- One way the super wealthy show class is by wearing expensive watches
- WoK takes a look at the 20 most expensive watches in the world in 2023
Watches are not just instruments for keeping track of time.
For some, they are exquisite pieces of art and symbols of wealth and status.
The most expensive watches in the world are not just functional; they are masterpieces of craftsmanship and engineering.
These are the top 20 most expensive watches in the world as told by WoK:
Graff Diamonds Hallucination – $55 Million
The Graff Diamonds Hallucination is a truly mesmerizing timepiece, a masterpiece of jewelry craftsmanship adorned with an astonishing array of rare and precious diamonds.
At its heart lies a hidden baguette-cut diamond dial, concealed beneath a mesmerizing spectacle of diamonds.
As the wearer presses a discreet button, the surrounding diamonds gracefully glide apart, revealing the timepiece’s luminous secret.
The watch contains over 110 carats of Fancy Vivid Yellow, Fancy Intense Blue, Fancy Light Grey Blue, Fancy Green, Fancy Orange, and Fancy Intense Pink diamonds adorn its façade, each gem carefully chosen for its exceptional color, clarity, and cut.
The Hallucination is not just a watch; it is a statement, a declaration of refined taste and unparalleled elegance.
Graff Diamonds The Fascination – $40 Million
The Fascination is a transformable diamond watch created by Graff Diamonds, a renowned British jeweler.
The watch features a mesmerizing display of diamonds, including a 38.13-carat D Flawless pear-shaped diamond as its centerpiece.
This exceptional stone is surrounded by a cascade of white diamonds, totaling 152.96 carats.
The Fascination’s unique design allows it to be transformed into various configurations, including a ring, a necklace, and a brooch.
This versatility adds to its allure and makes it a true masterpiece of jewelry craftsmanship.
Breguet Marie-Antoinette Grande Complication Pocket Watch – $30 Million
The Breguet Marie-Antoinette Grande Complication Pocket Watch is a masterpiece of horology, considered one of the most complex and intricate watches ever created.
It is named after Queen Marie Antoinette of France, who commissioned its creation from Swiss watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1783.
The watch was not completed until 1789, two years after Marie Antoinette’s execution, and it passed through several hands before being acquired by the L.A. Mayer Museum in Jerusalem in 1983.
The watch is a testament to Breguet’s genius and innovation.
It is a self-winding perpetual calendar with a minute repeater, meaning that it can chime the hours, quarters, and minutes on demand.
It also has a tourbillon escapement, which compensates for the effects of gravity on the watch’s accuracy.
The watch is made of gold and enamel, and it is adorned with intricate engravings and jewels.
Chopard 201-Carat Watch – $25 Million
The Chopard 201-Carat Watch is one of the most expensive watches in the world, with a price tag of $25 million.
It is encrusted with 201 carats of diamonds, including a 15-carat pink diamond, a 12-carat blue diamond, and an 11-carat white diamond.
The watch also features a pavé-set dial with small round yellow diamonds.
It is powered by a Swiss-made mechanical movement, and it features a perpetual calendar, a moon phase indicator, and a tourbillon.
Patek Philippe Henry Graves Supercomplication – $24 Million
The Patek Philippe Henry Graves Supercomplication is a pocket watch with 24 complications, making it one of the most complicated mechanical timepieces ever created.
It was commissioned by banker Henry Graves Jr. in 1912 and took three years to build.
The watch features a perpetual calendar, split-seconds chronograph, Westminster chimes, and a celestial map of New York City.
The Supercomplication was the world’s most complicated mechanical timepiece for more than 50 years.
In 1989, Patek Philippe released the Calibre 89, which has 33 complications, but the Supercomplication remains the most complicated mechanical watch built without the assistance of computers.
Patek Philippe Ref. 1518 in Stainless Steel – $11.1 Million
The Patek Philippe Ref. 1518 in stainless steel is one of the most sought-after and valuable wristwatches in the world.
It is the first perpetual calendar chronograph ever made, and only four examples are known to exist.
The watch was originally produced in 1941 and was only available to a select few customers.
It is now considered to be one of the most important watches in history, and it has sold for over $11 million at auction.
The Ref. 1518 is a complex watch with a number of complications. In addition to a perpetual calendar, it also has a chronograph, a moon phase indicator, and a power reserve indicator.
The watch is powered by a hand-wound movement that is considered to be one of the most reliable ever made.
Jacob & Co. Billionaire Watch – $18 Million
The Jacob & Co. Billionaire is a series of high-end watches that are known for their extravagant designs and use of precious stones.
The watches are all hand-made and feature intricate details, such as tourbillons, skeletonized movements, and pave diamonds.
