The most expensive watches
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While we are all aware that a good watch will set you back a decent amount, some timepieces make even a $20,000 price tag seem like chump change. Whether they’re covered in diamonds or exquisitely created for royalty, these dominating watches are the most expensive in the world. Easily reaching into the multi-million dollar category, these incredible creations can cost as much as 55 million US dollars. Of course, the price isn’t the only reason to admire these luxurious timepieces. Below we have researched the world’s most expensive watches that have survived the test of time.
1. Graff Diamonds Hallucination | $55 Million
The title of the most expensive watch in the world goes to Graff Diamonds for the incredible, Hallucination. Worth a whopping $55 million, the Hallucination is a masterpiece with over 110 carats of coloured diamonds set into a bracelet of platinum.
2. Graff Diamonds The Fascination | $40 Million
As well as holding the position for the most expensive watch ever, Graff Diamonds is also behind the second most pricey timepiece. Dubbed The Fascination, this $40 million watch consists of 152.96 carats of white diamonds and includes a centre, 38.13-carat, pear-shaped diamond that can detach into a ring.
3. Breguet Marie-Antoinette Grande Complication Pocket Watch | $30 Million
Not only is the Breguet Grande Marie Antoinette an incredible timepiece, but it also has a fascinating story. The pocket watch, which is worth $30 million, was commissioned by an alleged lover of the French queen, Marie Antoinette in 1782. Unfortunately, the intended recipient died before ever being able to receive this fantastic watch, which took over 40 years to construct.
4. Chopard 201-Carat Watch | $25 Million
This incredible watch’s name tells you exactly why it’s worth $25 million. Created by Chopard, the 201-Carat Watch consists of a 15-carat pink diamond, a 12-carat blue diamond,and an 11-carat white diamond as well as a further 163 carats of white and yellow diamonds.
5. Patek Philippe Henry Graves Supercomplication | $24 Million
The wold’s most expensive Patek Phillipe watch is the Supercomplication created for Henry Graves Jr. Worth $25 million, this intricate timepiece features 24 complications and includes functions such as a perpetual calendar, minute repeater with Westminster Chimes, sunrise and sunset times, and a celestial chart based on the night sky above Graves’ home in New York.
6. Jacob & Co. Billionaire Watch | $18 Million
This Jacob and Co. timepiece isn’t called the Billionaire Watch for no reason. If you can swing the $18 million, you’ll receive a seriously luxurious watch complete with 260 carats of emerald-cut diamonds and a stylish skeleton face.
7. Patek Philippe Ref. 1518 in Stainless Steel | $11 Million
Recently auctioned off for just over US$11 million, the Patek Philippe 1518 comes in at number seven on the list of the world’s most expensive watches. The timepiece, which is number one in a limited edition four-piece series, is rare because of its casing. While most Patek luxury watches are made of yellow or rose gold, this one features stainless steel.
8. Hublot Big Bang | $5 Million
If you appreciate bling and have a spare $5 million, you may want to consider purchasing a diamond Hublot Big Bang watch. Featuring 1280 diamonds with at least three carats each, this glitzy timepiece is a lesson in luxury. Every stone on the watch was even cut by the same New York jeweller with over 40 years experience to ensure they each bear the same cut signature.
9. Louis Moinet Meteoris | $4.6 Million
How rare a watch is can dictate its price so, at $4.6 million, you can be sure that the Louis Moinet Meteoris is pretty rare. In fact, only four of these watches were created, and they each contain something very special. As well as being beautifully crafted, each Meterois watch impressively includes moon rock.
10. Breguet Antique Number 2667 | $4.5 Million
The charming Breguet Antique Number 2667 pocket watch can be yours for a mere $4.5 million. As well as featuring a stylish, traditional design, this watch also boasts a luxurious 18k yellow gold case and not one, but two oscillating bodies.
