Watches are more than just an accessory that tells the time. They demonstrate their owner's status no less than the most expensive yacht or car. Many of the most expensive watches are so intricate and complex that they resemble works of art. And watchmakers labor over them as much, if not longer, than a sculptor would over a magnificent sculpture or a jeweler over a diamond necklace.
These incredible creations can cost millions of dollars. Of course, price isn't the only reason to admire luxury watches. Below, we'll tell you about the most expensive watches in the world that have stood the test of time.
1. Graff Diamonds Hallucination
Price: $55,000,000
Wearing a watch of this price, encased in a lightweight and luxurious package, is a mere hallucination for most people on Earth. But for Graff Diamonds, it's a reality, embodied in the most expensive watch in the history of the watch industry.
The platinum bracelet and case are adorned with diamonds of various colors. The total weight of the precious stones is 110 carats. This stunning beauty required over a thousand hours of work by watchmakers, gemologists, and designers.
2. Graff Diamonds The Fascination
Price: $40,000,000
If you're willing to spend around $40 million on a watch, it should do more than just tell time. Graff Diamonds has just that. It features a removable part that doubles as a ring.
The Fascination watch is composed of numerous white diamonds. But the crown jewel of the accessory is an exquisite, rare D-shaped diamond weighing 38.13 carats. This pear-shaped masterpiece serves as the watch's dial, or it can be removed and worn as a ring.
According to Laurence Graff, founder and chairman of Graff Diamonds, their watch is intended to demonstrate the close ties between the London diamond house and Swiss watchmaking.
3. Marie-Antoinette No. 1160
Price: $30,000,000
The third most expensive watch in the world was made by the masters of the House of Breguet at the request of a mysterious admirer of the former French queen Marie Antoinette (the same one who is falsely credited with the expression "if they have no bread, let them eat cake").
The legendary watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet began creating watches in 1783, and his son completed the work in 1827.
Beneath the gold dial, a complex mechanism based on the most revolutionary technologies of the time is visible. After all, the queen was supposed to receive the very best. The problem is, Breguet's watchmakers likely took too long to consider this commission. Marie Antoinette was guillotined 34 years before her failed gift saw the light of day (or the darkness inside a pocket).
This precious historical artifact was stolen from a museum in Jerusalem in the late 1900s and was only rediscovered in 2007. Now, the watch sits securely locked away in the L.A. Mayer Museum, waiting for you to arrive with a suitcase full of cash.
4. Chopard 201-Carat
Price: $25,000,000
This elegant bracelet watch, crafted by the masters of the Swiss house of Chopard, is adorned with 874 diamonds totaling 201 carats. Can you imagine all this splendor sparkling in the bright sun or under the light of a huge crystal chandelier?
Three large heart-shaped diamonds are connected to a spring mechanism. When the time is displayed, the mechanism "opens" the diamonds like flower petals.
5. Patek Philippe Henry Graves Supercomplication
Price: $24,000,000
The most expensive men's watch was sold to an anonymous buyer at Sotheby's for a sum that surprised even seasoned collectors.
Inside this rather hefty (over 500 grams) watch is a highly complex movement, developed over eight years by Swiss watchmakers. It was created as a result of a rivalry between banker Henry Graves and James Packard, owner of "factories, newspapers, and steamships." Each dreamed of owning the most complicated watch on Earth. And victory went to Graves, who acquired the Henry Graves Supercomplication with 24 complications. Although the Supercomplication lost its "unrivaled complexity" status with the release of the Caliber 89, it remains the envy of watch collectors worldwide.
6. Jacob & Co. Billionaire Watch
Price: $18,000,000
The very name of this watch suggests that it is only affordable for those with billions, that is, billionaires.
So far, this superb accessory with emerald-cut diamonds weighing 260 carats exists in a single copy and belongs to businessman Flavio Briatore.
7. Rolex Cosmograph Daytona «Paul Newman» ref. 6239
Price: $17,700,000
In 2017, this watch sold at auction for a previously unattainable price for a Rolex. This is explained by the fact that it belonged to the famous Hollywood actor, producer, and director Paul Newman.
