The Most Expensive Watches Ever | Where Rarity and Luxury Meet

There’s a fascination that watch collectors tend to have with the cost of a watch. There’s the obvious practical reality of how much you want or are willing to spend on a timepiece. But after being involved in watch collecting for so many years now I’ve noticed there’s another type of fascination in regards to price tags: How expensive can a watch get? Whether it’s a luxury watch, a vintage curiosity, or a precious gem encrusted timepiece, watch enthusiasts always find themselves asking what are the most expensive watches available today?

It’s not necessarily about how much you as an individual can spend, but rather how high a price tag can go simply for the sake of knowing. This goes beyond the practice of horology and more into the realm of the pursuit of the rare and luxurious. That’s something I wanted to explore and showcase in this piece. Please enjoy our analysis and showcase of the most expensive watches known to date.

Graff Diamonds Hallucination ($55,000,000)

Price:	$55,000,000
Case Material:	Platinum encrusted with diamonds
Movement:	Quartz movement

Obviously this watch is hideous – I’m not going to try and convince you otherwise. But the Graff Diamonds Hallucination is the most expensive watch in the world at $55,000,000. What’s informing that price though clearly are the precious gemstones encrusted all over the timepiece.

Featuring a combination of rare diamond varieties and cuts, the Graff Diamonds Hallucination showcases Vivid Yellow, Intense Blue, Light Pink, and Intense Pink diamonds which have an accumulated weight of 110 carats. Obviously these gemstones are set in platinum. The horological value of this timepiece is that more of an exquisitely crafted piece of jewelry with a quartz movement stuck on it. The skill in working these gemstones and affixing them in this unique pattern is certainly worth acknowledging. But as a milestone in horology, the Graff hallucination holds no other noteworthy merits other than being the most expensive watch in the world (and certainly not the most interesting).

Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A-010 ($31,200,000)

Price:	$31,200,000
Case Material:	Stainless Steel
Movement:	Caliber 300 GS AL 36-750 QIS FUS IRM
Number of Complications:	20
Auction House / Year / City:	Christie’s
Year Sold:	2019

Patek introduced the Grandmaster Chime in 2014, rocking the watch world with the ability to cram 20 complications into its construction making it one of the watch brand’s most complicated wristwatches. They housed these masterpieces in precious metal cases, which makes sense for a watch that takes several years to build. But when a Grandmaster Chime fetched 31 million dollars five years later at the Only Watch it was of course made of stainless steel. With the only titanium version of the 5208 unveiled at Only Watch 2017 and the only steel 1518 sold in 2019, Patek seems to have found a winning formula.

Breguet Grande Complication Marie Antoinette ($30,000,000)

Price:	$30,000,000
Case Material:	Yellow Gold
Movement:	Breguet No. 160
Number of Complications:	23

I wonder if Abraham-Louis Breguet knew that crafting the Grand Complication Marie Antoinette would consume 40 years of his life? I also wonder if he knew both he and Marie Antoinette would be dead before it was finished? Originally commissioned by an anonymous admirer of Marie Antoinette (who knew the Queen of France had an affinity for Breguet’s timepieces), the Breguet Grande Complication is one of the most complicated and expensive timepieces on earth.

The watch is essentially a testament to both the artistry of metallurgical craftsmanship as well as watchmaking innovations. It features 27 complications which include a perpetual calendar, jumping hours, minute repeater, and much more. The timepiece’s life after completion remains a bit of a mystery but the records show that the watch was stolen in 1983 and only resurfaced in 2004 when it was attempted to be sold. The timepiece was returned to the Museum it was stolen from and in 2005 the modern caretakers of the Breguet brand created a replica which was presented to then Swatch chairman Nicolas Hayek. The original Breguet Grande Complication Marie Antoinette has been valued at $30 million USD, making it one of the most expensive watches in the world.

