The Most Expensive Watches Ever

Breguet No. 160 "Marie Antoinette" (ordered 1783; finished 1827; stolen 1983, found 2007)

Price: Valued at $30 million, as reported by Wired (2013)

Breguet's workshop was asked in 1783 to make a watch for Queen Marie Antoinette with every function a watch could then perform. The order is usually credited to the Swedish count Axel von Fersen, though that is not certain. It has more than 820 parts and about a dozen complications, among them self-winding, a minute repeater, a perpetual calendar, the equation of time, a power-reserve gauge and a thermometer. Work stopped during the Revolution, the queen was executed in 1793, and Abraham-Louis Breguet died in 1823; the watch was only finished in 1827. It has never been sold at auction, so it is not on the auction list above, but it is the watch most often called the most valuable ever made.

How it was made: Breguet kept the watch until 1887. It then passed through private hands to the collector Sir David Lionel Salomons in the 1920s, and his collection went to the L.A. Mayer Institute for Islamic Art in Jerusalem.

Where it is now: On 17 April 1983 a thief, later named as Naaman Diller, took it and 105 other timepieces from the museum. It resurfaced in 2007 and went back to the museum. In 2024 to 2025 it was shown at the Science Museum in London.

• The order was placed in 1783; the watch was finished in 1827, after both the queen and Breguet had died.
• Its movement has more than 820 parts.
• It was stolen in 1983 and recovered in 2007.
• A 2013 figure put its value at $30 million; it has never been sold, so that is an estimate, not a price.

Sources: WatchesBySJX: Breguet "Marie Antoinette" watch to go on show in London (Nov 2024); Wikipedia: Marie Antoinette (watch)

Breguet No. 2667 Double-Movement Precision Watch (sold new 1814; sold at auction 2012)

Price: SFr. 4,339,000 ($4,686,120) as reported by Christie's, premium included, Christie's Geneva (2012)

Breguet No. 2667 is a flat 18-carat gold precision watch with two movements, made by Breguet & Fils in Paris. Breguet's records show it was sold in August 1814 to a Mr. Garcias of London for 5,000 francs. It came to Christie's Geneva on 14 May 2012 from a private collection. Christie's had estimated SFr. 800,000 to 1,400,000, and it sold for more than three times the top figure. That was a record for any Breguet watch at auction at the time; I found no later sale that beat it.

How it was made: Abraham-Louis Breguet's workshop built it as a rare double-movement precision watch and sold it in 1814. The sale was recorded in the maker's ledgers.

Where it is now: Breguet's president, Marc A. Hayek, bought it for the Breguet Museum, together with a second antique Breguet, No. 4111. The pair cost nearly 7 million Swiss francs.

• The watch was recorded as sold in August 1814 for 5,000 francs.
• The 2012 result was more than three times the high estimate of SFr. 1.4 million.
• It was bought for the maker's own museum, so the world's most expensive Breguet at auction went back to Breguet.

Sources: WorldTempus: Christie's record price for any Breguet watch (May 2012); HauteTime: Breguet acquires two antique watches for nearly 7 million Swiss francs

Vacheron Constantin King Fuad I Grand Complication (made 1929; sold at auction 2005)

Price: CHF 3,306,250 (about $2.77 million), Antiquorum Geneva (2005)

Vacheron Constantin made this grand complication pocket watch in 1929 for King Fuad I of Egypt. Antiquorum sold it in Geneva on 3 April 2005, at a themed sale for the maker's 250th anniversary, for CHF 3,306,250, about $2.77 million. I found no later Vacheron Constantin auction result above it.

How it was made: It was made as a royal commission in Geneva in 1929, when Egypt's king was one of the great buyers of European luxury.

Where it is now: It sold at Antiquorum's Vacheron Constantin anniversary auction in 2005. Vacheron Constantin went on to build the most complicated watches ever made: Ref. 57260 with 57 complications (2015) and the Berkley Grand Complication with 63 (2024).

• It sold on 3 April 2005 at Antiquorum Geneva for CHF 3,306,250.
• The sale was part of an auction for Vacheron Constantin's 250th anniversary.

Sources: Wikipedia: Vacheron Constantin (King Fuad I watch, Ref. 57260, Berkley Grand Complication); JCK: Antiquorum Vacheron Constantin sale

Patek Philippe Henry Graves Supercomplication (begun 1925, delivered 1933; sold 1999 and 2014)

Price: CHF 23,237,000 including buyer's premium (about $24 million); hammer CHF 20.6 million, Sotheby's Geneva (2014)

Henry Graves Jr., a New York banker, commissioned this watch from Patek Philippe in 1925. It was finished in 1932 and delivered to him in 1933. It has 24 functions, including a perpetual calendar, Westminster chimes and a star chart of the New York sky. For more than 50 years it was the most complicated mechanical watch in the world. It sold for $11,002,500 at Sotheby's New York on 2 December 1999 and for CHF 23,237,000, about $24 million, at Sotheby's Geneva on 11 November 2014, when five bidders competed for 15 minutes. The CHF figure includes the buyer's premium; the hammer price was CHF 20.6 million. It was the most expensive watch ever sold at auction until the Grandmaster Chime in 2019.

