A Life of Luxury: TIME FOR LUXURY

The clock is ticking and the countdown has begun, in just one week's time the ‘Only Watch 2011 charity auction’ will be held once again during the Monaco Yacht show (MYS).

The Principality of Monaco is always to proud to host the most prestigious international Yacht Show and this year marks the 21st Anniversary of the show.

Ulysse Nardin will also celebrating their third consecutive year as the shows official sponser. Among the most reliable evermade, Ulysse Nardin’s marine chronometers that have been expertly steering captains and their crews with faultless precision are still sought by collectors around the world. Ulysse Nardin continues to be in the forefront of watchmaking technology by pioneering new materials in manufacturing high precision movement components and most innovative timepieces.

The “Only Watch 2011″ charity auction will be held on September 22, 2011, under the high patronage of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco and jointly organised with the Antiquorum auction house. Thirty-four participating brands, will be offering more than 40 fabulous timepieces pieces to what will be the fourth edition of the bi-annual auction and will take place on the 22nd of September. This collection will also make a world tour during the year to appeal to the international community of collectors, with stops in Shanghai, Hong Kong, New York, Tokyo, and Geneva

It is a special year for the Manufacture from La Chaux-de-Fonds as they are donating a one-of-a-kind Petite Heure Minute model created especially for the occasion.. Jaquet Droz, who will be unveiling a unique Petite Heure Minute model. This exclusive luxury watch will feature an ivory Grand Feu enameled dial adorned with details from one of the principality’s most renowned landscapes, a marvelous specimen of the art of miniature painting on enamel. In choosing to apply this painstaking technique, Jaquet Droz wished to honor an ancestral art with a 21st-century interpretation of the traditions practiced by its founder .
This watch will no doubt bring a lot of attention to the auction, it is already appearing in a number of luxury magazines as many are fascinated by its exquisite detail on the face of the watch. The lengthy process takes a master artisan at least a week, with one eye to the microscope, to finish one of these entirely hand-crafted masterpieces.

Petite Heure Minute features a self-winding mechanical movement, a double barrel, a 68-hour power reserve with a 22-carat white gold oscillating weight bearing a sunray motif executed by the skilled hand of a master engraver, and a Jaquet Droz’ secret signature. Water-resistant to 3 bar (30 meters), this superlative model comes in a 43 mm watchcase of 18-carat red gold.

There are so many pieces I could feature in this article but I wanted to choose showcase some of the more original designs that will be up for auction. The Bovet 7-day Tourbillon 'Only Watch 2011' demonstrates an Amadeo case. Due to the unique construction of the case, the wearer can easily “turn” the wristwatch into a table clock or a pocket watch. The timepiece also boasts a reversible display adapted to the brand’s tourbillons. It shows off a dragon and a phoenix inspired by the Chinese mythology. According to the principles of Feng Shui, the dragon and Phoenix coupled together embody the perfect harmony of 'Yin' and 'Yang'.

The 44mm case of the Bovet 7-day Tourbillon Only Watch 2011 is rendered in 18K red gold. It is coupled with an alligator leather strap or an 18K red gold chain.

Ikepod are also offering a one of kind piece for the auction. It is a red version of the Ikepod Hourglass and is a truly stunning piece.

All proceeds from the sale enable the Monegasque Association against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy to continue to support international research projects into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy – a field in which the Association has been actively involved since 2005.

Participating watch brands 2011
Bell & Ross, Blancpain, Bovet Fleurier, Breguet, Celsius, Chanel, Chaumet, Chopard, Corum, De Bethune, Delacour, De Witt, Franck Muller, Frédérique Constant, Girard Perregaux, Harry Winston, Hermès, Hublot, Ikepod/Marc Newson, Jaquet Droz, Laurent Ferrier, Louis Vuitton, Maurice Lacroix, MB&F, Mont Blanc, Patek Philippe, Piaget, Richard Mille, Romain Jérôme, Tag Heuer, Ulysse Nardin, Urwerk, Vacheron Constantin, Van Cleef & Arpels, Vulcain, Zenith

www.onlywatch2011.com

The Monaco Yacht show is set to welcome over 30,000 visitors this year and if you are wanting to attend and have have any interest in a certain yacht please contact me at anna@denisonyachtsales.com

There are a number of new superyacht berths which have been made available to the show boosting the number of yachts that can attend. Taking up one of those berths is Palumbo’s newest edition to the superyacht market, 54m motor yacht Prima . This Yacht show is considered, by many in the industry to be the worlds most important superyacht show.