First established in order to raise funds for research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy via the auction of unique watches from participating brands. This goal has progressed steadily along since then, with the funds raised over the years contributing to the milestone of the first clinical trial of a new ASO-tricycle-DNA designed for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy that will take place in 2022.

It hasn’t only benefited medical search however, for watchmaking, the Only Watch auction has allowed brands to debut new concepts and ideas in watchmaking, also allowing collectors the opportunity to buy unique pieces from a wide variety of brands instead of just from the usual suspects, and this on a somewhat regular basis.

In fact, comparing my experience with the earlier editions of the Only Watch auction which were relatively low key affairs, I have seen a steady growth in its importance to watchmaking. There is now a palpable sense that this is an event as worthy as the “real” auctions, given how at the recent exhibition hosted by The Hour Glass, at the Singapore stop of the 2021 edition’s tour around the world, more days and appointments slots had to be added to cope with the overwhelming interest. 

The nice thing is, unlike a regular auction where you try to get a watch as cheaply as possible, participating in the Only Watch motivates you to bid higher because the proceeds go to a good cause. 

Well, I won’t be bidding at the auction that will be held tomorrow on the 6th of November 2021 in Geneva, but I, along with contributor Martin Goh (see part two), go though some of our selections that we would bid on, if our bank accounts could support it. 

Bell & Ross BR-01 Cyber Skull Sapphire 

Bell & Ross has been making skull themed watches for some time, offering a wide variety of types over the years to the point that they are the only brand that seems devoted to the theme. Their contribution to Only Watch is a sapphire cased version of what I would consider their best Skull watch – the Laughing Skull – one that you can read about here. 

This time it’s called the Cyber Skull, and the reason why is that it is made of faceted orange sapphire, and this against a striking transparent sapphire case. The custom movement – BR.CAL.309, designed in the shape of the skull is available to view in all its glory because of this. 

As well, the owner of this watch can adjust the position of the mandible of the skull when winding, and then view it move up and down as the watch runs and the mainspring unwinds. 

MISS AUDREY SWEET FAIRY ONLY WATCH by Bovet 

This is a cute ladies piece that seems simple on the surface, yet knowing that it’s a Bovet, the essential question to ask is – what’s so special about this? 

Well, it’s all in the orange background of the miniature painting of “Miss Audrey Sweet Fairy”. It is sweet not just in name, but literally, as the dial is made out of pure sugar. It’s a new and patented technique by Bovet, and the sugar crystals coloured orange, are visible when you peer closely at the surface. 

It is definitely a surprising realization, a bit out of left field perhaps, but overall a cohesive idea taken to a logical conclusion. “Miss Audrey Sweet Fairy” as well has some integrated Super Luminova so it might look interesting in the dark, although I haven’t been able to see this in the press pictures. Would love to though. 

Lastly, thanks to the way that the case is constructed, this is a piece that can transition from being worn on the wrist to being worn as a pendant. 

Highlife Monolithic Manufacture Only Watch 2021 by Frederique Constant 

For a start, it’s worth pointing out that Frederique Constant’s new one piece silicon escapement that was launched early this year (Read our article here) is the fastest beating oscillator in a mechanical watch ever created. It is a technical marvel that uses the special qualities of silicon to run at an unprecedented speed of 40 Hz.

This Only Watch version of the Highlife Monolithic manufacture comes in an 18K rose gold case, an open dial decorated with blue Côtes de Genève and the Monolithic Oscillator taking pride of place at the 6 o’clock position. 

Personally, it was exciting to see this watch as I have not been able to see the Monolithic Oscillator in person due to it not being available yet in Singapore. For Frederique Constant, it’s certainly a great way to get the technology in people’s hands, and it’s definitely one of the great ways that the Only Watch auction can be a platform to showcase the more nerdy side of watchmaking to the wider world.

Martian Tourbillon Only Watch by Konstantin Chaykin

The Joker series of watches from Konstantin Chaykin, has grown to become a signature offering from the brand, and it’s nice to see that the idiosyncratic design can evolve to take on slightly offbeat ideas. 

The Martian Tourbillon Only Watch therefore is billed the first first Martian tourbillon, as it runs based on the Martian minute, making a revolution every 61.65 seconds. This makes the watch not very useful here on earth, since the time shown will be a little bit out of sync at first, and more as the days go on. The main advantage however is that you’ll be ready with a watch to wear when the selection process happens for human beings to go to Mars. Or, if it takes longer than your natural lifetime for this to occur, you can use this watch to keep track of Martian time while viewing the inevitable broadcasts that come from the drones and rovers that will be sent first to conduct reconnaissance. 

