Audemars Piguet donate unique piece for water charity “One Drop”
Audemars Piguet has created a stunning one-off timepiece for a charity close to its heart.
One Drop is an international non-profit organisation, created by the world renowned Cirque Du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte in 2007. Its mission is to improve living conditions by providing clean, safe water and allow families to care for themselves sustainably.
The luxury watch brand, which has partnered One Drop for around ten years, created a unique timepiece embellished with 37 jewels, to auction off at the special event, One Night for One Drop, which was held on March 8.
Unique Chronograph
One of the lots on offer on the big night was an exclusive execution of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph (reference 26331), worth a staggering £85,000.
The 41mm platinum piece, waterproof to 50 metres, has a striking purple Grande Tapisserie dial and features beautiful blue sundials.
With a full platinum bracelet and a blue alligator strap, the offering is an exclusive addition of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph, with ‘unique piece’ on the caseback.
The same reference in stainless steel retails for £18,000 and in rose gold retails for £43,000.
Easily the main attraction, the watch sold for $220,000 but some of the other top lots up for grabs included a specially produced white McLaren 570S Spider sports-car and a round trip to the COMO Parrot Cay in the Turks and Caicos Islands on board a Bombardier Challenger 350 private jet.
The auction took place live during the gala dinner and celebration, hosted at the “O” Theatre at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. All proceeds from the sales went towards One Drop.
A mission out of this world
Audemars Piguet has had a long connection with Laliberte and even sent him into orbit with a black PVD coated Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Grande Complication, when he visited space back in 2011.
Few people know about the story behind the Cirque du Soleil, especially One Drop. The organisation uses several partnerships and the arts as a platform to gather funds to place clean water at the heart of his missions.
One Drop takes pride in its innovative fundraising initiatives, which are so well received that Charity Intelligence recognised One Drop as one of the 2018 Top 10 Impact Charities in Canada.
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If you’d love a new or pre-worn Audemars Piguet the experts at our Essex Boutique can help you find the perfect timepiece. We offer finance deals as well as part exchange offers on our Rolex, Omega and Cartier watches.