How it was made: Graves gave Patek Philippe a free hand and a long deadline. The watch took about seven years to complete.

Where it is now: The 1999 buyer was later revealed to be Sheikh Saud bin Muhammed Al Thani of Qatar (Wikipedia, citing press). The 2014 buyer was a private, unnamed bidder, and the current owner has not been made public.

• It was begun in 1925 and not delivered until 1933.
• The 2014 price was more than double the $11 million it fetched in 1999.
• Sotheby's said five bidders competed for 15 minutes in 2014 before it went to an unnamed private buyer.

Sources: WatchesBySJX: Live from Geneva, Graves Supercomplication sells (Nov 2014); National Jeweler: 'Holy Grail' of watches garners $24M; Wikipedia: Patek Philippe Henry Graves Supercomplication

Patek Philippe Ref. 1527 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph (made 1943; sold 2010)

Price: SFr. 6,259,000 ($5,708,833) including premium, as stated by Christie's, Christie's Geneva (2010)

The Patek Philippe Ref. 1527 is a perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch, and this yellow-gold example, made in 1943, was described by Christie's as unique. Christie's sold it at its Geneva marathon sale on 10 May 2010. The estimate was SFr. 1.5 to 2.5 million, and it made SFr. 6,259,000, or $5,708,833. That was a record for any yellow-gold watch sold at auction at the time. Christie's named it the top watch of its record year, in which its watch sales totalled $91.2 million.

How it was made: Patek Philippe made the 1527 in small numbers in the early 1940s. It is the generation of perpetual calendar chronograph that came before the famous Ref. 2499.

Where it is now: The buyer was not named in the sources used here.

• The sale was on 10 May 2010 in Geneva.
• The result was more than twice the high estimate of SFr. 2.5 million.
• Christie's watch sales in 2010 reached $91.2 million, the highest annual total in the company's history up to then.

Sources: Europa Star / WorldWatchWeb: Christie's Geneva, 10 May 2010, results incl. Ref. 1527 (Christie's figures); Paul Fraser Collectibles: Christie's watch sales total $91m in 2010

Patek Philippe Ref. 1518 in Stainless Steel (made 1943; sold 2016 and 2025)

Price: CHF 14,190,000 (US$17,631,075) with buyer's premium, Nov 2025 (Phillips' figure); CHF 11,002,000 (about $11.1 million) in 2016, Phillips Geneva (2025)

The Ref. 1518 is described as the world's first series-produced perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch. About 281 were made, nearly all in yellow gold, and only four are known in stainless steel. This 1943 steel example sold at Phillips Geneva in November 2016 for CHF 11,002,000, about $11.1 million, which then broke the record for any wristwatch at auction; Paul Newman's Daytona passed it a year later. It came back to Phillips on 8 November 2025 in the Decade One sale and made CHF 14,190,000 (US$17,631,075), including premium, after 9 minutes 28 seconds of bidding among five bidders. Phillips calls that the highest result ever for a vintage Patek Philippe wristwatch at auction.

How it was made: Patek Philippe introduced the 1518 in the early 1940s as a precision instrument for collectors. Making it in steel was rare, because the maker normally used gold for complicated watches.

Where it is now: A phone bidder won it in 2025; the buyer was not named in the sources used here.

• Only four steel 1518s are known, against about 281 made in total.
• In 2016 it beat the CHF 7.3 million paid for the Patek 5016A at Only Watch in 2015 to become the priciest wristwatch ever sold at auction, until Paul Newman's Daytona passed it in 2017.
• The 2025 price was about 29 percent higher than the 2016 price in Swiss francs.

Sources: Watch Collecting Lifestyle: Phillips shatters records with $83 million auction (Nov 2025); Phillips (via Watch I Love): release listing Phillips' record prices, incl. the 1518 at CHF 14,190,000 / US$17,631,075; Watch Collecting Lifestyle: Ref. 1518 in steel sells at Phillips Geneva (Nov 2016); National Jeweler: Paul Newman's Rolex sets record (cites the 2016 1518 result)

Patek Philippe Ref. 2499 First Series in Pink Gold (made c. 1951; sold 2026)

Price: HK$80,370,000 (about US$10.2 to 10.3 million), Phillips' price including buyer's premium, Phillips Hong Kong (2026)

The Ref. 2499 is Patek Philippe's best-known vintage perpetual calendar chronograph. This First Series pink-gold example dates from about 1951 and has the Vichet case. It is one of four known pink-gold First Series watches with that case and the only one known with British hallmarks. It sold at Phillips Hong Kong Watch Auction XXII on 30 May 2026 for HK$80.37 million, about $10.2 to $10.3 million. That set a record for the Ref. 2499, and Hypebeast reported it as the most valuable timepiece ever sold at auction in Asia, passing the HK$70 million Ref. 2523 of 2019. The whole sale made HK$403 million.

How it was made: Patek Philippe made the 2499 from the early 1950s in four series. The First Series is the rarest, and pink gold is much scarcer than yellow.

Where it is now: The buyer was not named in the sources used here.

• Only four First Series pink-gold 2499s with the Vichet case are known.
• This is the only one known with British hallmarks.
• The full Hong Kong sale made HK$403 million (about $51.5 million), up 90 percent on the year before.

