WristReview’s Top 5 from Only Watch 2017

A Belgian racing legend, Jacky Ickx known for his 6 wins in Le Mans 24 helped to develop the design of the watch practically making it a racing infused watch. Chopard is also kind enough to showcase his signature on the dial and his name on the caseback. What makes the Superfast 8Hz Power Control Porsche 919 very unique is its recently developed hi-beat movement which sits between Zenith’s 5Hz El-Primero and Breguet’s 10Hz. Chopard’s watch runs at 8Hz and at this speed the balance is expected to lessen timing errors, which in itself is a highly innovative concept and we like to think that it works. The watch also features a 45 mm titanium case with matte blue dial. The lucky buyer gets to spend an exciting weekend at the Monaco Historique weekend in 2018 in the presence of Jacky Ickx himself.

Breguet has always been committed for the fight against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and we like them for this. We also like the fact that their pieces have always been superb. This year we’re looking at the Breguet Classique Quantième Perpétuel En Ligne, a perpetual calendar featuring a sleek design whilst keeping traditional guilloché on the dial. It comes in a 39 mm yellow gold case, very elegant in a fluted style. Being sleek, the dial is somewhat simplified to 3 parts (note that this is a complicated watch): the day of the week window sits just below the branding at 12 o’clock, the month indicator at the very center, and the date at 6 o’clock wrapping the instant jumping leap year indicator. The lucky buyer also gets to experience how the manufacture in the Vallée de Joux makes watches.

Audemars Piguet joins the fight against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy with a highly modified Royal Oak watch for the charity auction. The watch features useful complications on a unique blue-dial edition exclusive only for the Only Watch 2017 edition. It also comes on a trendy 41 mm black ceramic case that’s perfect for both dressy and sporty occasions. Powering it is calibre 5134 with notable ultra-thin automatic perpetual calendar movement based on the iconic calibre 2120 that can also be found on the original 1972 Royal Oak.

Czapek makes a comeback with a new watch, Quai des Bergues that will go under the hammer for the charity auction this year. The company has been absent in the industry for quite some time now but they’re slowly gaining momentum. The watch in question is an attractive dressy watch featuring an in-house movement with a 7 day power reserve made possible by a double spring barrel design that uses two mainsprings to hold the tension for power rather than one which makes for smoother power delivery. The watch also features XO (a proprietary alloy made from stainless steel) which is found to resist corrosion better than normal stainless steel.

Topping our list is Patek’s Triple Complication showcasing a minute repeater, a monopusher chronograph, and an instantaneous perpetual calendar arranged in a unique and effective manner using apertures along an arc. Certainly, collectors have their eyes on this one and if you remember, the brand is highly sought amongst collectors (the 2015 edition of the same event featured the highest priced wristwatch of all time that was sold for CHF 7.3M before Phillips Auctions and Aurel Bacs sold the Steel Patek 1518 for over CHF 11M). Regarding with the price estimates of this new watch, your guess is as good as ours, exciting times ahead indeed. The watch comes on a 42 mm titanium case with a blue dial enlivened with a hand-guilloched carbon-fiber pattern at the center. It also features an interchangeable full back and sapphire-crystal case back. The beating heart of all these amazing complications is Caliber R CH 27 PS QI, a movement built with absolute passion. It’s completely plated with a black rhodium coat and the platinum micro-rotor is hand-guilloché with the same carbon-fiber decoration seen on the dial. The lucky buyer gets to see this mechanical beauty through the exhibition caseback.

Click here to read our Only Watch 2017 coverage