Bradley Cooper to Wear Unique IWC Watch at Oscars Being Auctioned for Charity by Sotheby’s

Bradley Cooper in an IWC advertisement. Photo credit: IWC

IWC Ambassador Bradley Cooper will wear a unique IWC Big Pilot’s Watch to the Oscars ceremony on Sunday with a special engraving. The watch is being offered by Sotheby’s in an exclusive online auction with all proceeds going to benefit the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Youth Foundation. Bidding opened $16,000 Friday and will run till March 4. 

A personal letter from Cooper to the new owner will accompany the watch. IWC is donating all proceeds from the sale to the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Youth Foundation with all funds going to "Arrimage," a charitable organization that focuses on teaching visually impaired children how to read drawings using their sense of touch.

Big Pilot’s Watch single piece with a special engraving (Ref. IW500923), Bidding for the watch will open at $16,000. Photo courtesy of Sotheby’s and IWC

The IWC watch Cooper will be wearing at The Oscars is a Big Pilot’s Watch single piece with a special engraving (Ref. IW500923). The timepiece features a midnight blue dial and is housed in a case made of 18k 5N gold. It is powered by the IWC-manufactured 51111-caliber movement. On the caseback there is an engraving of an iconic quote from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry‘s The Little Prince: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly."

A triple Oscar-nominee in 2019, Cooper co-wrote, directed, produced and starred in A Star is Born. The film has received eight Oscar nominations: “Best Actor in a Leading Role,” “Best Actress in a Leading Role.” “Best Picture,” “Best Adapted Screenplay,” “Best Actor in a Supporting Role,” “Best Original Song,” “Best Cinematography” and “Best Sound Mixing.” He previously earned Oscar nominations for his performances in Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle and American Sniper. Bradley Cooper became a brand ambassador for IWC in 2018. 

The unique IWC Pilot's Watch with special engraving: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly." Courtesy of Sotheby’s and IWC

“The support of disabled children and adolescents is one of the cornerstones of our CSR effort,” said Christoph Grainger-Herr, CEO of IWC Schaffhausen. 

“IWC Schaffhausen’s master watch-makers have produced a complex and beautifully crafted symbol of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s pioneering spirit. After witnessing dreams come true on the stage of the Oscars this Sunday, it will be a privilege for us to offer this one-of-a-kind watch in our upcoming sale and to support the important work of the foundation,” added Mikael Wallhagen, head of the Watch Division for Sotheby’s in Geneva.

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Unique Baume & Mercier Capeland Shelby Cobra Watch Placed On Auction

Capeland Shelby Cobra 18k red gold flyback chronograph

Baume & Mercier and legendary race car manufacturer Carroll Shelby International Inc. created the Capeland Shelby Cobra chronograph collection that was released in June. 

Modeled after the Shelby Daytona Cobra, the two limited-edition watches honored the 50th anniversary of the car’s greatest achievement: finishing first in 11 out of 20 races to be crowned 1965 FIA GT champions. It was an unlikely victory as the small American car maker and its team of drivers beat the best-known and most-established car manufacturers in the racing world. 

Baume & Mercier US officials say that it was the company's most successful watch lunch in memory.

Now the two companies are partnering in a release of a one-of-a-kind Capeland Shelby Cobra 18k red gold flyback chronograph that will be auctioned at Antiquorum in New York on December 15. All proceeds will go toward the Carroll Shelby Foundation, which raises funds to help families and children affected by heart disease and provides schooling and education for underprivileged young people in the US. 

A view of the La Joux-Perret mechanical movement from the sapphire crystal caseback

An auction estimate has yet to be set for this new timepiece. Bids may be placed online, over the phone or in person.

The unique version of the Capeland Shelby Cobra is inspired by the same graphic identity codes of the Shelby Cobra race car. Unlike its predecessors, which replicated “Guardsman Blue” racing color with transparent dual racing stripes, the watch up for auction has an off-white dial with sky transparent dual blue racing stripes. There’s also blue accents on the dial and hands, a 44 mm polished/satin-finished 18k red gold case, a black calfskin strap with round-scale blue alligator lining and gray stitching, and an 18k red gold pin buckle. The inscription “Shelby Cobra 1965-2015, Unique Piece” is engraved on the case back, framing a sapphire crystal bearing Carroll Shelby’s signature. 

