Ulysse Nardin's $1.1 Million Timepiece Highlights Superyacht Charity Event

The $1.1 Million Royal Blue Tourbillion Haute Joaillerie

PALM BEACH, Fla. – The guests circled the marble outdoor pool area Saturday at the Mar-A-Lago Club, Donald’s Trump’s Mediterranean-revival palace, as night fell. The men wearing formal tuxes, the women in flowing gowns with jewelry that sparkled like stars against the night. They entered the main banquet room with drinks in hand and sat down for the final gala and live auction of the 24th Annual Showboats International Boys & Girls Clubs Rendezvous.

Patrik Hoffmann

In the midst of it all, playing a prominent role throughout the three-day event, was Patrik Hoffmann, CEO of the Swiss luxury watch brand, Ulysse Nardin. Hoffmann and the watch brand helped the event raise more than $1 million for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County by contributing about $200,000.

Held November 10-12 at the Rybovich Yacht Club, the exclusive Rendezvous is the largest gathering of superyachts in the U.S. Twelve yachts, measuring from 44 feet to 197 feet participated this year. There are daily and early evening events at the yacht club and evening galas throughout the Palm Beach area.

On November 10 during a tour of the superyachts known as the “Rendezvous Yacht Hop,” Hoffmann commandeered the 197-foot Lime Light to showcase a selection of watches that would be featured throughout the event, including the $1.1 million Royal Blue Tourbillon Haute Joaillerie (top picture). The platinum watch case and bracelet are paved with 568 baguette-cut diamonds and 234 baguette-cut royal blue sapphires. The bridges and main plates are crafted in blue sapphire, allowing the flying Tourbillon to appear as if it is floating in an empty space. While this watch made the headline of this story it was actually overshadowed by some of Ulysse Nardin’s other offerings when it came to its impact on the event. Among the watches:

The Admiral, a marine chronometer specifically designed for and given to 16 members of the Rendezvous Fleet Admirals Club. These are persons who contributed $50,000 per year for the past five years to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County. Each watch is engraved with the recipient’s name. The men’s model is on a rubber strap and on an additional crocodile strap with steel deployant buckle. The matching women’s model has a diamond bezel. The watch dial, caseback and strap also contains insignias and other descriptions identifying the person as a Fleet Admirals Club member. During the formal gala, each member was called up to the stage to be acknowledged, and to personally receive their custom timepiece from Hoffmann.

The Classico, the official auction watch. The sleek gold watch includes a caseback that can be personalized for the owner through a hand-engraved image. Five of the watches were auctioned off for $25,000 each during at the final night’s ball.

The Blue El Toro perpetual calendar timepiece was the surprise auction watch. It’s the newest GMT Perpetual model from the company and the only one currently available in the world. “It is the only perpetual calendar that you can set back and forth,” Hoffmann said. “Whereas many perpetual calendars work with springs and clutches, obviously, once it springs you cannot go back. Ulysse Nardin perpetual calendars work with wheels and gears. That’s why you can go back and forth.” It’s a patent owned by Ulysse Nardin used for all of its perpetual calendar timepieces that will end in about two years.

Hoffmann said Friday that there was a possibility of it being placed on auction but he didn’t sound too keen on the idea. However, later that evening, during the Palm Beach Celebration party at the Flagler Museum, all it took was a little “nudge” from Rick Case, founder of the Rendezvous event. In this case, the nudge by Case, one of the top car dealers in the U.S., involved calling Hoffmann in front of everyone in the room and telling them that the timepiece will be auctioned off the following night. The watch sold at auction during the final night’s gala for $75,000, well over its retail price of $55,000.

The Genghis Khan Unique Piece. This latest version of the limited edition Genghis Khan is the only one in the world with a mother-of-pearl background. The figures on the watch face are made of threaded gold. It also has a Westminster chime sound that signals the hour, quarter hour and minutes. The visible one minute tourbillon is integrated into the aventurine dial. It sells for $725,000 Swiss francs ($786,000).