Aikon Master Grand Date Only Watch 2021 by Maurice Lacroix

I have a particular affinity for the Maurice Lacroix Aikon Master Grand Date that was launched at Watches and Wonders 2021, since it was based on one of my favourite watches from the brand, the Gravity. (Read my love letter to the Gravity here). Now rendered in a sportier Aikon case, it continues to expand the offering of complicated watches for the Aikon line. 

As the current flagship model for Maurice Lacroix, it’s nice to see the Aikon Master Grand Date rendered in an unexpected manner for Only Watch 2021 since it does show the potential of this model being extremely sporty. 

The carbon fibre case is the main draw here, and the motivation for this is the brand’s involvement as the Official TImekeeper of Mahindra Racing, in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. The carbon fibre of the case and bezel comes from an actual Mahindra Racing car, which does make the collaboration much more meaningful. 

It would have been nice to have the colours (red, blue and white) from the racing team on this watch, but I can understand why Mautice Lacroix went with orange, as it is this year’s colour for Only Watch 2021. 

This watch does show the tantalizing possibility of Maurice Lacroix introducing carbon into a standard production Aikon Master Grand Date, which I would look forward to. If not, the new owner of this watch will be able to enjoy a full VIP hospitality package at any 2022 round of the ABB FIA FOrmula E World Championship with the only carbon AIkon Master Grand Date to exist. 

Tudor Black Bay GMT One  

This version of the Tudor GMT is interesting as it marks the second release of a Master Chronometer watch from the brand, following the one in the Tudor Black Bay Ceramic that was launched earlier this year. 

It was a surprise move when the Black Bay Ceramic was launched, making use of the extremely stringent certification that until that point had only been used by Omega. 

It’s great that this Black Bay GMT, a very popular piece in the Tudor line up, (read about it here) receives this technically forward certification, which might point to future production versions also having it as well. Though that is not the only interesting thing about this watch. The grey coated steel case and bracelet have been processed with a secret ageing technique that makes this Black Bay GMT One very cool. 

Will we see a new Black Bay GMT updated to Master Chronometer spec, or maybe other Black Bay watches with this new aged aesthetic? If one of both of these things happens, sign me up. 

This is why we see faces in random patterns and attribute human characteristics to the objects that we see them on. It is also a reason why when a face appears on a watch, our relationship to it changes.

I know this because my Azimuth Mr Roboto is not just a watch that tells me the time, it is also a friend that I have imaginary conversations with. Why?

A watch with a face can seem to stare back when you look at it, and it is easy to anthropomorphize it by giving it a name, a personality and even, whether jokingly or not, by speaking to it.

So it got me wondering if there were other watches that were similar to Mr Roboto in this regard. Intuitively of course, one might look to the many Skull type watches that exist, but I wanted to find watches that went the extra mile, watches that go beyond just sticking a picture, whether fancily made or not, on what is for all intents and purposes, a standard watch. As a result here are my criteria.

1. The watch in question must not just have a picture of a face on the dial.
   2. That the case is obviously the head.
   3. That the elements of the “face” are part of the time-telling function – (read: no hour and minute hands sprouting from the centre of the dial.)

This means that something like the Fiona Kruger Skull fulfils the first and second criteria but not the third. Also, it goes without saying that all the watches on this list should be mechanical.

It was quite difficult to narrow it down, but here is a short list of watches that fulfil the criteria. Choose one of these and you’ll have a friend who will tell you the time and even maybe talk to you when you need some company.

1. Konstantin Chaykin Joker

The Joker from Konstantin Chaykin has to be the most emotive watch on this list, and that comes not just from the way the eyes look independently in all directions – depending on the time, but the details that give it a playfulness. This is the brand’s most memorable and shall I daresay – iconic – watch, and it comes from the unique vision of Konstantin Chaykin himself, who has managed to come up with a collection of watches, apart from this one, that all have something special about them. The version shown here, is a unique piece, nicknamed, “The Mime”, and all monochromatic themed version that was made for Singaporean collector @watchinery. Other variations with interesting themes are also available as seen below.

The complication is achieved by adding an 8 jewelled module on top of the ETA 2824-2, dividing out the hours (left) and minutes (right) to each eye, and then adding an additional crown at the 9-o’clock position with recessed corrector for correcting the moon-phase display that is shown by the tongue as it moves across the mouth.

It is easy to tell the time with this watch, and it is probably also the easiest to react emotionally to it, since the way that the eyes move can make the Joker’s face look crazy, calm or serene at different times.

As proof of how unique the vision of Konstantin Chaykin is, look no further than the watch he made for Only Watch 2019, the Joker Selfie, which is essentially a self-portrait of the namesake watchmaker. Look for the distinctive beard and eyebrows that decorate this piece, and also a very unique additional complication hidden in the left eye which wears a watchmaker’s loupe. When worn on the wrist and flipped up towards the wearer to read the time, the hidden secret hour is revealed.