8. Patek Philippe Ref. 1518
Price: $11,000,000
This is the first of four Ref. 1518 models with a stainless steel case and bracelet. Made in 1941, the watch was the world's first perpetual calendar chronograph ever produced in series.
Seven bidders competed for this valuable lot at The Geneva Watch Auction in 2016. Ultimately, the ultra-expensive accessory went to a private collector.
9. Vacheron Constantin Reference 57260
Price: $10,000,000
This isn't the most expensive wristwatch in the world, but it is currently the most complex. Its assembly took eight years. The watch contains 2,826 components and weighs 957 grams.
The price agreed upon between Vacheron Constantin and the client for the Reference 57260 is confidential and has not been officially disclosed. However, various sources estimate the watch's value at $10 million. It was created for a single client, whose identity is kept confidential. It is only known that this individual is a "major watch collector.".
10. Patek Philippe Caliber 89
Price: $6,000,000
While the second-ranked watch in the world's top 10 most expensive watches has 24 complications, the Caliber 89 boasts a whopping 33. However, on September 17, 2015, Vacheron Constantin unveiled the luxury watch Ref. 57260, which boasts 57 complications. This is an unrivaled result to date.
Only four Caliber 89 watches were produced, three in various gold cases and one in platinum. Last year, the yellow gold cased watch was offered at Sotheby's, but failed to find a private sale due to disappointingly low bidding results.
11. Rolex Oyster Cosmograph Ref. 6265 "The Unicorn"«
Price: $5 900 000
Until this watch was unveiled in Geneva in 2018, it was believed that the Ref. 6265 was produced exclusively in steel or gold cases. But it turns out that in 1970, Rolex created a unique masterpiece for one lucky wealthy individual—a Cosmograph in precious white metal.
The only model in a white gold case was the crown jewel of John Goldberger's collection. For a long time, Goldberger maintained that this Cosmograph would never be sold, as it was simply impossible to replace it.
However, the collector then decided to sell the watch to benefit Children Action, a foundation dedicated to improving the lives of young people around the world.
12. Rolex Ref. 6062 "Bao Dai"«
Price: $5,000,000
The eye-catching combination of a gold case and a black dial isn't the only highlight of this model. Its hour markers alternate with diamond hour markers.
But the most important thing about the Bao Dai watch is its name, which makes it familiar to all watch collectors. It once belonged to the last emperor of Vietnam and is a legend among Rolex enthusiasts. The reign motto of the last representative of the Nguyen dynasty was "Bao Dai," which translates as "guardian of greatness.".
13. Hublot Big Bang
Price: $5,000,000
This diamond wristwatch is the perfect choice for those who appreciate chic and have $5 million to spare. The Hublot Big Bang is adorned with 1,280 diamonds, each weighing 3 carats. Each stone was cut by a single New York jeweler with 40 years of experience to ensure each one has a consistent signature.
14. Louis Moinet, Meteoris Collection
Price: $4 600 000
These watches, with their astronomical price tag, are named after Louis Moinet, a renowned 18th-century watchmaker. The collection includes four watches adorned with precious stones and pieces of genuine meteorite embedded in the dials.
- The "Tourbillon Mars" watch contains a fragment of the Martian meteorite Jiddat al Harasis 479, which fell to Earth. Martian meteorites can fetch up to $1,000 per gram.
- The Rosetta stone watch contains a piece of the oldest meteorite to have fallen to Earth, found in the Sahara Desert.
- The Asteroid watch is made from a piece of an asteroid that formed near the Sun.
- And on the dial of the Moon tourbillon, you can see the dark structure of the Moon with small inclusions.
15. Breguet Antique Number 2667
Price: $4 500,000
Breguet is one of the oldest watch companies in the world, producing watches since 1775. The Antique Number 2667 is considered the third most expensive watch ever produced by Breguet. It features a stylish and austere design and a luxurious 18-karat gold case. It also has two movements and operates on the principle of resonance.
This accessory features two dials: the first consists of Arabic numerals, the second of Roman numerals. This unusual watch fully reflects Breguet's refined aesthetic taste and inventive genius.
16. Patek Philippe Ref. 5004T
Price: $4,000,000
The renowned top Swiss watch brand released the Ref. 5004T in 2013, specifically for a charity auction. The 5004T is a unique titanium version in Patek Philippe's fine collection. Its gold dial is decorated with engraving handcrafted to imitate the classic checkerboard pattern.
