1. Graff Diamond Illusion
Sold for $55 million
Watch type: Women's watch
Year of production: 2014
制造商： Graff Diamonds Ltd.
Made in: United Kingdom
The Graff Diamond Illusion is the most expensive watch in the world. Priced at $55 million, Graff Diamonds Hallucination is the pinnacle of luxury watchmaking, blending exceptional craftsmanship with luxuriously rare gemstones. Unveiled at Baselworld 2014, the watch is crafted from 110 carats of large, brightly colored diamonds set in a platinum bracelet in a range of colours, including Fancy Vivid yellow, Fancy Intense pink and Fancy Green. The diamonds of the watch have been carefully selected for their rarity and durability to form a captivating kaleidoscope of colours.
The Hallucination watch features eight different colored diamonds, including the highly sought-after pink diamond, which is valued at about $2 million per carat. The watch also features a specially designed small dial set with candy pink diamonds. The unique design and craftsmanship behind the watch took two and a half years and was completed by a team of 30 experts, designers and jewelers.
The watch was made by Graff Diamonds, a British jeweler and watchmaker. Despite its enormous value, the Hallucination watch was never sold and is still owned by Laurence Graff, founder, owner and chairman of Graff Diamonds in the UK.
2. The allure of Graff diamonds
Watch: $40 million
Watch type: Women's watch
Year of manufacture: 2015
制造者： Graff Diamonds Ltd.
Made in: United Kingdom
Graff Diamonds The Fascination is the second most expensive watch in the world, with an estimated value of $40 million. It is also the most expensive women's watch in the world. This watch embodies another pinnacle of horological and diamond craftsmanship. Fascination was unveiled at Baselworld 2015 and is also the world's most valuable transformable watch because it can be turned into a bracelet or ring.
The watch features 152.96 carats of white diamonds with a 38.13 carat D Flawless pear-shaped diamond in the center. The Fascination's case is made of white gold, adding another touch of elegance to the watch.
This exclusive timepiece, also made by Graff Diamonds, a British luxury jeweller and watchmaking company, is yet to be sold.
3. Patek Philippe Master Chimes
Sold for $31.2 million
Watch type: Men's watch
Year of manufacture: 2014
制造者: Patek Philippe SA
Place of manufacture: Switzerland
Patek Philippe master chimes are the third most expensive watches in the world. Launched in 2014 to commemorate Patek Philippe's 175th anniversary. Its intricate design includes 1,366 parts and 20 complications, making the Grandmaster Chime the most complicated watch ever made. The Swiss luxury watch company designed this watch to commemorate the Graves Supercomplications pocket watch from the 1920s and is an overarching testament to the brand's emphasis on excellence, innovation, luxury, and elegance. The unique stainless steel model of the Grandmaster Chime sold for around $31 million at auction, so the Grandmaster Chime is not only a watch, but also a valuable piece in the history of horology.
The watch boasts dual dials, with the front for timekeeping and the chime of the watch's various setting options, and the back dedicated to the perpetual calendar. Each side is made from 18k carat gold plates.
4. Breguet Grand Complications Marie Antoinette
Watch: $30 million
Watch type: pocket watch
Year of manufacture: 1802
制造者： Abraham-Louis Breguet
Place of manufacture: France
The Breguet Grande Complication Marie Antoinette is fourth in the list of the top 10 most expensive watches and the most expensive pocket watch in the world. Commissioned in 1783 by an anonymous admirer of the former Queen of France, the Breguet Marie-Antoinette Grande Complication (also known as Breguet No. 160) took 19 years to complete, making it the oldest watch in the world to date. This unique watch was completed in 1802 by the world-renowned Swiss-French watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet, seven years after the death of his namesake Queen Marie-Antoinette. As a result, the watch is regarded as a marvel of horological art and history and is valued at $30 million.
The watch has a minute repeater, a perpetual calendar, a time equation display, jumping hours and other functions, totaling nearly a dozen complications. The Marie Antoinette Grand Complication is crafted in yellow gold and platinum with rubies and sapphires. Consisting of 823 parts, it was the most complex timepiece of its time and is considered an absolute masterpiece in Breguet's extensive watch portfolio, which includes thousands of uniquely crafted chronograph devices.