Those who received an Admiral Watch are:

Felix Sabates

John Rosatti & Dawn

Robert Tomsich

Leslie & Tom Murphy

Linda & Doug Von Allmen

Leslie & John Dane III

Cindy & Terry Taylor

Christine Lynn

Suzanne & Larry DeGeorge

Gene Reed

John Devaney

Marti & Wayne Huizenga

Rita & Rick Case

Richard & Mary Anne Kull

From left: Wayne and Marti Huizenga receiving an Admiral timepiece from Patrik Hoffmann and Rick Case.

Only Watch Charity Timepiece Auction Raises $6.85 Million

The fifth edition of the biennial Only Watch auction held September 28 at the Hermitage Hotel in Monaco raised a record of more than 5 million euros (more than $6.85 million), with all proceeds benefiting research for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. 

You can view all the watches from the auction by following this link.

The auction, part of the Monaco Yacht Show, attracted competitive bidding from China, Belgium, Switzerland, Kazakhstan, the United States, Monaco and many other parts of the world, according to the statement from Antiquorum Auctioneers, one of the event organizers. The other organizers were Association Monegasque Contre les Myopathies, the Monaco Yacht Show and the 33 watch brands who created one-of-a-kind timepieces for the event. Also up for bid was a selection of 14 vintage champagne bottles from Lanson. 

Participating watch brands were: Backes & Strauss, Bell & Ross, Blancpain, Breguet, Chanel, Chopard, Chronoswiss, Christophe Claret, Corum, Cyrus, deLaCour, De Bethune, DeWitt, Frédérique Constant, Girard Perregaux, Harry Winston, Hublot, Ikepod, Jaquet Droz, Julien Coudray, Laurent Ferrier, Louis Vuitton, Maurice Lacroix, Montblanc,  Patek Philippe, Piaget, Richard Mille, Roger Dubuis, Armin Strom, Ulysse Nardin, Vacheron Constantin, Van Cleef & Arpels and Zenith.

The auction was preceded with a worldwide preview that made stops in Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, New York City, Geneva and finally at the world renowned Monaco Yacht  Show.

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‘Only Watch’ Charity Auction Raises $6.2M for MD Research

From left: Ronnie Wood from The Rolling Stones, Luis Garcia (Directeur de Recherche CNRS), Philippe Ferreyrolles, Monique Pettavino, HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, Tess Pettavino, Gaëlle Tallarida (Managing Dierctor Monaco Yacht Show), Peter Rigby (Chief Executive Informa), Paul Pettavino, Luc Pettavino (President AMM) - Photo: © Claude Charvin

The "Only Watch" charity auction raised more than 4.5 million euros ($6.2 million) for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research.

The biennial event was held September 23 at the Hotel Hermitage in Monaco in a star studded affair that included Prince Albert II of Monaco and Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood. The auction featured a collection of 40 timepieces created specifically for the auction from the top brands in the Swiss watch industry. The pieces went on a world tour to Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo, Los Angeles, New York, Milan, Geneva and Monaco prior to the sale.

A Patek Phillipe attracted the highest bid of the evening for its Ref. 3939. The stainless steel minute repeater wristwatch with tourbillon escapement, black enamel dial with a stainless steel prong buckle fetched 1.4 million euros ($1.9 million), nearly three times its asking price. Other timepieces that led auction results included a DeWitt, "Concept Watch No. 3 – X-Watch," that sold for $410,000 euros ($558,381); a BLU Gagarin Platinum flying tourbillon that celebrates the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's historic flight in space that sold for 300,000 euros ($408,571); and a a Van Cleef & Arpels, Poetic Complication “From the Earth to the Moon,” No. 1/1 that sold for 215,000 euros ($292,673).

View 38 of the 40 timepieces that were sold.
 
In addition to a full room of buyers and celebrities, the fourth edition of the event attracted strong internet and intense telephone bidding. International participation included Japan, Switzerland, Hong Kong, China, the United States and the Russian Federation.