The Billionaire line is Jacob & Co.’s most expensive collection, with prices starting at around $1 million.
Here are some of the most popular models in the Billionaire line:
Billionaire Ashoka: This watch is set with over 38 carats of Ashoka-cut diamonds, which are a type of square-shaped diamond with a unique faceting pattern.
Billionaire II Diamonds on Bridges: This watch is set with over 200 carats of diamonds, which are arranged in a latticework pattern on the watch’s bridges.
Billionaire III: This watch is set with over 500 carats of diamonds, which are arranged in a paved setting.
The Jacob & Co. Billionaire is a status symbol for the world’s most wealthy individuals.
Patek Philippe Ref. 1527 – $5.7 Million
The Patek Philippe Ref. 1527 is a perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch made by Patek Philippe from 1940 to 1955.
The watch is considered to be one of the most complicated watches ever made.
It features a perpetual calendar, which automatically keeps track of the day, month, and year, even in leap years.
It also has a chronograph, which can be used to measure elapsed time. The watch is powered by a manual-wind movement, which means that it must be wound by hand every day.
The Ref. 1527 was originally produced in a limited number of pieces, and only a few hundred are known to exist today.
Because of its rarity, the watch is highly coveted by collectors.
In 2012, a Ref. 1527 was sold at auction for $5.78 million, making it the most expensive wristwatch ever sold at auction at that time.
Patek Philippe Ref. 2499 in Pink Gold – $3.2 Million
The Patek Philippe Ref. 2499 in pink gold is a highly coveted and valuable timepiece, considered one of the most collectible vintage watches in the world.
It is a perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch that was produced in limited numbers from 1950 to 1985.
The Ref. 2499 is powered by the Patek Philippe Calibre CH 27-70 Q, a manual-wound movement with a chronograph and perpetual calendar complication.
The movement is considered to be one of the most complex ever made, with over 380 components.
The chronograph is a flyback chronograph, which means that it can be reset to zero while the stopwatch is still running.
The perpetual calendar is accurate for over 400 years, and it will automatically adjust for leap years.
The watch was produced in limited numbers, with only about 300 examples made in pink gold.
This rarity, combined with its elegant design and complex movement, has made the watch a highly sought-after piece among collectors.
Patek Philippe Ref. 2499 in Yellow Gold – $2.7 Million
The Patek Philippe Ref. 2499 is a perpetual calendar chronograph that was produced from 1950 to 1985.
It is considered one of the most iconic and sought-after watches ever made and has been nicknamed the “grail” by many watch collectors.
The watch features a 38mm yellow gold case, a silver dial with applied gold hour markers, and three subdials for the chronograph functions.
The perpetual calendar complication displays the day of the week, month, date, and year, and is automatically adjusted for leap years.
The Ref. 2499 is a rare and valuable watch. It is estimated that only 300 to 350 examples of the watch were ever made.
As a result, the Ref. 2499 can command high prices at auction. In 2017, a Ref. 2499 sold for a record-breaking $3.9 million at auction.
Franck Muller Aeternitas Mega 4 – $2.7 Million
The Franck Muller Aeternitas Mega 4 is a truly exceptional timepiece, holding the title of the most complicated wristwatch in the world.
Here’s what you need to know about this incredible watch:
Features and Specifications: A staggering 36 complications, 99 jewels, and 91 wheels.
The watch allegedly took 5 years of planning and one year to assemble.
The sheer number of complications and intricate mechanisms makes it a marvel of watchmaking.
Each component is meticulously crafted and assembled by hand, making it a true work of art.
Only a handful of Aeternitas Mega 4 watches will ever be made, ensuring their exclusivity and value.
Lange & Söhne Grand Complication – $2.5 Million
The A. Lange & Söhne Grand Complication is a masterpiece of horological engineering, combining eight complications into a single wristwatch.
It is the most complicated watch in the world.
The Grand Complication features a grand and small strike, a minute repeater, a perpetual calendar, a rattrapante-chronograph function with flying seconds, a power reserve indicator, and a moon phase display.
The watch is powered by the hand-wound Lange L1902 movement, which consists of 832 parts.
The movement is made of German silver and is decorated with traditional Lange engravings.
The Grand Complication is a limited edition of only eight pieces.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Hybris Mechanica Grande Sonnerie – $2.5 Million
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Hybris Mechanica Grande Sonnerie is a highly complex and expensive wristwatch that is considered to be one of the most complicated watches in the world.
It has 26 complications, including a grande sonnerie, which is a type of striking mechanism that plays the Westminster chimes melody on the hour and quarter-hour.
The watch also has a perpetual calendar, a moon phase indicator, and a tourbillon escapement.
The Hybris Mechanica Grande Sonnerie is made of 18-karat pink gold and has a diameter of 43 mm.