Sources: Hypebeast: Phillips sells the highest-value timepiece ever sold in Asia (June 2026); HauteTime: The legendary Patek Philippe Ref. 2499 just sold for over $10 million

Patek Philippe Ref. 2499 "The Asprey" (made 1952, sold new 1956; sold 2018)

Price: CHF 3,915,000, final price with buyer's premium (about $3.9 million), Sotheby's Geneva (2018)

This 1952 First Series Ref. 2499 was retailed by Asprey of London in 1956. Its dial is signed by both Patek Philippe and Asprey, and the case carries London hallmarks. It is described as the only known Patek Philippe to bear the Asprey name on the dial. Sotheby's Geneva sold it on 13 November 2018 for CHF 3,915,000; it had first appeared at auction in 2006 with an estimate of CHF 2 to 4 million. It was a record for a Ref. 2499 at the time, and the pink-gold 2499 sold by Phillips in 2026 has since passed it. Sotheby's billed it as the most expensive wristwatch sold in 2018, but that does not hold up: Phillips had sold the Rolex 'Unicorn' for CHF 5.9 million in May 2018.

How it was made: Patek Philippe made it in 1952, and Asprey, the London jeweller, sold it in 1956. It is the most complicated Patek Philippe that Asprey is known to have sold.

Where it is now: It first reached auction in 2006, then stayed in one private collection until the 2018 sale. The 2018 buyer was not named.

• Four bidders contested it, according to Crown Watch Blog.
• The case carries London hallmarks with a 1955 date letter.
• It came from the same private collection from its 2006 auction until 2018.

Sources: WorldTempus: Sotheby's, the most expensive watch sold at auction in 2018; Crown Watch Blog: Patek Philippe 'The Asprey' sold for CHF 3.9 million

Patek Philippe Ref. 2523 Pink Gold World Time (Gobbi) (made 1953; sold 2019)

Price: HK$70,175,000 with fees (about $8.97 million); hammer HK$60 million, Christie's Hong Kong (2019)

This Ref. 2523 is an 18-carat pink-gold two-crown world-time wristwatch with a 24-hour indication and a blue enamel dial. It is one of seven believed to have been made in pink gold, and Christie's calls it unique as signed by both Patek Philippe and the Milan retailer Gobbi. Gobbi sold it in April 1957. At Christie's Hong Kong on 23 November 2019 it made HK$70,175,000 with fees (hammer HK$60 million), about $8.97 million, against an estimate of HK$55 to 110 million. It was then the most expensive wristwatch ever auctioned in Asia; Phillips' pink-gold Ref. 2499 passed it in May 2026.

How it was made: Patek Philippe made it in 1953, a high point for its world-time watches. It was sold through Gobbi, which had traded in Milan since 1842.

Where it is now: A seller bought it at Christie's Geneva in 2010 for 2.675 million Swiss francs and resold it in 2019. The 2019 buyer was not named.

• It was bought in 2010 for CHF 2.675 million, and it sold for more than three times as much, in dollars, nine years later.
• Christie's calls it one of only two pink-gold Ref. 2523 watches known with a blue enamel centre.
• It was offered as the first lot of Christie's 20th Century and contemporary art sale in Hong Kong.

Sources: WatchesBySJX: Patek 2523 World Time becomes most expensive watch sold in Asia; Christie's: 5 minutes with a Patek Philippe Ref. 2523 in pink gold

Patek Philippe Ref. 2523 "South America" World Timer (made 1953; sold 9 May 2026)

Price: CHF 7,961,000 including buyer's premium (US$10,247,000 per Phillips), Phillips Geneva (2026)

This yellow-gold two-crown Ref. 2523 has a polychrome cloisonne enamel dial showing a map of South America. It is one of two known examples in yellow gold, and had appeared at auction only once before, in 1988. It sold at Phillips' Geneva Watch Auction XXIII on 9 May 2026 for CHF 7,961,000 (about $10.2 million, including buyer's premium) after a contest between phone bidders and a bidder in the room. Phillips called it a world record for the reference, and the second vintage Patek Philippe and third vintage wristwatch ever to pass $10 million at auction, all sold by Phillips.

How it was made: Patek Philippe produced the 2523 as a hand-finished world timer in the 1950s, with enamel dials made by specialist artisans. This map dial is among the rarest versions.

Where it is now: A bidder in the room won it; the name was not released.

• Only two examples of this dial are known.
• It is the third vintage wristwatch to pass $10 million at auction, and Phillips sold all three.
• The sale it led totalled CHF 74.8 million, the highest for any watch auction.

Sources: Phillips: Phillips has just set the highest-grossing watch auction in history; Europa Star: Phillips sets the highest-grossing watch auction; Complex: Patek Philippe record $10 million auction

Rolex "Bao Dai" Ref. 6062 (circa 1954 (some sources say 1952); sold 14 May 2017)

Price: CHF 5,066,000 with buyer's premium (about $5.1 million), Phillips Geneva (2017)

The Ref. 6062 is a yellow-gold Rolex with a full calendar, a moon phase, a black dial and five diamond numerals. It is one of three yellow-gold black-dial 6062s with diamond markers. Phillips and Bacs & Russo sold it at the Geneva Watch Auction: FIVE on 14 May 2017 for CHF 5,066,000, a world record for any Rolex at that time; Paul Newman's Daytona passed it five months later. Thirteen bidders competed for it. The name comes from Bao Dai, the last emperor of Vietnam, who is said to have asked a Geneva retailer for the rarest Rolex during the 1954 talks on Vietnam's future.

