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De Bethune x Urwerk Moon Satellite for Only Watch 2019

As I have grown older my perspective on life has dramatically changed. The things I once held as important have less significance these days. Essentially (in my view) there are only two precious commodities, which are health and time. Paul Allen once said, “Our net worth is ultimately defined not by dollars but rather by how well we serve others.” Certainly, this incredibly successful businessman (co-founder of Microsoft) practised what he preached and donated vast amounts of money to laudable causes. On a smaller scale, ‘Only Watch’ has encouraged the world’s finest watchmakers to create unique 1/1 pieces for charity. As always the event (which is dedicated to research on Duchenne muscular dystrophy) attracted the Crème de la Crème of the industry including Konstantin Chaykin’s ‘Joker Selfie’ and sensational collaboration between De Bethune and Urwerk.

Every biennial edition of ‘Only Watch’ seems to improve and all the brands that participate rise to the challenge. When De Bethune and Urwerk originally presented the Moon Satellite it was in the form of a two-dimensional sketch produced by Martin Frei. From the outset, it was apparent this project would be something special and the finished timepiece has definitely delivered on its promise. Certainly, these special collectors edition watch will be cherished by the fortunate owner.

Generally, I am an advocate of collaborative efforts and especially in the watch industry. A few years ago Urwerk and MB & F embarked on an exciting project called the Experiment ZR012 (which featured in my ‘Limited Edition Watches’ book). That is why it a natural progression that Denis Flageollet and Pierre Jacques (De Bethune) would join forces with Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei (Urwerk). However, on this occasion, 99% of the proceeds go to a philanthropic cause.

Aesthetically the Moon Satellite is absolutely striking and contains DNA from both of the brands. I love the overall architecture of 43mm polished titanium case with distinctive floating lugs. Effectively, the finished product looks like Urwerk and MB & F have morphed two of their trademark designs into one phenomenal piece. Features like the satellite indication can be attributed to Felix Baumgartner and the spherical moon indication (located at 6 o’clock) to De Bethune. Powering the watch is a highly sophisticated manual winding movement with silicon escape wheel and 4-day power reserve.

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