The charity auction of the Monegasque Association against Muscular Dystrophy (AMM) in Geneva reached new heights with the dispersion of 50 unique watches, which raised 35 million euros, including 28 million for a Patek Philippe.
€28million: auction sold! Never seen before! The Patek Philippe brand watch, the Grandmaster Chime steel model, became the most expensive watch in the world sold at auction on November 9.
This unique prototype, sought by collectors, was the star of a unique Swiss session of the Only Watch collection. 50 unique pieces offered by the most famous brands in the watchmaking industry, put on sale to support the Monegasque association against myopathies (AMM).
The biannual event raised 9 million euros in 2017. It totalled 35 million this time. An absolute record. “I knew that anything was possible on this sale, I felt it when I went around the world to present this collection,” says Luc Pettavino who initiated the adventure in 2005. Only Watch is the adventure of his life, “a personal story that I have transformed into a universal project,” he says.
The personal history of his family. His son Paul, taken away by the Duchenne muscular dystrophy from which he had suffered since birth. In the early years, Paul was the ambassador for this cause that he embodied. His courage survived him, planted in the memory of those who crossed his path and carried by his father’s energy.
“MAKE BEAUTIFUL TO DO GOOD”
“Only Watch, there are thousands of hours of exchanges that have released significant energy since 2005,” says Luc Pettavino. One of the keys to the success of this event sale every two years.
In the recipe, he cites the creativity of watchmaking companies, a captive market with major collectors, and the skills of the Only Watch team. “There was an immediate understanding of this project of the idea of doing good with beauty.”
The good thing is the possibility of offering financial independence to teams of expert researchers in France, Monaco and Switzerland, who are making progress in research related to Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
One of the most serious genetic diseases that exist, which alters muscles and still has no cure. The disease affects one in 3,000 boys at birth. With the major financial support of the WMA for almost two decades, scientific confidence is beginning to emerge.
“Clinical trials should begin in 2020, with the ultimate hope of being able to access a generic drug that is accessible to as many people as possible. An intravenous drug that can penetrate all the muscles of the body to repair the damaged gene that affects its functioning.”
NEXT EDITION IN 2021
In Geneva, a few hours before the sale, Luc Pettavino received the special prize from the jury of the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix to reward his vision of bringing the watch industry together to get involved in this cause.
At his side, on the day of the session orchestrated by Christie’s, he was able to count on the best in terms of ambassadors for the Principality: Prince Albert II and Charles Leclerc, both sensitive to the cause in general and to the history of the Pettavino family in particular.
Through this energy and the explosive results of this sale, Luc Pettavino began to plant the seeds for the 2021 edition. “It will be a change in continuity, with collaborations with artists perhaps, not to repeat itself.”