How it was made: According to the story told with the watch, Bao Dai visited a Geneva retailer in 1954 and asked for the rarest, most precious Rolex. Rolex supplied the 6062.

Where it is now: It sold for CHF 370,000 in 2002 and CHF 5,066,000 in 2017. The 2017 buyer was not named.

• The same watch sold for CHF 370,000 at Phillips in 2002, a record for a Rolex then.
• Thirteen bidders took part in the 2017 sale.
• It was a world record for any Rolex at auction until Paul Newman's Daytona sold in October 2017.

Sources: Europa Star: Rolex Bao Dai sets auction world record (May 2017); Watch Collecting Lifestyle: Bao Dai 6062 sells for $5 million

Omega Speedmaster CK2915-1 "Broad Arrow" (made 1957; sold 2021)

Price: CHF 3,115,500 including buyer's premium (about $3.4 million), Phillips Geneva (2021)

The CK2915-1 is among the earliest Speedmasters, made only from 1957 to 1959, with a tachymeter scale on the bezel and the Calibre 321 movement. This example has a dial that has aged to an even milk-chocolate brown, and the luminous material has turned golden to match. Phillips sold it in Geneva on 5 November 2021 for CHF 3,115,500, against an estimate of CHF 80,000 to 120,000. That was a record for any Speedmaster and any Omega, and I found no Speedmaster sale since that has beaten it.

How it was made: Omega launched the Speedmaster in 1957 with the broad-arrow hands and an oval O in the logo. It was one of three models, with the Railmaster and the Seamaster 300, that Omega reissued as a trilogy in 2018.

Where it is now: The buyer was not named in the sources used here.

• The estimate was CHF 80,000 to 120,000, and it sold for about 26 times the high figure.
• The reference was made only from 1957 to 1959.
• The previous Speedmaster record was far lower: $408,500, paid for a 1958 CK2915-1 at Phillips in 2018.

Sources: La Cote des Montres: Omega Speedmaster sells for world record price (Nov 2021); Wrist Enthusiast: Speedmaster CK2915-1 sells for a record amount; Professional Watches: Speedmaster breaks all-time auction record ($408,500, Phillips 2018)

Paul Newman's Rolex Daytona Ref. 6239 (given to Newman 1969; sold 2017)

Price: $17,752,500 including buyer's premium (CHF 17,709,894), reported as $17.8 million, Phillips New York (2017)

This Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 6239 belonged to the actor Paul Newman. His wife, Joanne Woodward, gave it to him in 1969, and she had the caseback engraved 'Drive Carefully Me'. Its dial is the type that collectors now call a 'Paul Newman' dial, with a red Daytona name at six o'clock. Phillips sold it on 26 October 2017 in New York at 'Winning Icons', after about 12 minutes of bidding that started at $1 million. An anonymous phone bidder paid $17,752,500 with premium. That beat the $11.1 million for the steel Patek 1518 a year before, and Phillips still lists it as the highest result for any vintage wristwatch at auction. Only the Patek Graves Supercomplication and Grandmaster Chime have sold for more among all watches.

How it was made: Woodward gave the watch to Newman in 1969. James Cox, a former boyfriend and later close friend of Newman's daughter Nell, later owned it and consigned it.

Where it is now: An anonymous phone bidder bought it. A portion of the proceeds went to the Nell Newman Foundation and the Newman's Own Foundation.

• Phillips estimated it at 'in excess of $1 million'.
• Bloomberg reported that a $10 million bid followed the $1 million opener immediately and that the hammer almost fell at $15 million.
• National Jeweler gives the Ref. 6239 as the first Daytona, made from about 1963 until 1970.

Sources: National Jeweler: Selling for $17.8M, Paul Newman's Rolex sets record (Oct 2017); Phillips (via Watch I Love): record-breaking prices list, Ref. 6239 CHF 17,709,894 / US$17,752,500; Watchonista: Only Watch 2019 (cites Newman at $17.75m in 2017)

Rolex Daytona Ref. 6265 White Gold "Unicorn" (made 1970; sold 2018)

Price: CHF 5,937,500 with buyer's premium (about $5.9 million), Phillips Geneva (2018)

The Ref. 6265 'Unicorn' is the only known white-gold manual-winding Daytona. Rolex made it in 1970 and delivered it to a German retailer in 1971, reportedly for a special client. The collector John Goldberger, who discovered it about eight years before the sale, consigned it. Phillips, with Bacs & Russo, sold it on 12 May 2018 in the 'Daytona Ultimatum' sale in Geneva for CHF 5,937,500, about $5.9 million, nearly double the pre-sale estimate. All proceeds went to the foundation Children Action. It was then the second most expensive Rolex at auction, behind Paul Newman's 6239, and it still ranks second.

How it was made: Rolex built it as a special order in a metal it did not normally use for the Daytona. It reached a German retailer in 1971.