“The auction result is more than exceptional,” said Luc Pettavino, president of the Association Monégasque contre les Myopathies and Founder of Only Watch. “Only Watch 2011 is the fruit of an excellent collaboration between watch manufactures, partners, media, organizers ... but it is first and foremost an outstanding work done by men and women coming from very different horizons who joined their energies to create hope in research on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.”

All proceeds from the auction will finance research, organize scientific roundtables and fund International Collaborative Effort (ICE).

“Thanks to Only Watch, we are going to be able to finance ICE (a program that was started in 2008),” said Luis Garcia, directeur de Recherche at the CNRS. “This program brings together 15 leading teams worldwide who work on therapeutic strategies on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, in particular exon skipping, gene and cell therapies.”

The event is organized by the Association Monégasque contre les Myopathies, Antiquorum Auctioneers and the Monaco Yacht Show (which is held at the same time), along with the support of 40 of the watchmakers, the auction concluded a series of preview exhibitions that took place in (during the Monaco Yacht Show).

Watch Brands Create 33 Unique Timepieces for 'Only Watch' Charity Auction

Armin Strom One Week Skeleton Water

Some of the world’s best-known watch brands have created 33 unique timepieces for men and women that will go on the auction block to finance research to combat Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Backes & Strauss Victoria Princess Red Heart

Known simply as “Only Watch,” the fifth edition of this auction will be held September 28 at the Hôtel Hermitage in Monaco. Held every two years as part of the Monaco Yacht Show, it is the first and the largest charity auction for the international watch industry.
 

Bell & Ross Collector's Box of Six Unique Watches

Proceeds from the sale will be donated to the Monegasque Association against Muscular Dystrophy—the promoter of Only Watch along with Antiquorum Auctioneers and the Monaco Yacht Show—to finance research for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a degenerative neuromuscular disease affecting 1 in 3,500 boys, therefore 250,000 children, adolescents, and young adults around the world.

Blancpain Women, Only Watch 2013

The luxury timepieces that will be on offer cover a breadth and depth of styles and functions. Several include designs that pay tribute to the event and the Principality of Monaco, such as the Van Cleef & Arpels “Lady Arpels Une journée à Monacopanoramic view of Monaco,” with a turquoise dial that depicts a panoramic view of Monaco. Several contain tourbillons and a few are prototypes, such as the Richard Mille Tourbillon Prototype Yohan Blake, which was worn by the Jamacian Sprinter during the London Olympic Games, where he won gold and silver medals.

Breguet Classique Chronograph Openworked 5284

Beginning August 30, the Only Watch collection of timepieces will go on a world tour that will conclude with a presentation during the Monaco Yacht Show (September 25th to 28th). The dates and locations of the tour are as follows:

Chanel, Premiere Flying Tourbillon

* Tokyo, August 30, Mandarin Oriental;
* Singapore, September 6 – 7, The Hour Glass;
* Hong Kong September 9 – 10, Antiquorum;
* Shanghai, September 12 – 13, location to be announced;
* Beijing, September 14, location to be announced;
* New York, September 16 – 17, Antiquorum;
* Geneva (September 20 – 23, Antiquorum;
* Monaco, September 25 – 28, Monaco Yacht Show.

Chopard, L.U.C Tourbillon Only Watch 2013 Edition

The auction will take place on September 28 at 11 a.m. (7pm EDT) in the “Salle Belle Epoque” of the Hôtel Hermitage.