The Shelby Cobra

The flyback chronograph mechanism is driven by a Swiss-made mechanical self-winding movement from Manufacture La Joux-Perret. The watch comes in an exclusive presentation box that will also house an additional black leather alligator strap with round-scale blue alligator lining and gray stitching.  

The Shelby Cobra stripes

Along with the watch, the winning bidder will receive a “VIP package experience,” which the watch brand says is valued at $10,000. It includes a visit to the Shelby World Headquarters in Las Vegas, an original illustration of the Cobra signed by the Cobra driving legends, a Cobra driving experience, two custom-made racing suits, a VIP factory tour, a personal item of Carroll Shelby and a photo opportunity aboard an historical Cobra CXS2000. 

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Riki and Jerome Shaw Jewelry Collection Raises $8.6 Million For Animal Welfare

6-carat fancy intense pink diamond ring by Harry Winston from Riki and Jerome Shaw collection sold for more than $5.7 million.

Jewelry from the collection of Riki and Jerome Shaw raised more than $8.6 million with all proceeds going toward cage-free animal shelters as part of the couple’s ongoing fight against animal cruelty. It was part of Christie’s New York Magnificent Jewels Sale.

The private collection was led by a 6-carat fancy intense pink diamond ring by Harry Winston, which sold for more than $5.7 million. It was one of two items from the collection that were among the top 10 lots sold during the auction held Wednesday at Christie’s Rockefeller Center headquarters. The other piece was a 6.25-carat Burmese ruby and diamond ring that sold for more than $1.3 million. 

The top lot of the evening was a pair of circular-cut, D-color, internally flawless diamonds of 22.60 and 22.31 carats (pictured above) that sold for more than $8.5 million; followed by a 40.43-carat oval-cut D-color potentially flawless diamond of 40.43 carats (pictured below) that sold for more than $7.6 million. 

Another private collection, this one belonging to Kathleen and Martin Field, sold for more than $6 million with two items among the top ten lots sold: They were a 20.10-carat rectangular-cut, D-color, VVS1 diamond by Harry Winston that sold for more than $2.4 million; and a 42.88-carat rectangular-cut Colombian emerald and diamond brooch by Harry Winston that sold for more than $1.3 million.

A 2.49- carat, old mine cut fancy yellowish green diamond ring by JAR (pictured above) shattered its pre-auction estimate of $500,000 to sell for more than $1.8 million.

One high-ticket item that did not sell was a 50-carat briolette-cut D-color, flawless diamond that had an estimate of $5.5 - $7.5 million. 

The overall auction at took in more than $60.5 million, with 82 percent sold by lot and 80 percent sold by value. 

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Only Watch Charity Timepiece Auction Raises $6.85 Million

The fifth edition of the biennial Only Watch auction held September 28 at the Hermitage Hotel in Monaco raised a record of more than 5 million euros (more than $6.85 million), with all proceeds benefiting research for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. 

You can view all the watches from the auction by following this link.

The auction, part of the Monaco Yacht Show, attracted competitive bidding from China, Belgium, Switzerland, Kazakhstan, the United States, Monaco and many other parts of the world, according to the statement from Antiquorum Auctioneers, one of the event organizers. The other organizers were Association Monegasque Contre les Myopathies, the Monaco Yacht Show and the 33 watch brands who created one-of-a-kind timepieces for the event. Also up for bid was a selection of 14 vintage champagne bottles from Lanson. 

