Well-timed art

Acclaimed South African artist Paul du Toit has teamed up with Swiss watch brand TAG Heuer to create a one-off watch and painted box that will be auctioned off in September.

Painted in Paul’s signature impasto style, the box will house a tailor-made TAG Heur Monaco ‘Mikrograph’ watch.

“From the outset I wanted to create a contrast between the highly engineered design of TAG Heuer and the box. This is a collaboration from two different worlds so I wanted to reflect that. The box is almost like an ancient treasure chest that one cannot wait to open in order to see what surprise is inside. I like that idea,” says Du Toit.

Painted in the artist’s Hout Bay studio, the box, containing the valuable watch, will be auctioned off in Monaco after a world press tour with exhibitions in Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo, Los Angeles, New York, Milan and Geneva. It will then be sold to the highest bidder at Only Watch on September 22 to benefit research on Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

The watch is a work of art in itself. The Mikrograph is encased in the iconic, square Monaco design that made its debut on the wrist of Steve McQueen in the movie Le Mans. Four decades later, the timeless Monaco shape remains as cool and cutting-edge as ever.

More information: www.tagheur.com, www.pauldutoit.com