Only Watch 2023 unveils its catalogue of 62 incredibly exciting one-of-a-kind pieces that will be auctioned in Geneva on November 5th 2023. (Discover the full collection in our photo gallery above). This biennial auction has one mission: Create Beauty to do Good, and more specifically, to raise funds for research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. To date, the organization has raised over CHF 100 million, which has given the Monaco-based charity the means to finance dozens of grants and studies, support doctoral students and post docs, and dramatically accelerate research into finding a cure. Like with previous editions, the Only Watch 2023 auction will take place under His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco’s high patronage who has been an avid supporter of the cause.
WorldTempus caught up with Only Watch’s Founder Luc Pettavino, along with the CEO of the Monegasque Association against Muscular Dystrophy, Tess Pettavino, to learn more about the 2023 edition.
WT: When you started talking to brands in 2022, did you anticipate that this edition would be so exciting?
LP: Each time I feel like there’s a renewed energy for Only Watch thanks to the facts that the project keeps getting stronger and brighter in terms of creativity, the depth of the innovations presented and the fundraising too. But it’s true that this year is quite special – there is a pretty sizeable upscale, once again!
Yes, I believe we started to feel it as soon as we had our debriefings with everyone, right after the auction. I think there are multiple factors: the fact that it’s an anniversary edition (the 10th Only Watch), that our theme is technicolor, that it comes after two editions that were already astounding in terms of the level of watchmaking and ingenuity. The great thing about Only Watch is that the dynamic feeds itself: the better the collective does, the more motivation there is for the next edition to excel, for us to outdo ourselves. The previous edition was so high in terms of quality of the timepieces present. I’m convinced that this is what has fueled everyone’s desire to give their all for this 10th edition which, so I agree, it is going to be very exciting.
WT: Only Watch is an exceptional platform for brand awareness. Some brands even leverage the visibility of Only Watch to gauge the potential success of new complications/products. When do you think this side of Only Watch started to become really strong?
LP: I think the phenomenon has been more visible in the past two editions, but it was very progressive. We mustn’t forget Only Watch is now an 18-year ongoing story. And step by step, thanks to everyone’s true and renewed commitment, we created this platform together where desirability feeds a virtuous dynamic. And the more desirable and visible it gets, the more we get to support the cause: raising funds for research into a therapy for Duchenne and genetic diseases. I think consistency here has been key and I’m grateful for everyone who got onboard and adhered to that principle.
WT: In 2021, there was news of clinical trials and the hope for a cure, which is incredible progress. How important is it to continue raising funds and awareness for the cause, and what could be the future for Only Watch when we arrive at the day when a cure is finally found?
Indeed, the mission for Only Watch is to raise funds for research to find a cure to Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (a genetic disease that affects 1 boy in 3,500 approximately) and the progress that this project has enabled on that level is quite impressive.
On the occasion of the last Only Watch in 2021, some of the researchers we finance, through a charity-owned and patients-oriented biotech, were filing for an authorization for a phase 1 safety trial for a drug.