The Swiss watches caused a stir in the industry, as they took on a sportier, more colorful look than their more conservative "family members.".
17. Franck Muller Aeternitas Mega 4
Price: $2 700,000
With 36 different complications, 1,483 parts, a 1,000-year calendar, and a host of other eclectic features, the Franck Muller Aeternitas Mega 4 is one of the most complicated watch movements in the world.
A team of watchmakers led by the renowned Pierre-Michel Golay spent six years working on this watch. Their creation features numerous impractical features, such as grande and petite sonnerie, but who needs practicality when it comes to a work of art?
18. Lange & Söhne Grand Complication
Price: $2 500 000
For now, this model, which debuted in 2013, remains the most expensive from the German luxury brand Lange & Söhne.
Hidden within the large gold case is a highly complex mechanism that combines a perpetual calendar, a grande and petite sonnet, and a split-second chronograph that allows for timekeeping with an accuracy of 1/5 of a second.
Unlike many luxury and expensive watches, whose dials are so intricate that it is difficult to read the time, this model has a simple and clear dial at first glance.
19. Jaeger-LeCoultre Hybris Mechanica Grande Sonnerie
Price: $2 500,000
This watch is admired not only for its classic and elegant design (a white gold case paired with a black strap), but also for the fact that it boasts the world's most complicated minute repeater. It's louder and more melodic than repeaters found in other luxury watches, and the "brain" of the repeater is a three-tiered, 5.15 mm-high tower.
In the photo of the watch, you can see that the dial is on the right, and on the left, the watch's designers placed an open minute repeater mechanism so that the owner of the accessory can observe how all those tiny wheels and levers rotate at any time.
20. Rolex ref. 4113
Price: $2 400,000
This gentlemanly watch in a steel case has appeared at auction only three times. And never once has it been available for sale. Rolex dedicated all models in this series to a small number of racing drivers whom it once sponsored.
The watch was sold again, but perhaps not for the last time, in 2016.
21. Richard Mille RM 56-02 Sapphire
Price: $2,000,000
The appearance of this watch, released in a limited edition of 10 pieces, is as unique as its mechanism.
A durable and beautiful sapphire was used for the exquisitely smooth, transparent case. The movement is suspended by cables, creating the appearance of floating in mid-air. A comfortable rubber strap, snugly fitting the wrist, completes the composition.
22. Vacheron Constantin Tour de l'Ile
Price: $1 500 000
This superb combination of mechanics and aesthetics was created to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the House of Vacheron Constantin.
Each of the seven existing examples features 16 complications. The Tour de l'Ile watch was awarded the Golden Arm, the top prize of the international watchmaking competition Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève.
23. Greubel Forsey Art Piece 1
Price: $1 500 000
This wristwatch boasts superb mechanical properties, such as a 30-degree double tourbillon. But its $1.5 million price tag is explained by its unique design. Hidden inside the watch is a tiny sculpture, visible only through a miniature optical system. It's located on the crown and functions like a microscope.
Sculptures created so far include a ship, a mask, a Coca-Cola bottle and a hummingbird.
24. Ulysse Nardin Hannibal Minute Repeater Tourbillon
Price: $758,000
One of the world's most expensive men's wristwatches is designed for those who appreciate ancient Roman culture, particularly the Punic Wars. It is adorned with figurines reminiscent of the Carthaginian general Hannibal and his war elephants.
However, the engraving isn't the only thing that makes this watch so extravagant and expensive. Every component is handcrafted, the case is made of platinum, and the strap is alligator leather. The watch also boasts a special musical system—the "Westminster chime." The Hannibal Minute Repeater Tourbillon series is limited to just 30 pieces.
25. Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Grande Complication
Price: $725,000
The Swiss company Audemars is renowned for its luxury watches. But the "Grande Complication," crafted entirely from ceramic, is undoubtedly their finest creation. The movement, all of whose components are handcrafted, can be seen through the anti-reflective sapphire crystal glass.
And most importantly, these watches look incredibly stylish and are just begging to be worn by a respectable, wealthy man.