Find out more at www.konstantin-chaykin.com

2. Azimuth Mr Roboto

The Azimuth Mr Roboto, compared to the aforementioned Konstantin Chaykin Joker, has a more stoic appearance, and that’s on account of the indications that do not seem to move as much. It’s a robot after all- what do you expect?

In Mr Roboto, the robot eyes contain rotating discs that display the current hour (left) and the dual time zone (right). Retrograde minutes are handled by the robot’s mouth, while seconds (to mainly indicate that the watch is running) are shown by the rotating red triangle which is the robot’s nose. This is a watch that is potentially useful for travellers since you can independently change your second time zone as you would any dual timezone watch.

This watch was inspired by 1950’s lantern robots from Japan and it shows – even the crown is a large key that one can imagine winding up your lantern robot with, as you would do with this watch.

The main criticism that came with this watch was that the time was a little difficult to read, given that the hour indication in the eye was too small. That was what prompted the release of the second version, Roboto 2, which had a bigger case with bigger eyes and a bigger mouth. It does solve the readability issues of the first version, and it makes the robot have a different look. There are fans for either, but my preference is for the first version, since I don’t really wear Mr Roboto to tell the time.

Find out more at www.azimuthwatch.com

3. CLVII Skull Watch

Now this is a watch that is relatively affordable, offering a design that fulfils my criteria and has a great wrist presence to boot. Offered by high-end French street wear brand, CLVII, it uses its distinctive logo as the face of the watch – a skull wearing sunglasses. Interestingly the brand name – CLVII – are Roman numerals for the the number “157”, the number of the shop on 157 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris that founder Julien Léonard, established the brand in June 2007.

Don’t go running there however if you want to visit though, as the store has since relocated to 93 rue de la Verriere in Paris.

The CLVII Skull watch is a distinctive watch for sure, and though it stands tall at 18.5mm thick, the articulating lugs on the case help to make its 51mm length manageable on small wrists.

The time is told with rotating discs in the aperture of the skull’s forehead, that tell hour and minute as referenced by the red triangle. Running seconds are also included to indicate that the watch is running.

To keep the price manageable, the CLVII Skull runs an automatic Seiko movement, that just proves that inventive horology can come from a simple movement if the concept is done right.

Buying the CLVII Skull Watch is also a treat when one looks at the packaging, which is basically a black plastic skull from which you can retrieve your watch. They even give you a nice CLVII cap for you to wear to complete the look with the watch on your wrist.

The watch is available online at the CLVII website, or from our friends at Watch Wonderland (https://wonderland.watch/) in Singapore.

Find out more at Time in France

4. Kopf Concept Skull Watch 

In my research to find watches that fit my criteria, I came across this one that seems to look a bit of both a robot and a skull.

The Kopf Concept Skull Watch is an interesting looking one for sure and it comes from the mind of master watchmaker and vintage watch restorer, German Polosin, who operates out of Bristol in the UK, and Moscow in Russia.

Similar in concept to the Konstantin Chaykin Joker, the eyes show the hours and minutes in such a way that readability is not compromised. Even at night, the time is easy to read since the dial and hand pointers are lined with self illuminating tritium tubes. Aside from that it’s the case design that makes the Kopf Concept so intriguing. The articulation in the case comes at the jaw of the skull, making wearing on the wrist easier. This portion also hides the crown in and among the teeth.

Only 100 pieces of the Kopf watch will be made and each will have to be pre-ordered. This allows owners to select the materials from which the case will be made (18K gold is offered as well), as well as the serial number, and engraving for initials.

The Kopf Concept Skull can only be ordered from Polosin via the website at what is frankly a reasonable price of 4560 GBP for 2020, with the price rising to 5400 GBP in 2021.

Find out more or order one at http://kopf.watch/

5. MB&F Jewelry Machine

The Jewelry Machine is a watch that I’ve seen in person only once, and it was an experience to remember since it is even more impressive in the hand than in the pictures that you see here.

There are two versions available but the one I saw, the Jewelry Machine Purple is a mesmerising exercise in high jewelry, courtesy of a collaboration between MB&F and famed jeweller Boucheron.

What’s really surprising about this watch is when you consider how thoroughly transformed the Horological Machine No.3 or HM3, the underlying chassis of this watch, was.

Now I know that this watch is unlike the others in this list so far, that have a humanoid face. Even though this watch is an owl instead, it still does have a face and it still does look at you, and it goes one better by having the case as the entire body of the owl, instead of just the head.

Why an owl then? Well, aside from the obvious symbolism and its distinctive looks, the practical reason must be because of its big eyes, that proportionally allow the time telling cones of the HM3 to work aesthetically. With the hours and day/night indicator on one cone and the minutes on the other, telling the time is not an issue with this watch. Although you probably won’t be buying it for this reason.