Win a Patek Philippe Aquanaut (or Cartier Baignoire) while supporting hospitalized kids!
Jamie WeissWhen I talk about my job, I tend to downplay it a little bit. Not because I’m ashamed to be a watch journalist, but because – as we often self-effacingly remind ourselves in the Time+Tide team when we’re under the pump – we’re not saving lives here. It’s a mantra that rings particularly true for me as my brother is a nurse in the intensive care unit of one of the biggest hospitals in Australia: he literally saves lives. But sometimes the watch hobby can also do a lot of good. Case in point: Toys for Hospitalized Children’s annual luxury watch raffle, which provides watch enthusiasts the chance to acquire coveted timepieces while also contributing to a very good cause.
If you’re not familiar with the organisation, Toys for Hospitalized Children is a charity that “brings happiness and healing to children grappling with illness and loneliness,” gifting toys and educational games to sick children experiencing extended hospital stays, in order to promote therapeutic play and aid relaxation. They also stock ambulances with toys, provide iPads to teens undergoing cancer treatment, provide hospital musical entertainment, sponsor hospital holiday parties and even help design and build pediatric playrooms.
They also offer a service called the “Happy Shop”, a shopping experience for a hospitalized kid where they can pick their own present. “This gives kids choice and control,” Toys for Hospitalized Children explain, adding: “It is [often] the only decision they get to make during their hospitalization.” Their motto – “happy kids heal faster” – explains it all. “To a sick child, a toy is much more than just a gift – it’s a gesture of love,” they say. “It uplifts fragile spirits and boosts morale.” I can’t help but agree.
2025 marks the fifth edition of their luxury watch raffle, which we’ve been proud to promote for the last four years. Last year’s raffle had an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding 50th Anniversary and a Bulgari Serpenti Tubogas up for grabs: this year, Toys for Hospitalized Children have another prized sports watch from a Holy Trinity watchmaker and a similarly timeless jewellery watch from another quintessential horological jeweller on offer.
As you may have guessed from the title of this article, the grand prize is a Patek Philippe Aquanaut ref. 5168G-010, worth approximately US$100,000. An elevated take on Patek’s most casual watch that’s sometimes dubbed the “Jumbo Khaki”, it features a 42.2mm 18k white gold case, paired with a khaki green dial and matching khaki green rubber strap.
Recognising that in previous raffles they only offered a single men’s watch as a grand prize, there’s also a Cartier Baignoire Mini ref. WGBA0045 as the second prize in the raffle. Arguably one of the most hyped watches in Cartier’s current range since it was reintroduced in 2023, this model measures 24.6 mm by 18.7 mm, has a quartz movement and is cased in yellow gold with a matching yellow gold bangle.
So, how do you get in with a chance? Like last year, a single ticket in the raffle costs US$56, with larger bundles also available. If you’re feeling particularly generous, US$5,600 will secure you 156 tickets as well as co-sponsorship rights for the raffle. The raffle will be drawn on Saturday, September 6th in the evening EDT, and will be streamed on Toys for Hospitalized Children’s Instagram Live. If helping out sick kids and potentially scoring a hard-to-get timepiece sounds like something you’re interested in (yes to both, it’s a total no-brainer in my opinion), enter the raffle here.