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About to go under the hammer, these timepieces show what designers would truly love to make – and we’d love to have. From the upcoming Watch special, inside the August issue, out on July 28.

We’re about to get the chance to see what watch brands would really love to be offering, thanks to an upcoming charity auction in Geneva. Held every other year, the Only Watch event features one-of-a kind timepieces a world away from what’s generally on offer.

These are watches that reveal what the designers and movement makers are capable of – if only price points, market research, customer feedback and conservative management didn’t come into it. Going under the hammer on November 5 at Christie’s are one-offs created – and donated – by more than 70 watchmakers and brands to benefit research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

No prizes here for a mere change in dial colour or fancy strap – these pieces bring something altogether more exciting to the wrist. Expect bidding to reflect it; six-figure sums are expected. Here’s a representative dozen that caught our eye.

Louis Vuitton Tambour Einstein Automata; Biver Catharsis; Bovet 1822 Orbis Mundi.

Housing a 426-part automata mechanism featuring four animations, jumping hours, retrograde minutes and power reserve indicator, it’s literally the face of this piece that stars. It features Einstein worked in gold engraving and grisaille enamel, complete with a steel hair strand extending from the dial.

Who needs to look at the time when you can look at a soothing scene created by unusual handcrafts with unique invisible gem-setting, stone marquetry and guilloche? The dial is a sea of sapphires and a starry sky of meteorite, obsidian and opal. And the time? On tap thanks to this being a minute-repeater carillon tourbillon, and there’s also an hour hand on the reverse.

Described as easy to read, this world timer is certainly easy on the eye thanks to a dial covered with seven layers of hand-laid vibrant magenta lacquer. The 42mm case is gold and the hand-wound movement needs winding just once a week.

Bell & Ross BR03 Cyber Rainbow.

Creating an eye-catching mosaic pattern, the black DLC titanium case and rubber strap sport coloured varnished pieces, which are applied using a specialised process. In full view, a 3D skeleton movement with bridges in DLC (diamond-like carbon) micro-blasted metal also boast pockets filled with varnish.

A lotus flower motif created by a mosaic of hard stones dominates the dial and flows into the 41mm platinum case, the dazzle continuing inside thanks to a manual-wind movement by F.P. Journe, a unique collaboration for the revered watchmaker.

Here’s a dial that uses microelectronic circuits engraved on a silicon wafer – a world first – to create multicoloured reflections that flash when the watch moves. Yes, there’s a tourbillon mechanism driving things, but never mind the time of day – this is a titanium-cased light show for the wrist.

Barbier-Mueller Mosaique ll; Louis Moinet Art-Tech; Lederer Central Impulse Chronometer.

This one-off, “dial-less” diva exposes the movement and brings it to life with vibrant colouring in Super-LumiNova. But there’s more to it than fun in the dark: the internals feature two escapement wheels, two gear trains, two barrels and a constant force winding system for superior performance.

This one-of-a-kind timepiece introduces a brand-new architectural manufacture movement in a cutting-edge new case material, moissanite. Sourced from the heart of a meteor, it throws off rainbow hues thanks to 600 facets and is so difficult to machine that it has never been used in watchmaking before.

Artya Purity Moissanite; Hublot Takashi Murakami Tourbillon; Ulysse Nardin Freak S.

Cased in sapphire, inspired by designer Murakami’s iconic 12-petal flower motif, powered by Hublot’s first central tourbillon and set with 444 gemstones – it sums up a treat that would surely have you mesmerised around the clock.

With no hands, no dial and no crown, the Freak S indicates the time via the rotation of its micromechanical movement, two bridges respectively indicating hours and minutes. The machinery has been given added zing with red, pink, blue, green, yellow and orange finishes.

L. Leroy Minute Repeater; Krayon Anywhere.

Inspired by a rare 1810 timepiece made for Prince Emil Maximilian Leopold August of Hesse, this watch boasts a unique single-handed face reproducing the flinique soleil design and translucent aquamarine finish of the original. Add minute repeater, flying tourbillon and engraved titanium and white-gold case, and you have a lavish proposition.

The 432-part movement in this work of art is designed to tell the exact time of sunrise or sunset at a precise location chosen by the user. But it’s the dial, rendered pointillism-style in minute brushstrokes, that gives the watch an unmistakable “impressionist” feel.

The August issue of AFR Magazine – including the Watch special – is out on Friday, July 28 inside The Australian Financial Review. Follow AFR Mag on Twitter and Instagram.

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