One might be wondering what kind of relationship would exist between muscular dystrophy and a luxury watch maker. Firstly, Muscular Dystrophy is a group of muscle disease that weaken the musculoskeletal system and hamper locomotion. Muscular dystrophies are characterized by progressive skeletal muscle weakness, defects in muscle proteins, and the death of muscle cells and tissues. In the Only Watch charity auction, Patek Philippe made a great move to raise a whopping sum of $7.3 million benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Research. This was achieved with the help of a unique reference 5016A grand complication – made for Only Watch 2015 which makes it the most expensive wristwatch ever sold at auction, and the second most expensive timepiece behind a pocket watch made by the same watch company: the infamous Graves Supercomplication – which holds onto its title by some margin still. At Only Watch 2015, The 2015 iteration will present a collection of 44 exceptional one-off timepieces created by the finest watchmakers. The event is organised by Association Monégasque contre les Myopathies, the Monaco Yacht Show and Phillips in association with Bacs & Russo.
The Duchenne Research Breakthrough Fund was launched in 2012 to enable the charity to fund a group of leading scientists developing potential treatments for Duchenne muscular dystrophy and a Parliamentary campaign to ensure future treatments reach patients.
Facts about DMD
- Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is the most common lethal genetic disease of children worldwide.
- It is 100% fatal.
- DMD is a progressive weakening defect of all the muscles in the body, including the heart, and primarily occurs in boys.
- There is no cure, no treatment, and no survivors.
- Approx. 1 in every 2,400 boys worldwide is born with DMD; they die, on average, at about 16 years old.
- In about 60% of the cases, DMD is inherited from the mother; in about 40% of the cases the disease is the result of spontaneous gene mutation, meaning anyone’s son could be born with DMD.
- DMD is a worldwide tragedy; kids of all colors, all nationalities, all classes, and all ethnic backgrounds die much too young, agonizingly, slowly, and painfully, from DMD.
More information can be found on the Official Only Watch 2015 website.
Credit – www.dmdfund.org
