Only Watches

Augustman's favourites from the "Only" project, which raises funds for research on Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy by auctioning one-off timepieces

- JONATHAN HO

BULGARI OCTO FINISSIMO TOURBILLON

In 2014, the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon precipitated an epic run of eight “thinness” world records set by Bulgari for eight consecutive years. For this year’s edition of Only Watch, Bulgari demonstrates its mastery of miniaturisation once again by recreating that legendary timepiece in green Verde Alpi marble.

The case of the Octo Finissimo, consisting of 110 facets, has been carefully clad with a thin (0.4 - 0.5 mm) layer of marble from the Aosta Valley; taking care not to shatter the delicate slivers and while achieving a visually harmonious design: Each slice had to be machined, then smoothened and finally polished by hand. The dial, too, features a 0.6 mm thin marble wafer. The bracelet, the most delicate part, required untold hours of painstaking work: The front and sides of each link had to be set with a sliver of marble, leaving only the interior surface in black DLC titanium.

ULYSSE NARDIN FREAKS 

With no hands, no dial, and no crown, the Freak S tells the time, thanks to the rotation of its own movement. Two bridges rotate around its centre, and respectively indicate the hours and minutes. An arrow shows the hours, while the nose cone of the spaceship reveals the minutes.

Whereas in traditional tourbillons, the balance wheel makes one rotation per minute within a cage. But in the case of the Freak S, it’s the whole movement – including its regulating organ – that makes a complete turn on itself in one hour. The Freak S’s time is set by rotating the bezel in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction.

HERMÈS ARCEAU LE TEMPS VOYAGEUR