Horologically Happy

The annual Only Watch charity event provides a spectacular showcase for the finest–yet simultaneously most diverse–in horology each year, with independents and brands alike producing exceptional and unforgettable “Pièces Uniques” that go to auction in Monaco for the good cause of battling Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). There are many beauties already announced for 2021, and I wanted to illuminate just a handful of the standouts amongst many. Before I do so, I should point out that the single thing I love the most about the Only Watch event offerings, is how wonderfully wide-ranging the offered watches are, running the gamut from classic and stately, to wild and fun, with movements breathakingly complicated and refreshingly simple–it is a veritable smorgasbord of diversity from great watchmaking houses all across the spectrum in size and public visibility. To someone looking in, the event is a fabulous slideshow of just how extensive the watchmaking universe really is, and an opportunity to appreciate the most special and rare of timepieces. I wish I had the time to share them all, but I’ll hit some highlights that spoke loudest (to me)…

Pulling no punches at all, Patek Philippe floored me with their announcement of this keywound, complicated table clock! Despite the masterful in-house designed and manufactured movement with a perpetual calendar showing day, date, month, leap year, moon phase, and calendar week, as well as power reserve for the 31 day autonomy, this creation is just as notable for its rich Art Deco ornamentation and the luxurious appointments, which include hand-decorated sterling silver, gold, and select American walnut. The harmony and complexity of this piece are stunning, and suggest what we already know: this will grace one hell of a desk of power, whose owner has the means to acquire whatever his or her heart desires. Fittingly to that last point, the Only Watch 2021 desk clock was modeled after another watch lover of this description, automobile baron James Ward Packard, who was famed as an avid collector of complicated and rare Patek Philippes, and had a similar piece delivered to him in 1923. Interestingly, Packard’s great rival in Patek Philippe collecting, banker Henry Graves, Jr–who of course won the one-upmanship game going on with Packard after getting his eponymous Supercomplication in 1933–had a unique Patek Philippe table clock of his own, too. (Of course he did.) Bottom line: the historical lineage of this Patek Philippe clock is simply irresistible, and what an utterly amazing object of art, horology, and miniature architecture it is!

Going in a totally different direction towards the popular sports watch, Blancpain is offering up another tantalizing variant of its eternally gorgeous Fifty Fathoms dive watch, which I’ll admit I wish wasn’t limited to a single example.

This particular Blancpain Fifty Fathoms variant grabs your eyeballs by the proverbial collar thanks to an extensive and potent use of orange superluminova material throughout the sapphire capped luminous dive bezel, and the dial. This use of orange, which also extends to the famous and historically fascinating “No Radiations” mark at 6 o’clock, honors the color theme of this year’s Only Watch auction, and in my opinion, looks absolutely smashing on the classic Fifty Fathoms. Turning the watch over shows off a characteristically finely decorated F. Piguet 1151 movement with blackened gold winding mass much in the style of other Fifty Fathoms models, but with a special motif highlighting the Only Watch association, as well as the words “Piece Unique” on the edge of the caseback, in case you weren’t satisfied that yours will be the only one in existence.

Among more obscure artist brands, Atelier de Chronometrie announced this absolutely breathtaking watch (the modestly named AdC21) which reminds me of some of the observatory watches of the 1940s–hardly a surprise, I guess, as the young yet highly talented, artisanal brand from Barcelona has built their star on creating pieces that represent the best in the vintage wristwatch era, to the extent of even using fine, old stock calibers as base movements–which they then rework extensively.

The rose gold case of the AdC21, largely handmade in the shop, looks ravishing. It frames up the similarly golden toned sector dial, which shows off curved sword hands in rose gold, as well as a fire blued seconds hand for just that one delightfully rich pop of notable color contrast. As stylish and classic as all of this may be, the real show can be seen behind the exhibition caseback, where a slow beat, handwound movement with an indirectly driven center seconds function ticks in stately 18,000 vph fashion.

The finish and attention to detail of this movement, as in the past with earlier creations, can only be described as a labor of love. I’m not certain which vintage caliber ADC used as the base–I know they’ve used vintage handwound Omega calibers in some earlier debuts–but as always, the tiny team of watchmakers pulled out all the stops, from the chamfers on the bridges, to the finish on the flanks and tooth profiles of the wheels in the gear train. The result is clearly exceptional in every way. Only Watch or not, this kind of dedicated virtuosity makes me very interested in Atelier de Chronometrie and, their (hopefully bright) prospects for the years to come.

Bright and bold colors, a practical complication, and a refreshing sense of freedom and fun bring the Speake-Marin’s One & Two Dual Time seen just above to life. I find myself really engrossed with the contrasts and striking look of this GMT piece in everything from the three dimensional multi-layered dial with explosions of orange, yellow and red, to the skeletonized cutout showing some of the underlying mechanism. Of all the orange-themed watches I’ve seen–again, this color has been selected as the official visual theme of Only Watch 2021–this one seems to use it among the most effectively, and interestingly. While the brand is not quite as endearing to me as when Peter himself was at the helm, this is still a very impressive piece tilted towards the avant garde–definitely not one to be slid surreptitiously under a dress cuff!

And, taking us back to familiar and hallowed territory, is this sensational interpretation of what is arguably Audemars Piguet’s single most iconic single watch – the reverential Royal Oak “Jumbo”. Always coveted, now exceptionally expensive to acquire, AP’s thinnest and most fundamental Royal Oak can get any watch enthusiast practically salivating, regardless of metal and dial combination. How about this then?

Limited to a single piece for the Only Watch cause, it’s wrought from a jaw-droppingly cool combination of satin blasted titanium and polished bulk metallic glass–a material sharing characteristics of other glass formulations, but also being an alloy of palladium, one that offers a fascinating combination of strength and exceptional polishability; in this case, the small links and signature octagonal bezel of the Royal Oak both feature use of this material. The press photos are tantalizing, but I can’t wait to see live photos of it! Sadly, this materially cutting edge, yet delightfully understated interpretation will be the very last iteration of the 15202 before the historic Royal Oak Jumbo model–along with its legendary ultra-slim JLC based movement–is retired by AP in favor of more modern references of the Royal Oak, with modern AP mechanical hearts beating in them. In homage to this point, the dial features the classic hobnail pattern and the marquee and brand signature in the same orientation as the original Reference 5402 Jumbo from the 1970s. The great Jumbo will be missed, but ah, what a grande finale this one is!