Patek Philippe Henry Graves Supercomplication ($23,983,000)

Price:	$23,983,000
Case Material:	Yellow Gold
Movement:	Patek Philippe No. 198.385
Number of Complications:	24
Auction House:	Sotheby’s
Year Sold:	2014

You know when you’re hanging out with your fellow tycoons and you start a friendly competition to see which one of you can own the most complicated watch in the world? Yeah, me neither… but that’s allegedly the origin story of the Patek Philippe Henry Graves Supercomplication. Commissioned by Henry Graves Jr. in 1925 and completed in 1933, the watch featured the most complications of any timepiece in existence until the Caliber 89 was released by Patek Philippe in 1989. The price to commission this watch in 1925? $15,000. The cost to purchase it at the Sotheby’s auction in 2014? $24 million- a new record for any timepiece sold at auction at the time.

Jacob & Co. Billionaire Watch ($18,000,000 – $20,000,000)

Price:	$18,000,000 – $20,000,000
Case Material:	White Gold Set With Diamonds
Movement:	Jacob & Co. Skeleton Manual Winding Caliber JCAM
Number of Complications:	3

Jacob and Co is an American-based watch and jewelry manufacturer founded by Jacob Arabo. The brand specializes in very detailed, finely crafted, and extremely expensive luxury goods. But when you look past the precious metals and the diamonds, there is some incredibly intriguing horology at work here – as is the case with the Billionaire Watch.

The Billionaire Watch is characterized most notably by the inclusion of 260 emerald cut diamonds covering nearly every square inch of the timepiece. While this is a design iteration that the iconic New York City brand has iterated on several times, the overall spirit of the piece remains consistent across its variations. By that I mean they cover the entire watch in diamonds.

Since these are very low production pieces and they’re really only available by special request, the brand does also offer some gem-specific customization options. These timepieces also feature a tourbillion movement, which only serves to drive the price up. Speaking of price, the Jacob & Co Billionaire watch can feature an asking price of $18 million to $20 million USD.

Paul Newman Rolex Daytona Ref. 6239 ($17,753,000)

Price:	$17,753,000
Case Material:	Stainless Steel
Movement:	Valjoux Chronograph
Auction House:	Phillips
Year Sold:	2017

Before I fell down the watch rabbit hole, it was rare for watch news to permeate my bubble. But I think the whole world remembers the day in 2017 when the original Paul Newman Rolex Daytona sold for 17.8 million dollars, which made it the most expensive Rolex watch ever sold. At the time I thought “who could be so stupid” but now… I sort of get it. I mean, the watch was famously worn by the actor and race car driver and was seen prominently on his wrist in many well known-media appearances. Not to mention, it was a gift from Joanne Woodward and the caseback features the inscription “Drive Carefully Me.” In a world where any old Daytona is coveted and provenance is everything, $17.8 million sounds just about right.

Patek Philippe Ref. 1518 in Stainless Steel ($11,137,000)

Price:	$11,137,000
Case Material:	Stainless Steel
Movement:	Perpetual Calendar
Auction House	Phillips
Year Sold:	2016

Watch enthusiasts have an interesting fascination with stainless steel. It is a practical material that isn’t luxury by nature, but one quick look at this list confirms that we can’t get enough of the stuff. We also can’t get enough of the Patek 1518, which is unfortunate since only 281 exist and production on the sought after chronograph ceased for nearly 3 quarters of a century ago. Combine steel with the elusive nature of the 1518 and it’s a pair so rare Patek doesn’t even have one in their own museum. So what does it take to add one of these to your collection? In 2016 at the Phillips Geneva auction, the answer was about $11 million.

Patek Philippe Prince Mohammed Tewfik A. Toussou Pink Gold Ref. 1518 ($9,500,000)

Price:	$9,500,000
Case Material:	Pink Gold
Movement:	Perpetual Calendar
Auction House:	Sotheby’s
Year Sold:	2021

Sotheby’s auctions rarely disappoint, so when a historically significant Patek 1518 was up for grabs, the eyes of the industry were on the iconic auction house. After all, with less than 300 of this perpetual calendar chronograph ever made, of which only 14 were “pink on pink” versions with salmon dial and pink gold cases, it was a rare opportunity to own the rarest version of the one of the most sought after Pateks. Even more special, Prince Mohammed Tewfik A. Toussou of Egypt, the original owner of the watch, saved the certificate, making this the only watch of its kind with a certificate.