Participating watch brands were: Backes & Strauss, Bell & Ross, Blancpain, Breguet, Chanel, Chopard, Chronoswiss, Christophe Claret, Corum, Cyrus, deLaCour, De Bethune, DeWitt, Frédérique Constant, Girard Perregaux, Harry Winston, Hublot, Ikepod, Jaquet Droz, Julien Coudray, Laurent Ferrier, Louis Vuitton, Maurice Lacroix, Montblanc,  Patek Philippe, Piaget, Richard Mille, Roger Dubuis, Armin Strom, Ulysse Nardin, Vacheron Constantin, Van Cleef & Arpels and Zenith.

The auction was preceded with a worldwide preview that made stops in Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, New York City, Geneva and finally at the world renowned Monaco Yacht  Show.

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Watch Brands Create 33 Unique Timepieces for 'Only Watch' Charity Auction

Armin Strom One Week Skeleton Water

Some of the world’s best-known watch brands have created 33 unique timepieces for men and women that will go on the auction block to finance research to combat Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Backes & Strauss Victoria Princess Red Heart

Known simply as “Only Watch,” the fifth edition of this auction will be held September 28 at the Hôtel Hermitage in Monaco. Held every two years as part of the Monaco Yacht Show, it is the first and the largest charity auction for the international watch industry.
 

Bell & Ross Collector's Box of Six Unique Watches

Proceeds from the sale will be donated to the Monegasque Association against Muscular Dystrophy—the promoter of Only Watch along with Antiquorum Auctioneers and the Monaco Yacht Show—to finance research for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a degenerative neuromuscular disease affecting 1 in 3,500 boys, therefore 250,000 children, adolescents, and young adults around the world.

Blancpain Women, Only Watch 2013

The luxury timepieces that will be on offer cover a breadth and depth of styles and functions. Several include designs that pay tribute to the event and the Principality of Monaco, such as the Van Cleef & Arpels “Lady Arpels Une journée à Monacopanoramic view of Monaco,” with a turquoise dial that depicts a panoramic view of Monaco. Several contain tourbillons and a few are prototypes, such as the Richard Mille Tourbillon Prototype Yohan Blake, which was worn by the Jamacian Sprinter during the London Olympic Games, where he won gold and silver medals.

Breguet Classique Chronograph Openworked 5284

Beginning August 30, the Only Watch collection of timepieces will go on a world tour that will conclude with a presentation during the Monaco Yacht Show (September 25th to 28th). The dates and locations of the tour are as follows:

Chanel, Premiere Flying Tourbillon

* Tokyo, August 30, Mandarin Oriental;
* Singapore, September 6 – 7, The Hour Glass;
* Hong Kong September 9 – 10, Antiquorum;
* Shanghai, September 12 – 13, location to be announced;
* Beijing, September 14, location to be announced;
* New York, September 16 – 17, Antiquorum;
* Geneva (September 20 – 23, Antiquorum;
* Monaco, September 25 – 28, Monaco Yacht Show.

Chopard, L.U.C Tourbillon Only Watch 2013 Edition

The auction will take place on September 28 at 11 a.m. (7pm EDT) in the “Salle Belle Epoque” of the Hôtel Hermitage.

Christophe Claret X-TREM-1 Pinball

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Chronoswiss, The Three Apes

Corum Ti-Bridge 3-Day Power Reserve

Cyrus Kambys Model

De Bethune Skybridge

DeLacour Red Dots

DeWitt Twenty-8-Eight High Jewellery Skeleton Tourbillon

Frederique Constant Double Heart Woman Set

Girard Perregaux Chrono Hawk Only Watch

Harry Winston Only Watch 2013 Midnight Big Date

Hublot Bright Red Ceramic "Classic Fusion"

Ikepod Horizon

Jaquet Droz 'The Loving Butterfly'

Julien Coudray 1518 'Draw Me a Happy Child' by the Children of the World

Laurent Ferrier Galet Classic Only Watch

Louis Vuitton Tambour Spin Time Regatta

Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Seconde Mysterieuse

Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Rising Hours for Monaco

Patek Philippe Only Watch 2013 Special Reference 5004T

Piaget Altiplano Automatic Skeleton

Richard Mille Tourbillon Prototype Yohan Blake

Roger Dubuis La Monegasque

Ulysse Nardin Marine Chronometer Manufacture Only Watch

Vacheron Contantin Patrimony Traditionnelle Heures du Monde

Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Une Journee a Monaco

Zenith El Primero Stratos Flyback Striking 10th Tribute to Felix Baumgartner, Prototype I/I

Lily Safra Charity Jewelry Auction Includes Largest JAR Collection; Could Fetch $20 Million

Caption: Left: Lily Safra. Right: A ruby and diamond Camellia flower brooch by JAR created for Safra in 2003. Estimate: $1.2 million to $1.5 million.