Christophe Claret X-TREM-1 Pinball

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Chronoswiss, The Three Apes

Corum Ti-Bridge 3-Day Power Reserve

Cyrus Kambys Model

De Bethune Skybridge

DeLacour Red Dots

DeWitt Twenty-8-Eight High Jewellery Skeleton Tourbillon

Frederique Constant Double Heart Woman Set

Girard Perregaux Chrono Hawk Only Watch

Harry Winston Only Watch 2013 Midnight Big Date

Hublot Bright Red Ceramic "Classic Fusion"

Ikepod Horizon

Jaquet Droz 'The Loving Butterfly'

Julien Coudray 1518 'Draw Me a Happy Child' by the Children of the World

Laurent Ferrier Galet Classic Only Watch

Louis Vuitton Tambour Spin Time Regatta

Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Seconde Mysterieuse

Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Rising Hours for Monaco

Patek Philippe Only Watch 2013 Special Reference 5004T

Piaget Altiplano Automatic Skeleton

Richard Mille Tourbillon Prototype Yohan Blake

Roger Dubuis La Monegasque

Ulysse Nardin Marine Chronometer Manufacture Only Watch

Vacheron Contantin Patrimony Traditionnelle Heures du Monde

Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Une Journee a Monaco

Zenith El Primero Stratos Flyback Striking 10th Tribute to Felix Baumgartner, Prototype I/I

Hublot Auction for Young Victims of the Catastrophe in Japan

In support of the Kids Earth Fund in Japan, the Swiss luxury watch brand Hublot began an online auction for its Manchester United King Power Red Devil engraved 000/500 timepiece.

Auction registration is now active on the Hublot website.

All funds from the sale of this rare timepiece made for the Manchester United English soccer team (one of the most popular and successful teams in any sport in the world) will go to the Kids Earth Fund directly benefiting the children suffering from the catastrophe in Japan.

All potential bidders must register on the Hublot website by June 22 at 2 p.m. GMT. The live auction will begin on June 23 at 2 p.m. GMT. The highest bid will win the watch.

And if I may say the 48 mm timepiece is quite a beauty. The hour markers of the sapphire dial are made from grass off the “sacred” turf of Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium. The date window is at 4 o'clock and the Manchester United Red Devil logo at 3 o'clock.

The bezel and case is made of black ceramic and it has an adjustable black rubber strap. The movement is the HUB 4245 skeleton chronograph.

“When you are sitting halfway around the world watching events like this unfold on a television screen, you cannot imagine the suffering, but you can try and help,” said Jean-Claude Biver, Hublot CEO and board member. “It is impossible for us to stop events like this happening but we owe it to our friends in Japan to help where ever and in whatever way that we can. That is why we cannot simply stop now. We must continue to help and send a very clear message to the people suffering from the fall out of the tsunami. We are here and we will not give up on you.”

Hublot Opens First Boutique in Japan

From left: Emmanuel Prat, president of Hublot Japan and LVMH Japan, Ricardo Guadalupe, Hublot managing director, Sumo wrestler Sho Hakuho, Jean-Claude Biver, Hublot CEO, and Harumi Torii, founder of a non-profit organization Kids Earth Fund at the June 2 opening of Hublot boutique in Tokyo. Biver is holding the King Power Red Devil that will be auctioned off to support children suffering from the recent Tohoku earthquake.

Hublot celebrated the opening of its flagship boutique on Namiki Street in Tokyo’s Ginza shopping district with a special unveiling of the FIFA Winner’s Trophy for 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil and efforts to help children affected by the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. The event was attended by local celebrities and top Hublot officials. It is the Swiss luxury watch brand’s first boutique in Japan.

The boutique, designed by New York architect Peter Marino, carries the same concept as the Hublot boutiques in Place Vendôme, Paris (opened in December 2010) and Madison Avenue, New York (opened in February 2011). Marino introduced materials such as bronze, natural buckskin and ebony to convey a warm yet tranquil atmosphere. The Ginza boutique is the only location in Japan to offer the Hublot Vendome Collection.
 
Guests for the celebration included Sumo wrestler Sho Hakuho, soccer goalkeeper Seigo Narazaki and Harumi Torii, founder of a non-profit organization Kids Earth Fund. Hublot CEO Jean-Claude Biver, attended the event with Ricardo Guadalupe, Hublot managing director, and Emmanuel Prat, president of Hublot Japan and LVMH Japan.

