TimeForArt Charity Auction Features Unique Pieces From 25 Watch Brands

The biannual charity art auction, “TimeForArt,” will host its second installment on December 7, as part of The Phillips New York Watch Auction: XI. Twenty-Five watch brands will participate, each providing a unique timepiece for the sale. All proceeds will go to the New York-based non-profit Swiss Institute.

TimeForArt is the only benefit watch auction dedicated to supporting contemporary art. The inaugural edition of the auction in 2022 featured 17 timepieces and raised $1.2 million, with 100% of the proceeds from the watch auction, including Phillips’ Buyer’s Premium, going directly to supporting today’s visionary artists through Swiss Institute’s exhibitions, public programs, artist residencies, education and community engagement workshops.

The auction will be livestreamed, allowing collectors to bid in advance or in real-time online, by phone or in person in the auction room.

This year, each of the 25 one-of-a-kind timepieces created for TimeForArt expresses the most artistic elements of contemporary watchmaking, shining a light on the creative core of today’s horology. The theme for this sale is artists for artists. All watches are either created in collaboration with artisans, contemporary artists, or are bespoke examples of innovative craftsmanship.

Chopard

One of the most creative submission from the group is from Chopard, with its Alpine Eagle 41 XP in Lucent Steel. The dial of the timepiece is finished with straw marquetry created by an artisan employed by the company trained in this 17th-century technique. It’s the first time Chopard presented a dial of this kind on its watches.

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Rye straw grown in Burgundy, France, was chosen for the dial. Each strand is split individually by hand before being flattened with a dedicated tool called a plioir (bone folder). Using a scalpel, the straw is then cut and glued to the dial unique patern. The composition combines strands of different sizes, thicknesses and shades, while its graphic lines evoke an eagle’s eye view in full flight over the skyscrapers of New York – the city where the TimeForArt auction is to be held. Once assembled, the dial is coated with wood wax to reveal its shine and brilliance. It took 60 hours of work to complete the decoration. In the end, the hour-markers and inner bezel ring are applied by hand, followed by the gold hours and minutes hands.

The case of the 41mm watch is made of Lucent Steel, Chopard’s proprietary alloy made with an 80% recycling rate. Its powered by its L.U.C 96.17-L movement equipped with the two barrels of Chopard Twin technology with a 65-hour power reserve.

The remaining 24 unique timepieces also have important and even extraordinary artisan and artistic elements. They are as follows:

Anoma

A sculptural timepiece, with a shape inspired by a Charlotte Perriand free-form table, and an engraved dial influenced by optical artists Bridget Riley and Ferruccio Gard.

Armin Strom

A tribute watch to the Swiss artist Franz Gertsch, celebrating his close relationship with the watch manufacture.

Baltic

Co-created with artificial intelligence celebrating the intersection of tradition and technology.

Biver

A collaboration between Biver and Swiss contemporary artist Guillaume Ehinger inspired by nature, beauty, and memory.

Breitling

In keeping with the brand’s “140 Years of Firsts” celebrations, Breitling is unveiling an exclusive Navitimer with a distinctive green dial.

Bulgari

A timepiece melding Bulgari’s Italian design ethos and Swiss horological innovation.

Carl F Bucherer x Hodinkee

This Carl F. Bucherer Heritage Worldtimer marks the first time Hodinkee has created a unique piece for charity based upon one of their limited edition designs.

Chanel

A timepiece combining Pop-Art inspiration and traditional Grand Feu enamel.

Czapek

The ‘Artists & Artisans – N.1’ piece, hand-engraved by Swiss artisan, Michèle Rothen with a ‘trompe l’oeil’ effect representing Czapek’s SXH5 caliber and resembling the aesthetics of a skeleton watch. It celebrates craftsmanship and Czapek’s “Collecting Rare People” philosophy.

Dennison

Dennison was established in 1874 as major case makers of the 20th century. It is relaunching as a watch brand in October 2024. This piece is designed by Swiss watch designer, Emmanuel Gueit and features a cushion case in blue gold, inspired by Dennison cases of the 1940s, and a geometric blue textured, embossed dial.

Fleming

Fleming COO James Kong designed a unique dial for the brand’s first-ever titanium piece.

Furlan Marri

For the first time, Furlan Marri has used stromatolite to create a unique timepiece.

HYT

This latest HYT timepiece is as much an inventive piece of microengineering.

Louis Erard

A unique timepiece in collaboration with renowned Swiss artist Olivier Mosset.

Massena LAB x Raúl Pagès

A piece that draws inspiration from both nostalgia and tranquility, featuring a proprietary movement designed by the independent watchmaker, Raúl Pagès.

Maurice Lacroix

Designed in collaboration with Mexican artist Rodrigo Hernández, the Masterpiece Skeleton “With what eyes?” features a handcrafted bronze dial and the highly precise ML134 Manufacture Caliber.

Perrelet

The spinning Turbine of Perrelet in collaboration with the dial artist.

Reservoir

A Reservoir watches by MONZA Design, the first prototype with a red dial inspired by the speedometer of the Ferrari.

Ressence

A unique watch in collaboration by contemporary artist Shantell Martin who took on Ressence’s scale challenge of hand-drawing her signature line directly onto the dial.

Reuge x ECAL

A collaboration between a historical manufacture and the next generation of designers.

Speake Marin

A timepiece designed by visionary artist and designer Eric Giroud, capturing the essence of the Gapstow Bridge in Central Park.

Toledano & Chan

The Toledano & Chan B/1 Meteorite is a unique prototype that draws its inspiration from the angular lines of Brutalist architecture, in particular the window of the Marcel Breuer Whitney Museum in New York.

Unimatic

The brand’s first and only automatic chronograph, marking a unique, milestone in its watchmaking history.

Zenith

A distinctive edition of the brand’s third and most refined collaborationwith contemporary artist Felipe Pantone.