It’s that time again for the OnlyWatch Auction to happen. Every two years, a number of watch manufacturers create one-of-a-kind timepieces that are auctioned to raise money to find a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. This is a great example of companies giving back to help a worthy cause, but really it is a win-win for everyone involved. I have to think that the manufacturers might enjoy designing these unique watches without the added stress of making sure they can sell thousands of them. Not to mention, there is a load of press coverage so it is not bad publicity. Christie’s is auctioning the 50 watches on Saturday, November 11, 2017. If you are interested in bidding, visit the 2017 OnlyWatch site and related Christies Auction site. A video preview is below.
There is already ample coverage on this event, and I am probably the least qualified person to talk about fancy watch auctions unless we are talking about watch hunting on eBay! Instead, I want to talk about some of the watches in the event. There are fifty lots and while many of them are not to my taste, there are some that intrigued me.
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- 2017 Only Watch Lots
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- 2017 Only Watch Lots
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- 2017 Only Watch Lots
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- 2017 Only Watch Lots
There is one that stands above the others for me and that would be the 2017 OnlyWatch made by Tudor. At first glance, this watch is instantly recognizable as a bronze Tudor Black Bay Vintage, but it does not look exactly like the ones you can buy. Its proportions seem similar to the 42mm bronze watch that is common, but the location of the crown has been swapped to make this watch a destro, also known as a lefty. Instead of the crown pointing down towards a wearer’s hand, it will point upwards to his elbow. In other words, the crown is moved from the 3:00 position to the 9:00 position. Or, left-handed people can just wear this normally in comfort. Tudor also made an olive green bezel and dial plus they included a green woven strap to finish the watch.
The delicious 2017 OnlyWatch Tudor Black Bay Bronze One. Photo: Tudor
Konstantin Chaykin Joker
I’ll wager this watch fetches more than the estimated price of between $4,600 to $5,700. (Update: it sold for a whopping 350,000 Swiss Francs – roughly the same amount in U.S. dollars). Maybe that is because this watch looks like one that you can actually wear. Some of the other OnlyWatch creations are a bit whimsical or precious to wear in the real world, though I’d take the Konstantin Chaykin Joker just because it is so much fun. Anyway, the Tudor Black Bay Bronze One seems the be the watch that will probably (hopefully) spin off into a model that the rest of us can buy and enjoy. I don’t think it would be a stretch for Tudor to produce something like this model on a large scale. Maybe this model can be used to judge interest in a destro Black Bay.
I already own an older red-bezel Tudor Black Bay Heritage, and I absolutely love it. The design ticks all the right boxes for me blending the right size, proportions, large crown design and vintage cues. Tudor made a classic because it was pulling from classics. This got me thinking about whether a standard-issue Black Bay Heritage could be modified to look like the Tudor Black Bay Bronze One.
Tudor Pelagos LHD
I am not a watchmaker, so this might be a pipe dream. I am wondering if the dial of a standard Tudor Black Bay could be rotated 180 degrees forcing the crown to move to the left-hand side? The rotation of the movement should still work and go clockwise. There is not a date window to worry about so there is no issue there. Perhaps the only issue would be that the crown screws down, screws out and winds opposite of what you might expect. The back of the dial may have to be modified to move the alignment feet that lock the dial to the movement so it may not be easy-peasy. However, the effort might be a small price to pay to get a watch similar to the Tudor Black Bay Bronze One.
2017 OnlyWatch Tudor Black Bay Bronze One (left) versus the standard bronze Black Bay (right). Ripe for modding? Photos: Tudor
The answer may already be in the OnlyWatch Auction details because the movement is called a Caliber MT5601-LHD… obviously specifying it has been modified for a “Left Hand Drive”. This is a different caliber than the only other lefty Tudor watch that I can think of which is the drool-inducing Tudor Pelagos LHD, which uses a Caliber MT5612-LHD. I wonder what the differences are?
No matter if the OnlyWatch Tudor Black Bay Bronze One uses a bespoke movement, I would be willing to bet money that some crafty watchmaker could take a standard Black Bay and flip it. Could this be a new modding trend like what is seen in the Seiko modding community? Maybe not since many people will be unwilling to modify a watch that retails for $3,000+. However, you can see for yourself below what a converted Tudor Black Bay might look like. Now, who is going to be the first guinea pig to sacrifice their Black Bay to see if this is possible? haha
A special thank you to Seth of Hub City Vintage who took the time to respond to the question that I posted in this article. Seth is a watchmaker who specializes in restoring vintage Seiko watches, and I have come to know more about him through the killer podcast he hosts with collector Dan Benjamin called the UnWound Podcast. I plan to be reviewing the podcast in the future and would certainly love to get my hands on any Seiko that Seth restored. Both sites are worth a look.