Where it is now: The buyer was not named in the sources used here.

• No other white-gold manual-wind Daytona is known.
• The sale price was nearly double the estimate.
• It was offered to benefit the foundation Children Action.

Sources: National Jeweler: White gold 'Unicorn' Rolex sells for $5.9M (May 2018); Gear Patrol: Three of the most incredible watches to ever sell at auction

George Daniels Space Traveller I (made 1982; sold 1988 and 2019)

Price: £3,615,000 ($4,561,407), Sotheby's London (2019)

George Daniels made almost every part of his watches himself, on the Isle of Man. The Space Traveller, finished in 1982, shows mean solar time and sidereal (star) time, plus an annual calendar, moon phase, the age of the moon and the equation of time. He named it after the 1969 moon landing. Sotheby's sold it in London on 2 July 2019 for £3,615,000 ($4,561,407) against an estimate of £700,000 to £1 million.

How it was made: Daniels built it in 1982, and he also invented the co-axial escapement that Omega later put into production.

Where it is now: It first sold at Sotheby's Geneva on 17 November 1988 for CHF 220,000, a record for a watch at the time. At the 2019 sale it was the year's top lot at Sotheby's.

• It shows both solar time and sidereal time.
• It sold in 2019 for £3,615,000, against a high estimate of £1 million.
• Its first sale, in 1988, was for CHF 220,000.

Sources: Quill & Pad: George Daniels Space Traveller I at Sotheby's (2 July 2019); Rapaport: Sotheby's watch sales hit a record $109 million

Paul Newman's "Big Red" Rolex Daytona Ref. 6263 (given to Newman 1983; sold 2020)

Price: $5,475,000 with fees; winning bid $4.5 million, Phillips New York (2020)

'Big Red' is a Rolex Daytona Ref. 6263 that Paul Newman received from his wife, Joanne Woodward, in 1983, with the caseback engraved 'Drive Slowly Joanne'. It gets its name from the red Daytona lettering on a black dial. Newman gave it to his daughter Clea in 2008. Phillips sold it in New York in December 2020. The winning bid was $4.5 million, which came to $5,475,000 with fees, and the sale was reported as the third highest Rolex price at auction behind the 6239 and the white-gold 'Unicorn'. Bidding opened a little under $1 million.

How it was made: Woodward gave it to Newman in 1983, years after his better-known 6239.

Where it is now: An anonymous collector bought it.

• The caseback reads 'Drive Slowly Joanne', not the 'Drive Carefully Me' of his 6239.
• The winning bidder was represented by Livia Russo of Phillips in Geneva, with a $4.5 million bid.
• It was the third most valuable Rolex ever sold at auction at the time.

Sources: WatchesBySJX: Newman's Rolex Daytona 6263 'Big Red' sells for US$5.48m; Wrist Review: Newman's 'Big Red' Daytona brings $5,475,000 at Phillips New York

Patek Philippe Calibre 89 (made 1989; sold 1989, 2004 and 2009)

Price: CHF 5,120,000 (yellow gold, Nov 2009, Antiquorum's reported final bid; about $5.0 million); the white-gold watch made US$5,002,652 (Apr 2004), Antiquorum Geneva (2009)

The Calibre 89 was made in 1989 for Patek Philippe's 150th anniversary and has 33 complications, 1,728 components and an 89 mm case. Five years of research were followed by four years of manufacturing. Four watches were made, in yellow, pink and white gold and platinum. A yellow-gold example sold at auction in 1989 for $3.2 million (JCK), and the yellow-gold watch sold again at Antiquorum in November 2009 for CHF 5,120,000. The white-gold watch sold for $5,002,652 at Antiquorum on 24 April 2004. When it was made it was the most complicated watch in the world.

How it was made: Patek Philippe designed it to mark the firm's 150th anniversary. JCK reported that an unidentified royal family bought the four watches and that the set was later broken up.

Where it is now: Wikipedia says the yellow-gold watch was offered at Sotheby's Geneva in May 2017 and went unsold, with bidding stopping at SFr 6.45 million. The current owners are not public.

• Only four were made, in three colours of gold and platinum.
• The 2009 sale was a new record for the watch and the most expensive watch sold at auction that year.
• The Vacheron Constantin Reference 57260 took the 'most complicated' title in 2015.

Sources: JCK: Patek Philippe Calibre 89 sold for $5 million (Apr 2004); WorldTempus: Patek Philippe Calibre 89 for CHF 5,120,000 (Nov 2009); Wikipedia: Calibre 89

F.P. Journe Chronometre a Resonance "Souscription No. 007" (made c. 2000; sold at the 13-14 June 2026 sale)

Price: $13,922,000 with buyer's premium (Phillips: prices achieved include hammer plus premium), Phillips New York (2026)

This Chronometre a Resonance is in a platinum and pink-gold case with a pink-gold dial. It is one of the first 20 Resonances that Journe reserved for clients who backed his early workshop through a subscription, and it comes with its original contract signed by Francois-Paul Journe. Phillips says only two are known in this combination, and this is the only one believed to be publicly obtainable. It had an estimate of 'in excess of $1,000,000' and sold for $13,922,000 at Phillips New York Watch Auction XIV (13-14 June 2026) after nearly nine minutes of bidding. Phillips says that is a record for the maker, for any independent watchmaker, and for any 21st-century watch in a commercial auction.

