Geneva Watch Days closed its 2026 edition with a gavel and a good cause. Phillips in Association with Bacs & Russo held its fourth annual charity auction on Thursday 3 September, raising CHF 115,500 for l’École d’Horlogerie de Genève, Switzerland’s oldest school of watchmaking.
The sale featured 16 one-of-a-kind lots — each a unique object or exclusive experience donated by a brand participating in Geneva Watch Days — under the hammer of Phillips auctioneer Aurel Bacs. The top lot of the evening was a unique watch design by Konstantin Chaykin, which achieved CHF 24,000.
Founded in 1824, l’École d’Horlogerie de Genève is among the world’s most respected institutions for horological education, counting Christophe Claret, Roger Dubuis, Franck Muller and Rexhep Rexhepi among its alumni. The full sum will go to the Pierre Amstutz Fund, a non-profit named after the school’s former director, which provides scholarships for watchmaking and micromechanics apprentices facing financial hardship.
Since its inception, the Geneva Watch Days × Phillips charity auction has raised CHF 519,400 across four editions — proof that the industry’s most convivial week can also be its most generous.