Patek Philippe Gobbi Milan “Heures Universelles” Ref. 2523 ($8,967,000)

Price:	$8,967,000
Case Material:	Pink Gold
Movement:	World Time
Auction House:	Christie’s
Year Sold:	2019

Blown away by the 2523 Eurasia and planning your next purchase? Don’t spend those fantasy dollars just yet. The one of a kind Patek Philippe Gobbi Milan “Heures Universelles” is another Patek 2523 that would like a word with your wallet. This stunning enamel blue dialed timepiece is one of only seven World Time 2523 movements to exist in 18K pink gold and it is the only known model to feature both Patek Philippe’s branding and that of Gobbi Milan (a retailer). It last sold for nearly 9 million dollars at Christies in 2019 making it the most expensive watch ever auctioned in Asia. But maybe the price will drop next time it’s up for auction… a broke watch snob can dream, right?

Vacheron Constantin 57260 ($8,000,000)

Price:	$8,000,000
Case Material:	White Gold
Movement:	Caliber 3750
Number of Complications	57

Boasting a staggering 57 complications, the Vacheron Constantin 57260 is currently the most complicated timepiece in the world. At 98mm in diameter and 50mm thick, this timepiece is incredibly large and it’s essentially fashioned as a pocket watch (that probably won’t fit in your pocket any time soon). But the everyday wearing- and carrying-comfort of the watch was of little concern. The original Ref. 57260 was commissioned by an anonymous client who had one single demand: to have the world’s most complicated watch made just for him – Vacheron Constantin did not disappoint.

Planning, designing, and crafting the watch took about 8 years. The timepiece itself features over 2800 individual parts and pieces and both dials have a combined 31 hands. Also, in case you actually made it through the entire list of complications above, that’s not even everything that’s included in the watch. The pricing here is also interesting – while no official price has ever been released, it’s speculated that the Vacheron Constantin 57260 could cost somewhere around $8,000,000.

Patek Philippe Grand Complications Sky-Moon Tourbillon ($8,000,000)

Price:	$8,000,000
Material:	Rose Gold
Movement:	Caliber R TO 27 QR SID LU CL
Number of Complications:	12

The intricately crafted and dual sided Patek Philippe Grande Complications Sky-Moon Tourbillion is one of the most recognizable pieces amongst the brand’s offerings. The detailing of the main front dial is accentuated by the Feu chamlevé and cloisonné enameling technique, which is then itself complimented by the applied gold Roman numerals. The back of the timepiece shows the night sky from the point of view of the Northern Hemisphere, which is where the astronomical complications of the watch are featured.

The near entirety of the rose gold case features a finely detailed baroque style engraving – even the hands feature this distinctive engraving detail. The engraving alone is said to take approximately 100 hours of dedicated work, which is sure adding to the $8,000,000 price tag of the watch on top of all the complications.

Patek Philippe Two-Crown World Time Ref. 2523 Eurasia ($7,650,000)

Price:	$7,650,000
Case Material:	Yellow Gold
Movement:	World Time
Auction House:	Phillips
Year Sold:	2017
Complications:	World Time

Google is a fun time capsule for the 2523 Eurasia. In the months leading up to May of 2021, news had broken that this Patek Philippe Two-Crown World Time 2523 would be hitting the auction block and estimates placed the final gavel price at around 4 million dollars. After all, it was one of only three Patek Philippe Worldtime 2523s in yellow gold to exist with the coveted Eurasia dial. I mean, just look at that cloisonné enamel dial… 4 million dollars seemed fair, right? But these auctions often leave estimators looking like a summer child, and the final price was 7.8 million dollars, a new record for a world time watch.