How it was made: Journe introduced the Resonance in 2000, turning an old idea explored by Antide Janvier and Breguet into a modern wristwatch. The subscription watches paid for the early manufacture.

Where it is now: The buyer was not named in the sources used here.

• The estimate was in excess of $1 million, and the price was nearly 14 times that.
• The sale it headed made $75.8 million, a record for a watch auction in the US.
• A sister 'Souscription No. 18', with a white-gold dial, made about $6.3 million in Geneva about five weeks earlier.

Sources: Phillips: What now for F.P. Journe at auction (June 2026); Phillips (via Watch I Love): New York Watch Auction XIV results, $13,922,000

F.P. Journe Chronometre a Resonance "Souscription No. 18" (made c. 2000; sold May 2026)

Price: CHF 4,875,500 per Phillips' press text (the lot table shows CHF 4,875,000), including buyer's premium; about US$6.3 million, Phillips Geneva (2026)

Souscription No. 18 is another of the early subscriber Resonances that F.P. Journe made around 2000. Phillips describes it as one of only three known Souscription examples with a pink-gold and platinum case and a white-gold dial. It sold at Phillips' Geneva Watch Auction XXIII on 9 and 10 May 2026, where the top lot was a Patek 2523. Phillips' release gives CHF 4,875,500 in the text and CHF 4,875,000 in the lot table, so the figures differ slightly. Phillips reports prices including the buyer's premium.

How it was made: Journe sold the first 20 Resonances by subscription to fund his early workshop in Geneva.

Where it is now: The buyer was not named in the sources used here.

• Phillips' own release gives two slightly different Swiss franc figures.
• It sold about five weeks before No. 007, which made more than twice as much.
• The Geneva sale it appeared in made CHF 74.8 million.

Sources: Phillips: Phillips has just set the highest-grossing watch auction in history; Phillips: What now for F.P. Journe at auction (June 2026), cites US$6.3 million for No. 18

Only Watch: The Charity Auction Behind Several Records (since 2005; the 10th edition was held on 10 May 2024)

Only Watch is a charity auction held about every two years since 2005, which raises money for research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy through the Association Monegasque contre les Myopathies. Brands donate unique watches. Its 2024 edition, held in Geneva on 10 May 2024 under Christie's hammer, raised CHF 28,320,000 from 47 lots donated by 52 brands, and the organisers say it has raised more than CHF 128 million since 2005. Its sales hold several of the highest single-watch prices: CHF 31 million for the Patek Grandmaster Chime in 2019, CHF 15.7 million for the 6301A in 2024 and CHF 7.3 million for the 5016A in 2015. These are charity sales, so they are not comparable with ordinary market results. The 2024 edition was postponed from 2023 after questions about the charity's management.

• The organisers say the sales have raised more than CHF 128 million since 2005.
• Christie's ran the 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2024 sales in Geneva; the 2015 sale was run by Phillips.
• Lots are donated one-offs, so prices reflect charity bidding as well as collecting.

Sources: Only Watch: the 10th edition raised CHF 28,320,000 for research; Crown Watch Blog: Only Watch 2024 raised over CHF 28.3 million; Watchonista: Only Watch 2019, the unforgettable lots

Patek Philippe Ref. 5004G-020 "Eric Clapton" (made 2008; sold June 2026)

Price: $5,202,000 with buyer's premium (estimate $700,000-1,400,000), Phillips New York (2026)

The Ref. 5004 is Patek Philippe's first series-produced perpetual calendar split-seconds chronograph, made from 1994 to 2010. This white-gold 5004G-020 has a 'rose' dial and a Breguet numeral at twelve, and Phillips catalogued it as possibly unique and formerly in the collection of Eric Clapton. Patek's archive extract says it was made in 2008 and sold on 3 March 2009. Phillips sold it as lot 88 of the New York Watch Auction: XIV (13-14 June 2026) for $5,202,000 with premium, against an estimate of $700,000 to $1.4 million. Phillips lists it as a world auction record for the model.

How it was made: Phillips says the watch was ordered by and delivered to Eric Clapton; the Patek certificate of origin for the rose dial is dated 19 January 2011.

Where it is now: The buyer was not named in the sources used here.

• Phillips says it is the first 5004 known with a rose dial and a Breguet numeral 12.
• White gold is believed to be the rarest of the five metals used for the 5004, with 27 known.
• The estimate was $700,000 to $1.4 million, and it sold for about 3.7 times the high figure.

Sources: Phillips: Patek Philippe Ref. 5004G-020 'Eric Clapton' (lot 88, New York Watch Auction XIV); Phillips: That's Entertainment, six watches with showbiz provenance (June 2026); Watch I Love (Phillips release): New York Watch Auction XIV results

Graff Hallucination (unveiled 27 March 2014)

Price: 'worth $55 million', the maker's own valuation, Graff Diamonds (claim) (2014)

Graff Diamonds unveiled the Hallucination on 27 March 2014, the opening day of Baselworld, where it was making its debut. It is a ladies' watch with a pink face covered in more than 110 carats of fancy coloured diamonds in pink, yellow, blue and brown. Laurence Graff, the chairman, devised it and used diamonds from his own collection, and Graff says craftsmen spent thousands of hours on it. The $55 million figure is Graff's own valuation and the 'most valuable watch' description is Graff's billing. JCK said the watch 'appears to be for sale' and reported no buyer, and it was unclear to JCK whether the watch could tell the time. A year later Graff's head of PR told JCK she did not know whether it had ever sold.