The jewelry collection of famed philanthropist, Lily Safra, will be up for auction at Chrisite’s Geneva on Monday May 14, with all proceeds to be donated to 20 different charitable institutions. The collection includes the largest single-owner selection of jewels by JAR ever to be offered at auction.

Regarded as a major philanthropist of our time, Safra is also a discerning connoisseur. This jewelry collection reflects her refined taste and its evolution through five decades, from the 1970s to the present day, the international auction house said. Featuring 70 lots, the sale at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues is estimated to fetch more than $20 million. It includes important diamonds, rubies and sapphires, as well as an array of fine antique and period jewelry.

A special section of the sale will be dedicated to a group of 18 jewels by JAR, the majority of which were created specifically for Safra by the renowned jeweler between the 1980s and 2000s. It is the largest private collection of creations by JAR ever to be offered at auction.

“Only a connoisseur with an eye as refined as that of Mrs. Lily Safra could have collected such an ensemble of jewels, and only someone with her philanthropic conviction could have expressed such powerful support to worthwhile causes in all charitable fields,” said François Curiel, international head of Christie’s Jewellery Department.

Lily Safra has carried on the philanthropic tradition of her husband, Mr. Edmond J. Safra, one of the twentieth century’s most accomplished bankers and founder of the Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation. Since 2000, she has chaired this foundation, which supports hundreds of projects related to education, science and medicine, religion, culture, and humanitarian relief in over 40 countries.

She is a passionate art and jewelry collector, and has provided assistance to several institutions, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Musée du Louvre, where the “Salle Edmond et Lily Safra” honors the works she and her husband donated.

All the proceeds from the sale of the collection of Lily Safra will benefit the following 20 charitable institutions:

Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village, Rwanda
Children Action, Geneva
Claude Pompidou Institute for Alzheimer’s Disease, Nice, France
Edmond and Lily Safra Children’s Hospital, Tel Hashomer, Israel
Edmond J. Safra Family Lodge at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.
Elton John AIDS Foundation (worldwide)
Fight AIDS Monaco
Henry Street Settlement, New York
Hopes and Homes for Children, Romania
Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève
Imperial College, London: Edmond J. Safra Chair in Neuropsychopharmacology & Edmond J. Safra Chair in Radiochemistry
Institute for Brain and Spinal Cord Disorders, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris
Keren Shemesh, Israel
King’s College, London: Edmond and Lily Safra Parkinson’s Research Fellowships
Le ballet de l’Opéra national de Paris
New York University, Parkinson and Movement Disorder Center
Royal Opera House, London
Université Joseph Fourier, Institut des Neurosciences, Bâtiment Edmond J. Safra & Institut Clinatec, Centre de Recherche Edmond J. Safra, Grenoble, France
University of Toronto and Toronto Western Hospital, Canada: Edmond J. Safra Program in Parkinson’s Disease (Dr. Anthony Lang & Dr. Andres Lozano)
Water Treatment Program, Amélia Rodrigues, Bahia, Brazil

Ulysse Nardin's $1.1 Million Timepiece Highlights Superyacht Charity Event

The $1.1 Million Royal Blue Tourbillion Haute Joaillerie

PALM BEACH, Fla. – The guests circled the marble outdoor pool area Saturday at the Mar-A-Lago Club, Donald’s Trump’s Mediterranean-revival palace, as night fell. The men wearing formal tuxes, the women in flowing gowns with jewelry that sparkled like stars against the night. They entered the main banquet room with drinks in hand and sat down for the final gala and live auction of the 24th Annual Showboats International Boys & Girls Clubs Rendezvous.

