Read the initial announcement, here.

Why Pink Dial Project?

So, why are we engaged in this initiative? Because we collectively feel that we have to do more to give back to the world we live in. In recent years, we’ve been inspired by the luxury watch brands that have made corporate responsibility, ethics, sustainability and humanitarianism a key part of who they are.

We were particularly impressed by the Bvlgari team who was already working with Save the Children, but during the pandemic led the way by transforming a scent factory into a sanitizer production facility, donating a high-tech microscope for COVID research, creating a virus eradication fund and, in particular, helping to fund the AstraZeneca vaccine that has now been injected into millions worldwide to eradicate COVID from our lives. We were impressed by Chopard, who became the first brand to use only ethically sourced gold in all their watches and were the first to use recycled steel, which appeared in their Alpine Eagle collection.

One good question is, why have we decided to band together on this initiative? The simple answer is that by combining our audiences, we are able to reach a hell of a lot of people and raise awareness about this charity auction and the cause it supports. For example, just across Instagram, we are able to reach 975,000 highly engaged watch dudes and dudettes.

Our Pink Dial Partners

This may seem a little naïve or quixotic, but I don’t believe in traditional competition. I believe in uniting communities. I don’t believe that the watch journalism world is a zero-sum game; I believe that there is room for everyone to succeed. Sure, you have to be good at what you do, meaning you have to take it seriously and write or report with real passion, insight and original thought. And that’s exactly what I think my partners in Pink Dial Project do better than anyone else.

Amongst them is Andrew McUtchen, the founder of Time+Tide in Australia. One of my favorite TV shows is The Mandalorian, and the line that’s most memorable in that series is, “This is the way.” Last year, when the Australian bushfires broke out, Andrew showed us “the way” by immediately organizing a charity auction that raised over AUD 200,000 in support of the fight against the bushfires. This was a big inspiration for us to organize the Revolution and The Rake charity auction for COVID-19 Solidarity that eventually raised over USD 280,000. Again, I have to emphasize that the heroes in that initiative were the brands that gave us their amazing watches, from Georges Kern’s personal Breitling Navitimer to the Chopard Mille Miglia GTS Power Control “Grigio Speciale” Prototype that Ryan Reynolds wore in the Netflix film 6 Underground and much more.

One of the coolest guys in watch journalism is Robert-Jan Broer, the founder of Fratello Watches and also the creator of the hashtag “Speedy Tuesday.” Fratello is one of the best-written, most well-informed and smartest watch websites around. And, of course, in his capacity as Mr. Speedy Tuesday, I would say that RJ is the biggest community builder and one of the most knowledgeable guys when it comes to the Omega Speedmaster. He is also one of the nicest dudes around.

Finally, there is my friend Eléonor Picciotto, daughter of the legendary Parisian retailer Laurent Picciotto. Over the last decade, Eléonor has earned a reputation as one of the industry’s leading young journalists through her website, The Eye of Jewelry, and in her capacity as the watch editor for GQ France. Together, I couldn’t think of a better group of people to undertake this initiative with as everyone here likes to work their asses off but also knows how to have fun when the work is done. Most importantly, they are all genuinely nice people. I also want to shout out two people from my team at Revolution, my head of editorial Sumit Nag and my Revolution UK editor-in-chief Ross Povey, for playing a major part in putting everything together.

When Will It Happen?

The charity auction will take place in October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I know this because October is when Ralph Lauren has their yearly Pink Pony initiative. Incidentally, Ralph Lauren was also a major inspiration for this charity auction. People are generally unaware of how incredibly altruistic he is because he doesn’t do things for attention. For example, recognizing that cancer survival rates in Harlem, New York City, were lower than those in the Third World, he took it upon himself to build a cancer hospital there and help fund it through initiatives like Pink Pony. He once told me, “Wei, when people are unhappy, it’s usually because they spend too much time thinking about themselves and not enough time thinking about others.” And this has proven to be one of the most enduring truths I’ve learned. We haven’t fixed a specific date yet, but will probably run the auction on Loupe This during the last week of October to give any last-minute auction lots the opportunity to arrive.

When Will It Happen?

The charity auction will take place in October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I know this because October is when Ralph Lauren has their yearly Pink Pony initiative. Incidentally, Ralph Lauren was also a major inspiration for this charity auction. People are generally unaware of how incredibly altruistic he is because he doesn’t do things for attention. For example, recognizing that cancer survival rates in Harlem, New York City, were lower than those in the Third World, he took it upon himself to build a cancer hospital there and help fund it through initiatives like Pink Pony. He once told me, “Wei, when people are unhappy, it’s usually because they spend too much time thinking about themselves and not enough time thinking about others.” And this has proven to be one of the most enduring truths I’ve learned. We haven’t fixed a specific date yet, but will probably run the auction on Loupe This during the last week of October to give any last-minute auction lots the opportunity to arrive.

How Do You Bid?

It’s a pretty straightforward process: you enter your name and credit card details into the Loupe This system and start bidding. There will be some watches that I know will be the subject of some frenzied last-minute sniping, but when you’ve been outbid, you’ll get an email or text message from Loupe This to alert you and give you the opportunity to bid back.

Please understand that unlike other charity auctions, we do not keep a single cent. There are no additional fees of any kind. I remember when we were organizing our COVID-19 Solidarity Auction last year, we initially approached a well-known auction house to host it for us on their website. But they insisted on adding a buyer’s premium to which my response was, “Please pull your head out of your asses; this is a charity auction, you’re not supposed to profit. But maybe if you do good deeds this lifetime, you won’t be reborn through the cycle of karmic retribution as a dung beetle.” They didn’t get it and so we hosted on the Givergy UK platform instead, which just charged us a modest flat fee. This time around, thanks to Eric Ku, there are zero fees, and we will also show proof that all the money has been sent to the selected charities. A last note on the breast cancer charities: we are in the process of defining them and we will announce them soon. In the meantime, if you have any suggestions, please email us at [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected]