Feature: You won’t believe how much these watches were sold for
At the best of times, luxury watches go for prices that sit outside most people’s budgets, and then there are some that tear up that budget and set it on fire. From watches with historical relevance to pieces smothered in diamonds, there are a few watches out there that have fetched what most of us would consider ridiculous sums of money. But just how much have some of the world’s most expensive watches gone for? Let’s find out…
Breguet Grande Complication Marie Antoinette
Not only was this piece made for the illustrious Marie Antoinette, but it took around a whopping 40 years to make. However, sadly, the French queen didn’t get to witness this stunning piece—apparently commissioned by one of her lovers—before she was executed. This backstory and elements of romance and tragedy certainly add to the sizable $30 million price tag of this historic pocket watch.
“Paul Newman” Rolex Oyster Cosmograph Daytona
A special vintage reference 6239 Rolex Daytona worn by Hollywood actor and race car driver Paul Newman set a world record back in 2017 as the most expensive watch sold at auction at the time, fetching a whopping $17.7 million—a feat that was beaten by a Patek Philippe piece in 2019 that fetched $31 million.
Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime 6300A
If you’re aware of Patek Philippe’s impact on the world of horology over the past 182 years, it probably won’t surprise you that it’s a current world record holder. In 2019 Patek’s Grandmaster Chime 6300A broke the world record for the most expensive watch ever sold at auction at the time—overtaking the aforementioned Rolex—going for a whopping $31 million.
Graff Diamonds Hallucination
This ultra-glitzy piece from the London-based jewellers will have you seeing stars—quite literally—and colourful ones at that. Featuring an array of 110 carats of differently cut and different coloured diamonds, set on a platinum bracelet, it is no wonder this piece cost as much as it did, and boy did it cost! $55 million was the price tag for this bedazzling piece, making it the most expensive watch sold to date.
Patek Philippe Super Complication
As in the name, the Supercomplication made history as the world’s most complicated timepiece back in 1933—a record it held for fifty years. Created with 24 complications, this functional pocket watch was supposedly commissioned by Henry Graves—a banker and avid watch collector—who wanted to out-do American automaker James Ward Packard and his pocket watch the Grande Complication. The Supercomplication went on to raise a jaw-dropping $26 million at auction in 2014.
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