In 1887, the watch was sold to Australian businessman Sir Spencer Brunton, who subsequently sold it to Sir David Salomons, a British science writer and public official, who was reputed to be the world's largest collector of Breguet watches. In 1925, before his death, Solomons donated the watch to the Musée des Arts et Métiers de Arts in Paris and eventually deposited it at the L.A. Mayer Institute of Islamic Arts in Jerusalem. In 1983, it was stolen, but miraculously recovered in 2007.
5.积家Jewelry 101 Cuff
Sold for $26 million
Watch type: Women's watch
Year of manufacture: 2012
制造者： Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre SA
Place of manufacture: Switzerland
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Joaillerie 101 Manchette is among the top five most expensive watches in the world. This luxury women's watch is particularly famous for being powered by the world's smallest mechanical engine, the Calibre 101, a marvel of micromechanical engineering. Priced at $26 million, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Joaillerie 101 Manchette is not only a timepiece, but also a piece of luxury jewelry.
The case and bracelet of the watch are made of white gold and set with 576 diamonds, but the number of diamonds can be customized. The watch also features an 18k carat rose gold case and a sapphire dial. As a result, this luxury watch for women combines precision mechanics with fine jewelry.
The Joaillerie 101 Manchette is an exclusive creation of Swish's luxury watchmaking company Jaeger-LeCoultre. It was made for Queen Elizabeth II to commemorate her 60th anniversary of her reign as Queen of England. After her death, the watch is now owned by the British royal family.
6. Chopard 201 carats
Sold for $25 million
Watch type: Women's watch
Year of manufacture: 2000
制造商: The Grandson of L.-U. Chopard & Cie SA
Origin: Switzerland
The Chopard 201 carat watch ranks sixth among the most expensive watches in the world. Created in 2000 by the Swiss luxury watchmaker Chopard, the watch currently has a price tag of $25 million. The charm of this watch lies in its vibrant colored diamonds, making it one of the most coveted luxury watches. The watch is set with a total of 874 diamonds and weighs a total of 201 carats, hence the name. Not only do these diamonds come in a variety of colors, but they also come in a variety of shapes, including about 300 pear-shaped diamonds, about 100 round diamonds, and 3 larger heart-shaped diamonds.
Heart-shaped diamonds are set against a backdrop of pear-shaped and round D-color flawless diamonds, and the bracelet is designed in the shape of a flower centered on an 8.81 carat yellow diamond, complemented by 26 pear-shaped yellow diamonds. A unique technical feature of this watch is its spring-loaded mechanism, which, when activated, reveals the pavé dial through the blooming of three heart-shaped gemstones.
This mechanism, combined with the natural charm of coloured diamonds, makes the Chopard 201 – Carat Watch a wonder in the world of jewellery and watchmaking.
7. Patek Philippe Henry Graves Super Complication
Sold for $24 million
Watch type: pocket watch
Year of manufacture: 1932
制造者: Patek Philippe SA
Place of manufacture: Switzerland
The Patek Philippe Henri Graves Grand Complication is the seventh most expensive watch in the world. It is also the second most expensive and valuable pocket watch ever made. Commissioned by Wall Street banker Henry Graves in 1925 and over a seven-year period by the Swiss watchmaker Patek Philippe, this bespoke timepiece is still considered an absolute masterpiece today. With an estimated value of more than $24 million at the last auction, the Henry Graves Grand Complication is more than just a watch, and its legacy continues to inspire watchmakers and collectors alike.
The watch features 24 complications, including a perpetual calendar, a minute repeater with Westminster chimes, sunrise and sunset times characteristic of New York City, and a celestial map of New York City as seen from Graves' apartment on Fifth Avenue. The watch consists of a total of 920 parts, including 70 gemstones. The watch is also wrapped in 18-carat yellow gold.
The Patek Philippe Henry Graves Grand Complication belonged to the Graves family until 1969, when it was sold to American businessman Seth Atwood, who owned the Time Museum, a watch museum in his hometown of Rockford, Illinois. In 1999, the watch was sold to Prince Sheikh Saud bin Muhammed Al Thani of Qatar. After his death, the pocket watch was sold in 2014 to an anonymous businessman living in Switzerland, bringing the Patek Philippe Henri Graves Grand Complication back to its country of origin.
8. Jacob & Co. 亿万富翁永恒宝藏
Sold for $20 million
Watch type: Men's watch
Year of manufacture: 2023
制造者： Jacob & Co.