Through a strong relationship with FIFA as the tournament’s Official Watchmaker and Official Timekeeper, Hublot was able to bring the FIFA Winner’s Trophy for 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil to the event. It was the first public release of the trophy in Japan.

At a charity gala dinner to support the Kids Earth Fund, Hublot announced the donation of 10,000 sets of Swiss Caran d’Ache colored pencils for children affected by the tsunami. They are used by children in drawing workshops to help them express themselves.

As a special feature of the event, Hublot announced that the King Power Red Devil – limited number “000 of 500” timepieces will be presented for an online auction to raise funds for children in despair, beginning June 23. Registration will begin Friday (June 10) through the Hublot website, http://www.hublot.com.

Just after the chaos caused by Tohoku Earthquake on March 11, Hublot launched “Commitment for Japan, You and Hublot for Japan” campaign on its website to raise funds via Red Cross Society for support. The company soon became involved with the Kids Earth Fund, which works to help children worldwide who suffered through disasters.

‘Jewelers for Japan’ Auction Raises $20,000

Ajaline.com raised more than $20,000 to benefit relief efforts in Japan through their “Jewelers for Japan” auction on Charity Buzz from April 5 to April 19. A total of 19 jewelry houses donated jewelry for the auction.

Ajaline, founded by Meeling Wong and Jim Conte, is a members-only flash-sales site devoted to luxury fine jewelry and watches.

Proceeds raised from “Jewelers for Japan” will benefit Japan Society’s Earthquake Relief Fund, supporting four specific organizations:

* Tokyo Volunteer Network for Disaster Relief – a network of approximately 3,000 volunteers focusing on food, water, blankets and other goods from a distribution center in Tome, Miyagi Prefecture;

* JEN – an international humanitarian and relief development organization providing emergency relief supplies to the fishing village of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, among the hardest hit by the tsunami;

* ETIC – a Japanese organization consisting of young social and business entrepreneurs committed to providing emergency relief goods to the elderly, disabled, and those with special medical needs; and

* Japan NPO Center – a center, partnering with the Civil Society Initiative Fund, working to identify and support local community-based non-profit organizations and volunteer organizations involved in relief and sustainable recovery work throughout the affected regions with small grants

Jewelry brands who participated in the auction were H.Stern, Mikimoto, Kimberly McDonald, Jill Platner, Coomi, House of Waris, Buccellati, Paolo Costagli, Robert Lee Morris, Robin Rotenier, Lagos, Monica Rich Kosann, Charriol, Delatori, Gurhan, Yossi Harari, Sally Sohn, Emily & Ashley and Diamond in the Rough.

Japan Society is an American nonprofit organization supported by individuals, foundations and corporations that brings the people of Japan and the United States closer together through mutual understanding, appreciation and cooperation.

Riki and Jerome Shaw Jewelry Collection Raises $8.6 Million For Animal Welfare

6-carat fancy intense pink diamond ring by Harry Winston from Riki and Jerome Shaw collection sold for more than $5.7 million.

Jewelry from the collection of Riki and Jerome Shaw raised more than $8.6 million with all proceeds going toward cage-free animal shelters as part of the couple’s ongoing fight against animal cruelty. It was part of Christie’s New York Magnificent Jewels Sale.

The private collection was led by a 6-carat fancy intense pink diamond ring by Harry Winston, which sold for more than $5.7 million. It was one of two items from the collection that were among the top 10 lots sold during the auction held Wednesday at Christie’s Rockefeller Center headquarters. The other piece was a 6.25-carat Burmese ruby and diamond ring that sold for more than $1.3 million. 

The top lot of the evening was a pair of circular-cut, D-color, internally flawless diamonds of 22.60 and 22.31 carats (pictured above) that sold for more than $8.5 million; followed by a 40.43-carat oval-cut D-color potentially flawless diamond of 40.43 carats (pictured below) that sold for more than $7.6 million. 