11. Rolex Daytona Ref. 6263 Oyster Albino | $4 Million
Currently, the most expensive Rolex ever sold is the Daytona 6263 Oyster Albino, which went for a cool $4 million in 2014. The watch, which features a stainless steel case, received its unusual name from its white chronograph subdials. Apart from its unique design, this timepiece is also valuable because of its rarity. Only four were ever made.
12. Franck Muller Aeternitas Mega 4 | $2.7 Million
Want to know what the most complicated wristwatch in the world looks like? Just check out the Aeternitas Mega 4 from Franck Muller. This intricate timepiece features a jaw-dropping 1483 components as well as a record-breaking 36 complications. While you’ll have to pay around $2.7 million to make this watch your own, the high price may just be worth it. Designed to withstand the test of time, the Aeternitas Mega features a calendar that follows a 1000-year cycle renewable to infinity.
13. Lange & Söhne Grand Complication | $2.5 Million
Lange & Söhne’s Grand Complication watch debuted in 2013 and is currently the brand’s most expensive watch. Priced at $2.5 million, this wristwatch, which takes approximately a year to make, gets its value from its multiple complications. Housed inside its large gold case, which measures a staggering 50mm in diameter and 20mm thick, is a perpetual calendar with moonphase, split-seconds chronograph with flying seconds, and a grande and petite sonnerie with minute repeater. In total, this timepiece’s intricate movement contains 876 parts.
14. Jaeger-LeCoultre Hybris Mechanica Grande Sonnerie | $2.5 Million
The Hybris Mechanica Grande Sonnerie by Jaeger-LeCoultre features a manual winding, mechanical movement that includes 1406 parts. All these parts, of course, work together seamlessly and make this technical timepiece worthy of a reported value as high as $2.5 million. Naturally, as its name suggests, this wristwatch offers its wearer a grande sonnerie as well as a petite sonnerie, minute repeater, and silent modes. It also plays one of the longest melodies ever recreated by a Grand Sonnerie, featuring a Westminster chime reproducing the sounds of Big Ben.
15. Rolex Antimagnetique Ref. 4113 from 1942 | $2.4 Million
A Rolex will always warrant a reasonably high price tag, so how much does an extraordinarily rare one cost? Well, this remarkable, Antimagnetique Ref. 4133 sold for around $2.4 million last May at an auction in Geneva (almost double what it was excepted to fetch). The split-seconds chronograph features an oversized design with a 44mm stainless steel case. The wristwatch, which was made in 1942, is one of only twelve Ref. 4113 ever created.
16. Richard Mille RM 56-02 Sapphire | $2 Million
Building on earlier designs, Richard Mille created the RM 56-02 Sapphire Tourbillon. More complicated and stylish than the watches before it, this timepiece today merits a $2 million price tag. While its appearance is about as cool and unique as a watch can be, it’s the craftsmanship that gives this luxury piece its high value. The detailed case design and extraordinarily complex movement are both forged out of pure sapphire with the latter also suspended in the air by cables.
17. Greubel Forsey Art Piece 1 | $1.5 Million
While Art Piece 1 by Greubel Forsey could easily fetch a high price for its mechanical properties, such as its 30° inclined double tourbillion, its $1.5 million value comes from its design. The artistic and wondrous timepiece features a nano-sculpture. The sculpture, which is hidden inside the watch, is only visible thanks to a minuscule optical system at the watch’s crown that acts as a microscope. Designs created so far include a ship, mask, Coca-Cola bottle, and hummingbird.
18. Vacheron Constantin Tour de I’Ile | $1.5 Million
The Tour de l’Ile was debuted by Vacheron Constantin over ten years ago, in 2005. The timepiece, which was built to commemorate the brand’s 250th anniversary, was, at the time, the most complicated wristwatch in the world. Although the Tour de l’Ile no longer holds that title, it’s still an impressive watch that commands a $1.5 million value. The double-sided design features a tourbillon movement as well as a minute repeater, perceptual calendar, sunrise and sunset times, moonphase, and dual time zones.