How it was made: Graff made it as a showpiece for Baselworld 2014 and displayed it for the length of the fair.

Where it is now: No sale was reported at launch, and the sources used here do not say where it is now.

• The $55 million is the maker's valuation, not a sale price.
• JCK noted in 2014 it was unclear the watch could actually tell time.
• In March 2015 a Graff spokesperson told JCK she did not know whether it had ever sold.

Sources: JCK: Graff unveils $55 million Hallucination (Mar 2014); The Jewellery Editor: The $55m Hallucination watch at Baselworld 2014

Graff Fascination (unveiled 2015)

Price: valued at $40 million by Graff, Graff Diamonds (claim) (2015)

Graff showed the Fascination at Baselworld in March 2015 (JCK, 20 March). The watch is set with 152.96 carats of white diamonds and topped by a 38.13-carat, D-flawless, pear-shaped diamond that can be removed and worn as a bracelet centrepiece or a ring. Graff called it the world's most valuable transformable timepiece. The $40 million figure is the company's own valuation. NBC (via CNBC) reported that Graff would not say whether there was an interested buyer, so no sale is confirmed.

How it was made: It followed the Hallucination, which Graff had shown a year earlier, as the second diamond showpiece at the fair.

Where it is now: No sale was reported, and the sources used here do not say where it is now.

• The $40 million figure is a valuation from Graff, not a sale price.
• The centrepiece diamond weighs 38.13 carats and is graded D flawless.
• NBC News reported Graff would not say whether it had an interested buyer.

Sources: JCK: Graff unveils $40 million watch at Baselworld (Mar 2015); NBC News: Behold the $40 million diamond watch

Jacob & Co. Billionaire (unveiled 2015)

Price: US$18 million, the price given at launch, Jacob & Co. (stated price) (2015)

Jacob Arabo's firm showed the Billionaire at Baselworld in 2015. It was named for Billionaire Couture, the menswear brand of the businessman Flavio Briatore, who was involved in the presentation. Forbes Brasil reported 260 carats of diamonds and a price of US$18 million, and said only one piece was made. Time and Tide counts 239 emerald-cut baguette diamonds on a 47.5 mm case and bracelet, and calls US$18 million the original retail price. The project took two years, and each stone was cut and matched. The price is the maker's figure; a completed sale was not documented in the sources used here.

How it was made: Arabo said the Billionaire brand inspired the design. The stones are set on an 18-carat white-gold chain.

Where it is now: The boxer Floyd Mayweather showed the watch in a video about his collection, according to Time and Tide, but the sources do not say who paid for it or whether he owns it.

• Forbes Brasil says it took two years to make.
• Sources disagree on the stone count: 260 carats in one, 239 stones in another.
• Forbes Brasil says only one piece was made; Arabo says each future watch will also be a one-off.

Sources: Forbes Brasil: Novo relogio de US$18 mi da Jacob & Co (June 2015); Time+Tide: Floyd Mayweather plays 'The Ice Is Right'

Patek Philippe Ref. 5016A-010 (Only Watch 2015) (made and sold 2015)

Price: CHF 7,300,000 (about $7.3 million); estimate CHF 700,000-900,000, Phillips Geneva (Only Watch) (2015)

The Ref. 5016A-010 is a unique stainless-steel version of Patek Philippe's Ref. 5016, a watch that combines a tourbillon, minute repeater, perpetual calendar and retrograde date. It was made for the Only Watch charity auction and sold in Geneva on 7 November 2015, with Phillips as auctioneer, for CHF 7.3 million, about $7.3 million, against a pre-sale estimate of CHF 700,000 to 900,000. At the time it was a record price for a wristwatch at auction. It brought in about two-thirds of the roughly $11 million the sale raised for research into muscular dystrophy.

How it was made: Patek Philippe made a steel case for a watch it normally sold in gold or platinum, and kept it as a one-off for the charity sale.

Where it is now: The buyer was not named in the sources used here.

• The estimate was CHF 700,000 to 900,000.
• One watch brought in about two-thirds of the sale's total.
• It was the record for any wristwatch at auction until the steel Patek 1518 passed it in November 2016.

Sources: Phillips: Only Watch 2015, lot 16, Ref. 5016A-010 (sold for CHF 7,300,000); HauteTime: Unique Patek Philippe raises $7.3 million for muscular dystrophy research; The Jewellery Editor: Patek earns a world record at the Only Watch auction

Patek Philippe Ref. 5208T-010 (Only Watch 2017) (made and sold 2017)

Price: CHF 6.2 million, all fees included (about $6.2 million), Christie's Geneva (Only Watch) (2017)

The 5208T-010 is a unique titanium version of the Ref. 5208, with a minute repeater, a chronograph and a perpetual calendar. It has a blue dial with a carbon-fibre-like guilloche pattern. Christie's sold it at Only Watch 2017 in Geneva for CHF 6.2 million, all fees included according to WatchesBySJX, against an estimate of CHF 900,000 to 1,000,000. It was the top lot of the sale and, at the time, the second highest Only Watch price after the 2015 Ref. 5016A.

