Pièce de Résistance

The Only Watch auction returns this year, featuring unique timepieces donated by watchmakers that will grace the auction floor to raise funds for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research.

- Asaph Low

Bell & Ross BR 03 Cyber Rainbow 

Colours get the Cyber treatment as Franco-Swiss brand Bell & Ross presents the Bell & Ross BR 03 Cyber Rainbow for Only Watch 2023. Call it avant-garde or bold if you will, the elevated play on chromatics fit for the occasion sets the narrative for the unique creation. The familiar BR 03 case is decked in a mosaic rendition of the rainbow - as a symbol of hope - arranged starting with red at the top before fanning around the watch from the strap, case and movement in a clockwise direction according to the rainbow's colour spectrum. Varnished pieces are responsible for bringing the effect to life, though various application methods are used for different surfaces. For instance, the bridges of the skeletonised automatic BR-Cal.383 specially developed for this watch are black DLC-coated and micro-blasted for a soft textured finish. Pockets littering the bridges are filled with coloured varnish, offering a sense of airiness and lightness to the dial. Over on the black DLC-coated titanium case, the mosaic pieces are painstakingly applied with a specialised process. Conversely, the pieces on the rubber straps are made from soft coloured materials to match the malleability of rubber.

Bvlgari Octo Finissimo Marble Tourbillon Only Watch 2023

Roman jeweller Bvlgari turns to marble — a material close to their hearts — for the Only Watch 2023 auction. Working with marble felt natural for Bvlgari given Italy’s and their deep rooted relationship with the metamorphic rock —