Patrik Hoffmann

In the midst of it all, playing a prominent role throughout the three-day event, was Patrik Hoffmann, CEO of the Swiss luxury watch brand, Ulysse Nardin. Hoffmann and the watch brand helped the event raise more than $1 million for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County by contributing about $200,000.

Held November 10-12 at the Rybovich Yacht Club, the exclusive Rendezvous is the largest gathering of superyachts in the U.S. Twelve yachts, measuring from 44 feet to 197 feet participated this year. There are daily and early evening events at the yacht club and evening galas throughout the Palm Beach area.

On November 10 during a tour of the superyachts known as the “Rendezvous Yacht Hop,” Hoffmann commandeered the 197-foot Lime Light to showcase a selection of watches that would be featured throughout the event, including the $1.1 million Royal Blue Tourbillon Haute Joaillerie (top picture). The platinum watch case and bracelet are paved with 568 baguette-cut diamonds and 234 baguette-cut royal blue sapphires. The bridges and main plates are crafted in blue sapphire, allowing the flying Tourbillon to appear as if it is floating in an empty space. While this watch made the headline of this story it was actually overshadowed by some of Ulysse Nardin’s other offerings when it came to its impact on the event. Among the watches:

The Admiral, a marine chronometer specifically designed for and given to 16 members of the Rendezvous Fleet Admirals Club. These are persons who contributed $50,000 per year for the past five years to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County. Each watch is engraved with the recipient’s name. The men’s model is on a rubber strap and on an additional crocodile strap with steel deployant buckle. The matching women’s model has a diamond bezel. The watch dial, caseback and strap also contains insignias and other descriptions identifying the person as a Fleet Admirals Club member. During the formal gala, each member was called up to the stage to be acknowledged, and to personally receive their custom timepiece from Hoffmann.

The Classico, the official auction watch. The sleek gold watch includes a caseback that can be personalized for the owner through a hand-engraved image. Five of the watches were auctioned off for $25,000 each during at the final night’s ball.

The Blue El Toro perpetual calendar timepiece was the surprise auction watch. It’s the newest GMT Perpetual model from the company and the only one currently available in the world. “It is the only perpetual calendar that you can set back and forth,” Hoffmann said. “Whereas many perpetual calendars work with springs and clutches, obviously, once it springs you cannot go back. Ulysse Nardin perpetual calendars work with wheels and gears. That’s why you can go back and forth.” It’s a patent owned by Ulysse Nardin used for all of its perpetual calendar timepieces that will end in about two years.

Hoffmann said Friday that there was a possibility of it being placed on auction but he didn’t sound too keen on the idea. However, later that evening, during the Palm Beach Celebration party at the Flagler Museum, all it took was a little “nudge” from Rick Case, founder of the Rendezvous event. In this case, the nudge by Case, one of the top car dealers in the U.S., involved calling Hoffmann in front of everyone in the room and telling them that the timepiece will be auctioned off the following night. The watch sold at auction during the final night’s gala for $75,000, well over its retail price of $55,000.

The Genghis Khan Unique Piece. This latest version of the limited edition Genghis Khan is the only one in the world with a mother-of-pearl background. The figures on the watch face are made of threaded gold. It also has a Westminster chime sound that signals the hour, quarter hour and minutes. The visible one minute tourbillon is integrated into the aventurine dial. It sells for $725,000 Swiss francs ($786,000).

Those who received an Admiral Watch are:

Felix Sabates

John Rosatti & Dawn

Robert Tomsich

Leslie & Tom Murphy

Linda & Doug Von Allmen

Leslie & John Dane III

Cindy & Terry Taylor

Christine Lynn

Suzanne & Larry DeGeorge

Gene Reed

John Devaney

Marti & Wayne Huizenga

Rita & Rick Case

Richard & Mary Anne Kull

From left: Wayne and Marti Huizenga receiving an Admiral timepiece from Patrik Hoffmann and Rick Case.