Patek Philippe Stainless Steel Ref. 5016A-010 ($7,259,000)

Price:	$7,259,000
Case Material:	Stainless Steel
Movement:	Caliber R TO 27 PS QR
Number of Complications:	3
Auction House:	Phillips
Year Sold:	2015

The Patek Philippe 5016 was produced from 1993 – 2011 and featured a tourbillon, a minute repeater and a perpetual calendar. This mechanical achievement is only possible thanks to Patek’s unrivaled craftsmanship and, of course, the 506 individual components that comprise the beast of a movement inside. But the 500+ piece movement isn’t the star of the show here, but rather that it’s housed in a stainless steel case- a notable change from the precious metal cases used when the 5016 was in regular production. This one of a kind model was estimated to sell for between 700,000 and 900,000 Swiss francs at the 2015 Only Watch, but instead sold for 7,300,000, exceeding expectations by nearly 6.8 million dollars!

Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 5711/1A-018 Tiffany & Co. ($6,500,000)

Price:
Case Material:	Stainless Steel
Movement:	Calibre 26-330 S C
Auction House:	Phillips
Year Sold:	2021
Complications:	None

To understand how a Patek 5711 that retails for around 50K sold for 6.5 million dollars, it helps to remember where the world was at in December of 2021. Steel sport watch craze was in full hype mode, the 5711 was the most sought after watch in this category, and Phillips was getting ready to host their first live auction in two years. So when one of the coveted 170 Tiffany stamped 5711s in existence was scheduled for auction, paddles were predicted to fly (that’s an auction phrase, right?). And fly they did. After the auction premium, the all-in price was $6,503,000. The following year, another one sold for the significantly reduced price of $3.2 million, showing how volatile auction outcomes can be.

Patek Philippe Titanium Ref. 5208T-010 ($6,226,000)

Price:	$6,226,000
Case Material:	Titanium
Movement:	Caliber R CH 27 PS QI
Number of Complications:	3
Auction House:	Christie’s
Year Sold:	2017

Have you ever wondered how a 6.23 million dollar one of a kind titanium watch comes to exist? In the case of the Patek Philippe 5208T, we can thank the 2017 Only Watch auction. In what has become a tradition for this member of the Swiss watch holy trinity, Patek introduced a familiar favorite housed in an unexpected case material. This light weight Patek has it all: guilloché, sapphire and all the complications one would expect from a regular 5208. Because at this price, you shouldn’t have don’t have to worry about leap year or needing a tube of PolyWatch. And, thanks to the comfortable titanium case, you can forget you are wearing a few million dollars worth of watch on your wrist.

What Makes A Watch More Expensive

As we explore the watches below it’s important to understand why certain watches are more expensive than others. Generally, the four qualifications below contribute to an expensive watches very high price tag.

Exclusivity:

Simple enough, the less examples of a watch that exist, generally the higher the price tag. Rarity and exclusivity tends to be a very large drive in the most expensive watches you’ll see from auction.

Materials:

Whether it’s precious metals or alternative case materials like sapphire or even silicon parts, the materials that go into a watch generally have an impact on the cost of that watch. While there are generally some auction examples of this, more often than not you’ll see retail watches driving higher price tags from material usage (especially if it’s a timepiece that features precious gems with high carat measurements).

Interesting to note here is the practice of precious gems being included on a timepiece to drive up the price. You’ll see this notable on timepieces like Jaeger-LeCoultre Joaillerie 101 Manchette and the Graff Diamonds Hallucination. It’s important to acknowledge these pieces and their prices in this discussion however due to the fact that their horological innovations (or historical value) don’t extend beyond the inclusion of precious gems, they are not included in the list below.

Skill To Craft:

Skilled labor and craftmanship deserves to be compensated properly. As such you’ll generally see a correlation between more technical and complicated pieces also being some of the most expensive watches on this list. You’ll see this across both auction and retail pieces.

Legacy/Story:

This is something that tends to be a bit more difficult to predict or quantify – and it’s really something that’s only a consideration for expensive watches from auctions. But the story that is attached to a timepiece can have an incredible impact on its price. The legacy or story behind a watch or the watch owner can make the difference between simply owning another timepiece and potentially owning a piece of history.