hublot, Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin (full list below).
From August 30 to September 17, the Only Watch 2011 collection will be showcased in a world tour that will visit most of the world's luxury watch collecting capitals: Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo, Los Angeles, New York, Milan and Geneva.
The tour will close in Monaco with a two-day exhibition (September 22/23) at the Monaco Yacht Show. The world's leading Superyacht show is co-organizing Only Watch, together with the Monaco Association against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and Antiquorum.
Only Watch exists only because of the creativity, the time and dedication, the expertise, and the quest for excellence of exceptionally motivated teams devoted to an extraordinary project.
Some of the world's most innovative and renowned watchmakers have once again volunteered their help to support research on Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a highly debilitating neuromuscular disease that affects one boy in 3,500 - approximately 250,000 children, teenagers and young adults around the globe.
Since the last edition of Only Watch, in September 2009, 2.5m Euros were donated to 15 scientific partners and their teams, including 90 researchers and clinicians in 5 countries (France, Italy, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States).
This is a rare opportunity to contribute effectively to exploring and developing new therapeutic treatments for this disease.
For Luis Garcia, Research Director at the CNRS Paris, who has been working on Duchenne muscular dystrophy for over ten years, Only Watch has played a decisive role in research, giving major financial support.
The funds collected at the last auction went to support research that accelerated clinical developments on Duchenne muscular dystrophy over the past two years. Notable among these were the launching of several clinical trials on exon skipping.
In a speech by Luc Pettavino, President of the AMM (Monaco Association against Muscular Dystrophy) and initiator of Only Watch, made at the launching ceremony of Only Watch 2011 in the presence of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco and the Presidents of the participating watch brands:
"Your presence is heartening because it shows that you were wisely able to turn professional competitiveness into a beneficial ambition and enthusiasm for a noble cause.
"Your presence is moving because while you may not be personally affected by this disease, your generosity and good-heartedness will help to save lives".
Audemars Piguet, Bell & Ross , Blu, Blancpain, Bovet Fleurier, Breguet, Celsius X VI II, Chanel, Chaumet, Chopard, Corum, Cyrus, De Bethune, Delacour, Dewitt, Franck Muller, Frederique Constant, Girard-Perregaux, Glashütte Original, Harry Winston, Hermes, Hublot, Ikepod, Jaquet Droz, Laurent Ferrier, Louis Vuitton, Maurice Lacroix, Mb&F, Montblanc, Patek Philippe, Piaget, Richard Mille, Romain Jerome, Tag Heuer, Ulysse Nardin, Urwerk, Vacheron Constantin, Van Cleef & Arpels, Vulcain and Zenith are taking part in Only Watch.
Only Watch notes that the impressive world tour is made possible by the support of the following partners: The Hour Glass Singapore, the CITIC Group (for Shanghai and Beijing), The Hour Glass Tokyo, Westime Beverly Hills, the Consulate General of Monaco and the Monaco Government Tourist Office in New York, and Orologeria Verga in Milan.
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