Another private collection, this one belonging to Kathleen and Martin Field, sold for more than $6 million with two items among the top ten lots sold: They were a 20.10-carat rectangular-cut, D-color, VVS1 diamond by Harry Winston that sold for more than $2.4 million; and a 42.88-carat rectangular-cut Colombian emerald and diamond brooch by Harry Winston that sold for more than $1.3 million.

A 2.49- carat, old mine cut fancy yellowish green diamond ring by JAR (pictured above) shattered its pre-auction estimate of $500,000 to sell for more than $1.8 million.

One high-ticket item that did not sell was a 50-carat briolette-cut D-color, flawless diamond that had an estimate of $5.5 - $7.5 million. 

The overall auction at took in more than $60.5 million, with 82 percent sold by lot and 80 percent sold by value. 

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Lily Safra Charity Jewelry Auction Includes Largest JAR Collection; Could Fetch $20 Million

Caption: Left: Lily Safra. Right: A ruby and diamond Camellia flower brooch by JAR created for Safra in 2003. Estimate: $1.2 million to $1.5 million.

The jewelry collection of famed philanthropist, Lily Safra, will be up for auction at Chrisite’s Geneva on Monday May 14, with all proceeds to be donated to 20 different charitable institutions. The collection includes the largest single-owner selection of jewels by JAR ever to be offered at auction.

Regarded as a major philanthropist of our time, Safra is also a discerning connoisseur. This jewelry collection reflects her refined taste and its evolution through five decades, from the 1970s to the present day, the international auction house said. Featuring 70 lots, the sale at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues is estimated to fetch more than $20 million. It includes important diamonds, rubies and sapphires, as well as an array of fine antique and period jewelry.

A special section of the sale will be dedicated to a group of 18 jewels by JAR, the majority of which were created specifically for Safra by the renowned jeweler between the 1980s and 2000s. It is the largest private collection of creations by JAR ever to be offered at auction.

“Only a connoisseur with an eye as refined as that of Mrs. Lily Safra could have collected such an ensemble of jewels, and only someone with her philanthropic conviction could have expressed such powerful support to worthwhile causes in all charitable fields,” said François Curiel, international head of Christie’s Jewellery Department.

Lily Safra has carried on the philanthropic tradition of her husband, Mr. Edmond J. Safra, one of the twentieth century’s most accomplished bankers and founder of the Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation. Since 2000, she has chaired this foundation, which supports hundreds of projects related to education, science and medicine, religion, culture, and humanitarian relief in over 40 countries.

She is a passionate art and jewelry collector, and has provided assistance to several institutions, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Musée du Louvre, where the “Salle Edmond et Lily Safra” honors the works she and her husband donated.

All the proceeds from the sale of the collection of Lily Safra will benefit the following 20 charitable institutions:

Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village, Rwanda
Children Action, Geneva
Claude Pompidou Institute for Alzheimer’s Disease, Nice, France
Edmond and Lily Safra Children’s Hospital, Tel Hashomer, Israel
Edmond J. Safra Family Lodge at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.
Elton John AIDS Foundation (worldwide)
Fight AIDS Monaco
Henry Street Settlement, New York
Hopes and Homes for Children, Romania
Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève
Imperial College, London: Edmond J. Safra Chair in Neuropsychopharmacology & Edmond J. Safra Chair in Radiochemistry
Institute for Brain and Spinal Cord Disorders, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris
Keren Shemesh, Israel
King’s College, London: Edmond and Lily Safra Parkinson’s Research Fellowships
Le ballet de l’Opéra national de Paris
New York University, Parkinson and Movement Disorder Center
Royal Opera House, London
Université Joseph Fourier, Institut des Neurosciences, Bâtiment Edmond J. Safra & Institut Clinatec, Centre de Recherche Edmond J. Safra, Grenoble, France
University of Toronto and Toronto Western Hospital, Canada: Edmond J. Safra Program in Parkinson’s Disease (Dr. Anthony Lang & Dr. Andres Lozano)
Water Treatment Program, Amélia Rodrigues, Bahia, Brazil