Place of manufacture: United States
The Jacob & Co. Billionaire Timeless Treasure is the eighth most expensive watch in the world. The Timeless Treasure is part of the Billionaire watch collection, manufactured by Jacob & Co., an American jewelry and watchmaking company, making it the most expensive and valuable American-made watch ever made. Each watch in the Billionaire watch collection combines a high-end tourbillon movement with a luxurious gem-set design, and the Billionaire Timeless Treasure represents an absolute masterpiece of the collection and the company, priced at $20 million.
The watch features a yellow gold case set with 46 Ascher-cut yellow diamonds and a bracelet featuring 378 Ascher-cut yellow diamonds totalling approximately 214.77 carats. The Timeless Treasure dial is flanked by 76 kite-cut and emerald-cut tsavorites surrounding the skeleton tourbillon JCAM39 movement.
Jacob & Co. Billionaire Timeless Treasure 于 2023 年才推出，也是迄今为止全球十大最昂贵手表中最新的一款。
9. Rolex Paul Newman Tonna
Sold for $17.8 million
Watch type: Men's watch
Year of manufacture: 1968
制造者: Rolex SA
Origin: Switzerland
While the watch isn't as feature-rich as other expensive watches, its value is directly related to its wearer, which gives the watch iconic status, which was valued at around $17.8 million at the time of its last auction. However, its importance is further highlighted by its unique dial (a feature unique to Newman watches) and the inscription "Drive with Care" requested by Newman's wife, Joanne Woodward, who commissioned the watch.
Rolex Paul Newman Daytona remained in Newman's possession until 1984, when he gifted it to then-18-year-old James Cox, who was then dating Newman's daughter and helped him build a treehouse on Newman's land. Cox later donated the watch to the Nell Newman Foundation, a humanitarian charity in memory of the late actor and his many charitable causes. In 2017, it was sold to an anonymous buyer.
10. 百达翡丽不锈钢Ref. 1518
Sold for $11.1 million
Watch type: Men's watch
Year of manufacture: 1943
制造者: Patek Philippe SA
Place of manufacture: Switzerland
Patek Philippe Stainless Steel Ref. 1518 completes the list of the top 10 most expensive watches in the world. Manufactured in 1943 by a Swiss luxury watchmaking company, it was part of the world's first watch collection, the 1518 collection. It is considered a beacon of horological technology and is powered by the 13-130Q calibre, a modified version of the Valjoux 13 ligne ebauche. Patek Philippe released watches mainly in yellow and rose gold case versions, with only four of the 281 pieces having stainless steel cases, but the stainless steel case version remains by far the most valuable and iconic one in the collection to date. Its auction price was about $11 million.
The dial features applied numerals and leaf-shaped hands, as well as a tachymeter scale on the outer rim. The watch also has a perpetual calendar function and displays the day, month, and even moon phases.
The first owner of a stainless steel case watch was Joseph Lang from Budapest, Hungary. The last one was one of the four Patek Philippe stainless steel watches in existence. The 1518 was sold at an auction in Switzerland in 2016.
Top 10 most expensive watches in the world:
| Year of release: | Made from: | Value: | |
| 1. Graff Diamond Illusion | 2014 | Graff Diamonds (UK) | $55 million |
| 2. The allure of Graff diamonds | 2015 | Graff Diamonds (UK) | $40 million |
| 3. Patek Philippe Master Chimes | 2014 | Patek Philippe (Switzerland) | $31.2 million |
| 4. Breguet Grand Complication Marie Antoinette | 1802 | Breguet (France) | $30 million |
| 5. 积家 JEWELRY 101 CUFF | 2012 | Jaeger-LeCoultre Manufacture (Switzerland) | $26 million |
| 6. Chopard 201 carats | 2000 | The Grandson of L.-U。 Chopard & Cie(瑞士) | $25 million |
| 7. Patek Philippe Henry Graves Super Complication | 1932 | Patek Philippe (Switzerland) | $24 million |
| 8. JACOB & CO. 亿万富翁手表 | 2023 | Jacobs & Co. (USA) | $20 million |
| 9. Rolex Paul Newman Tonna | 1968 | Rolex (Switzerland) | $17.8 million |
| 10. 百达翡丽不锈钢Ref. 1518 | 1943 | Patek Philippe (Switzerland) | $11.1 million |
Updated as of March 2024.
The ten most expensive watches in the world (based on estimates based on last sales). Only ten of the most expensive watches are listed, including watches and pocket watches. Other types of timers/clocks are not eligible for the ranking.