It is powered by a hand-wound movement that has a power reserve of 40 hours. The watch is water resistant to 50 meters.
The Hybris Mechanica Grande Sonnerie is a very rare watch, and only a few examples are made each year.
Rolex Antimagnetique Ref. 4113 from 1942 – $2.4 Million
The Rolex Antimagnetique Ref. 4113 is an extremely rare and valuable split-seconds chronograph wristwatch made by Rolex in 1942.
It is one of only 12 known to exist and is considered to be one of the most sought-after Rolex watches in the world.
The watch is made of stainless steel and has a diameter of 44mm, which is much larger than most chronographs of the time.
The watch was never sold to the public and was instead given to a select group of racing teams and their drivers.
This is because the watch was designed to be used in motorsports, and its anti-magnetic properties were important for protecting it from the magnetic fields generated by racing engines.
Richard Mille RM 56-02 Sapphire Tourbillon – $2 Million
The Richard Mille RM 56-02 Sapphire Tourbillon is a luxury watch that is known for its innovative design and use of high-quality materials.
It is made from a solid sapphire crystal case, which is extremely scratch-resistant and transparent.
The watch also features a tourbillon movement, which is a type of watch movement that is designed to counteract the effects of gravity on the watch’s accuracy.
The RM 56-02 Sapphire Tourbillon is a limited-edition watch, and only 20 pieces were ever produced.
It is a very expensive watch, and it is estimated to cost around $2 million.
The watch is a popular collector’s item, and it is often seen as a symbol of wealth and status.
Greubel Forsey Art Piece 1 – $1.5 Million
The Greubel Forsey Art Piece 1 is a truly unique and extraordinary timepiece.
It is a co-creation between the renowned watchmakers Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey, and the artist Willard Wigan, known for his microscopic sculptures.
The truly remarkable feature of this watch is the micro-sculpture housed within its own space.
This micro-sculpture, created by Wigan, is a miniature masterpiece.
It depicts a scene of two lovers, a man and a woman, embracing under a tree.
The sculpture is so small that it is impossible to see with the naked eye.
However, a magnifying glass is provided with the watch, allowing the wearer to appreciate the incredible detail of Wigan’s work.
The Art Piece 1 is a limited edition timepiece, and only 11 pieces have been made.
Vacheron Constantin Tour de I’Ile – $1.5 Million
The Vacheron Constantin Tour de I’Ile is a grand complication wristwatch manufactured by the Swiss manufacturer Vacheron Constantin.
It is one of the most complicated wristwatches ever made, with 16 complications displayed on two faces.
It is also one of the most expensive wristwatches ever sold, with a price tag of over $1.5 million.
The Tour de I’Ile is a complex and delicate watch, and it requires a great deal of skill to assemble.
The watch is made up of over 834 components, and it takes the watchmakers at Vacheron Constantin over 1,500 hours to assemble each watch.
Patek Philippe Ref. 5004T – $3.9 Million
The Patek Philippe Ref. 5004T is a rare and coveted timepiece that was created for the “Only Watch” charity auction in 2013.
It is a split-second chronograph and perpetual calendar watch made entirely of titanium, making it one of only four known Patek Philippe watches to be made from this material.
The watch features a 36.7mm titanium case with a sapphire crystal back.
It is powered by the Calibre CHR 27-525 PS Q, which is a Lemania-based movement that features a split-seconds chronograph, a perpetual calendar, and a power reserve of 48 hours.
Patek Philippe Ref. 5016A – $7.3 Million
The Patek Philippe Ref. 5016A is a truly exceptional timepiece, and for good reason.
It is a unique piece, the only Ref. 5016 ever made in stainless steel, and it boasts three of the most prestigious complications in watchmaking: a tourbillon, a minute repeater, and a perpetual calendar with moon-phase display.
Created for the Only Watch 2015 charity auction, the Ref. 5016A broke records when it sold for a staggering $7.26 million, making it the most expensive wristwatch ever sold at the time.
The watch is water resistant with a power reserve of 48 hours.
Patek Philippe Ref. 1526 – $5 Million
The Patek Philippe Ref. 1526 is a perpetual calendar wristwatch with moon phases that was introduced in 1940 and was in production until 1952.
It is a very rare watch, with only about 100 examples made in total.
The watch is housed in a 36mm Calatrava case, which is made of either yellow or pink gold or 18k pink gold.
The Ref. 1526 is powered by the Caliber 12-120 movement, which is a manual-winding movement with 18 jewels.
The movement has a power reserve of approximately 40 hours.
The Ref. 1526 is a very collectible watch, and it is often seen at auction.
In recent years, examples of the Ref. 1526 have sold for prices in excess of $1 million.
