Phillips Watch’s Next Auction Has Everything but Watches, and Will Benefit a Good Cause

On Saturday, 6 September 2025, Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo will host a live charity auction at Geneva Watch Days to benefit the Pierre Amstutz Fund, a non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting apprentices at the Geneva School of Watchmaking. Now in its third consecutive year, the charity auction has become a fixture of the Geneva Watch Days calendar and a show of solidarity within the watch community.

The auction will take place inside the official Geneva Watch Days pavilion at La Rotonde du Mont Blanc and will begin at 6:30 PM. Attendance is by invitation only. Led by Phillips senior consultant and auctioneer Aurel Bacs, the sale will offer a curated selection of unique objects and once-in-a-lifetime experiences donated by watch brands and partners of the Geneva Watch Days organisation. No watches will be auctioned, and 100% of the profits generated will go to the Pierre Amstutz Fund.

Founded in 1824, the Geneva School of Watchmaking (known locally as École d’Horlogerie de Genève) is the oldest watchmaking school in Switzerland and one of the most respected institutions of its kind in the world. The school recently relocated to a new, state-of-the-art facility in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva’s watchmaking hub, home to brands such as Patek Philippe, Rolex, Vacheron Constantin, and Laurent Ferrier. The Pierre Amstutz Fund was created in memory of the school’s former director and exists to help apprentices facing financial hardship complete their training under good conditions. Beyond covering material needs, the fund fosters community within the school, strengthens bonds between students and teachers, and supports outreach to promote careers in watchmaking and micromechanics. It also facilitates mentorship from graduates – ensuring knowledge is passed down to future generations.

Thanks to the generosity of brands and collectors, the Geneva Watch Days charity auction has raised over CHF 100,000 in each of the past two years. This year, the goal remains the same: to help future watchmakers stay in school, finish their training, and carry the craft forward.

To participate in the auction, you need to register (as said, it is by invitation only and no online sales will be done) by using the form on this page.

A total of 19 lots will be offered during the Charity Auction for Pierre Amstutz Fund. It will include items such as Felix Baumgartner’s personal tool kit that he used at watchmaking school before co-founding Urwerk, a full set of MB&F Minimillians, and a weekend away in Jorge Werdelin’s hideaway cabin in Portugal. For aviation lovers, Breitling is offering an experience with the Patrouille Suisse, and for Formula 1 fans, TAG Heuer has a Max Verstappen race suit up for grabs …and that is just the start. Find the full list of lots on this page.

Some other examples include an experience for two guests during La Biennale di Venezia offered by Bulgari, the ablility to create the dial of your dreams within an existing Czapek collection, a sculpture of the H. Moser & Cie. Streamliner Flyback Chronograph Automatic Frozen, a hand-painted watch trunk in Monogram canvas offerd by Louis Vuitton La Fabrique du Temps, a full-day experience for 2 people in Italy’s legendary Motor Valley presented by Phillips and Kidston or a tailor-made experience in Switzerland with Zenith.

As said, no watches will be offered during this charity auction. More details about the lots at this page on www.phillips.com.