A Guide to the World’s Most Expensive Timepieces
You love the watch you wear, but that’s not to say you can’t admire others from time to time. If you’re anything like us, you can’t help but immerse yourself in the luxury timepiece space and dream about owning the world’s most expensive watches - one day.
In a class of their own and in the collections of only the most dedicated, affluent collectors (royal family members and Hollywood A-listers included), who can blame you for your wandering eyes?
The most expensive watches in the world in 2021
It’s no surprise that this list of the 5 most expensive watches features Patek Philippe, Graff Diamonds and Jaeger-LeCoultre. Like every luxury timepiece, each one comes with its own story, world-class materials and intricate details, that makes these watches some of the most coveted and rare in history.
Graff Diamonds Hallucination
Value: $55 million USD
Unveiled: Baselworld, 2014
The world’s most expensive watch is a Graff Diamonds creation, The Hallucination. Named after its hypnotic combination of 110 carats of multi-coloured diamonds in a variety of cuts, set into a platinum bracelet. This women’s watch, encrusted with breathtaking sparkle, brings high fashion to the horlogerie space.
Based on a concept by Laurence Graff, who said about the watch: “The Graff Hallucination is a sculptural masterpiece; a celebration of the miracle of coloured diamonds. For many years I have thought about creating a truly remarkable watch that illustrates our all-consuming passion for diamonds. The Hallucination has made my diamond dream a reality."
Graff Diamonds The Fascination
Value: $40 million USD
Unveiled: Baselworld, 2015
Doing much more than just telling the time, The Fascination by Graff Diamonds is a creation that brings together expertise and ingenuity. This women’s timepiece consists of 152.96 carats of diamonds, with a rare pear shaped diamond as the centre focus and watch dial. The genius lies in the convertible nature of the watch: the pear shaped masterpiece can be removed and worn as a ring.
Laurence Graff commented: “The Fascination is an outstanding piece, carefully crafted so it can be worn in a number of different ways - adding a touch of magic to the jewel.”
Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime
Value: $31 million USD
Unveiled: Geneva, 2019
The most expensive (and complicated) Patek Philippe ever sold, this timepiece is unusual in that it has two independent dials: one on the front and one on the back. The Grandmaster Chime also boasts twenty complications and six patented innovations. You’re paying for not only the long-standing mastery of Patek Philippe - but the sheer time spent on the watch, too.
Development, production and assembly took a total of 100,000 hours.
Bassel Choughari, an analyst at Berenberg, said “Patek is often seen by collectors as a sort of holy grail.”
Breguet Grande Compilation Marie Antoinette
Value: $30 million USD
Unveiled: 1827
A legendary timepiece with a story to match. It’s said that this watch was commissioned for French Queen, Marie Antoinette, by one of her lovers. The piece took around 40 years to craft and was only finished 34 years after her death. Stolen from a museum in Jerusalem and recovered in December 2007, the masterpiece and fate of this watch has become something of an obsession for horology enthusiasts. It has since been reproduced (Marie Antoinette No. 1160) based only on pictures and descriptions, and is still considered the 5th most complicated watch in the world.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Joaillerie 101 Manchette
Value:$26 million USDUnveiled:2012The world’s 5th most expensive watch was crafted as a gift for Queen Elizabeth II, to mark her 60th year on the throne. The intricate timepiece by Jaeger-LeCoultre is made from white gold, polished and diamond-set links, and a miniature calibre 101 movement, which is one of the smallest in the world. The watch can also be customised to hold up to 576 diamonds.According to Jaeger-LeCoultre, the watch was “prized by women who dreamed of wearing a jewel on their wrist that brought together the precision of mechanical operations and a refined aesthetic.”
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