How it was made: Patek Philippe made it as a one-off for the biennial charity sale, using titanium where the regular model is platinum.

Where it is now: The final two bidders were Asian, according to WatchesBySJX, but the buyer was not named.

• The regular platinum 5208 retailed for nearly $1 million.
• Bidding took fewer than five minutes.
• It sold for less than the CHF 7.3 million paid for the 5016A in 2015.

Sources: WatchesBySJX: Patek Philippe Ref. 5208T 'Only Watch' sells for US$6.2m (Nov 2017); Monochrome: Christie's sells unique Patek 5208T for CHF 6.2 million

Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A-010 (Only Watch 2019) (made and sold 2019)

Price: CHF 31 million (about $31.2 million); fee status not stated, Christie's Geneva (Only Watch) (2019)

The Ref. 6300A-010 is the first and only stainless-steel Grandmaster Chime. It has 20 complications, including five chiming modes, and a reversible case with 18-carat gold dial plates: one side black ebony and the other rose gold, and it is inscribed 'The Only One'. It was made for Only Watch 2019 and sold at Christie's Geneva on 9 November 2019 after about five minutes of bidding, with an estimate of CHF 2.5 to 3 million. The CHF 31 million beat the Graves Supercomplication's CHF 23,237,000, and I found no later sale above it, so it remains the highest price paid for any watch at auction. The sale as a whole raised CHF 38,593,000.

How it was made: Patek Philippe's president Thierry Stern had the maker build a steel Grandmaster Chime for the charity. Stern said he did not expect 31 million.

Where it is now: The buyer was not named in the sources used here.

• The estimate was CHF 2.5 to 3 million, and the price was more than ten times that.
• The Only Watch sale raised CHF 38,593,000 across 50 lots.
• It broke Patek Philippe's own auction record, set five years earlier by the Graves watch.

Sources: Just Collecting: Patek Philippe watch sells for world record $31 million at Geneva charity auction (Nov 2019); Watchonista: Only Watch 2019, the unforgettable lots and Thierry Stern's reaction

F.P. Journe x Francis Ford Coppola FFC Blue (Only Watch 2021) (made and sold 2021)

Price: CHF 4.5 million (about $4.9 million, at 1 CHF = 1.09 USD); fee status not stated, Christie's Geneva (Only Watch) (2021)

The FFC Blue is a unique watch made by F.P. Journe with the director Francis Ford Coppola. Instead of a conventional hand, it shows the time with fingers. The idea came from a dinner at Coppola's Napa Valley home in 2012. It was one of 53 timepieces at Only Watch 2021, which Christie's ran in Geneva. The FFC Blue sold for CHF 4.5 million, and Time and Tide counts it among the record results of the sale. The whole sale raised CHF 30 million. It was the second highest price of the sale, after a Patek desk clock at CHF 9.5 million. In December 2025 Phillips sold Coppola's own FFC Prototype for $10.755 million.

How it was made: Journe and Coppola developed the concept after the 2012 dinner, and Journe built a one-off for the charity.

Where it is now: The buyer was not named in the sources used here.

• It shows the time with fingers instead of a conventional hand.
• Only Watch 2021 raised CHF 30 million for muscular dystrophy research.
• A Patek desk clock, not a watch, topped the sale at CHF 9.5 million.

Sources: WatchesBySJX: Auction report, Only Watch 2021; Time+Tide: AP, FPJ, H. Moser and Zenith achieve record results at Only Watch 2021

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak "Jumbo" Extra-Thin (Only Watch 2021) (made and sold 2021)

Price: CHF 3.1 million (about $3.4 million), Christie's Geneva (Only Watch) (2021)

This is a unique Royal Oak 'Jumbo' Extra-Thin with a titanium case and bracelet and a sandblasted finish. Its bezel is polished palladium-based bulk metallic glass. Audemars Piguet made it for Only Watch 2021. It sold at Christie's in Geneva for CHF 3.1 million, which coverage reported as the highest price for an Audemars Piguet at auction up to then. Sources give the reference as 15202 or 15202XT.

How it was made: The firm made the piece as a one-off for the charity sale and varied the materials from the standard steel Jumbo.

Where it is now: The buyer was not named in the sources used here.

• The bezel is bulk metallic glass based on palladium, which is meant to resist scratches.
• It was the last unique Jumbo to be offered at auction, according to Time and Tide.
• It was reported as the most expensive Audemars Piguet sold at auction at that time.

Sources: WatchesBySJX: Auction report, Only Watch 2021; Time+Tide: AP, FPJ, H. Moser and Zenith achieve record results at Only Watch 2021

Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 5711/1A-018 Tiffany Blue (No. 1 of 170) (made and sold 2021)

Price: $6,503,000 with buyer's premium (reported as $6.5 million), Phillips New York (2021)

This is the first of a limited run of 170 stainless-steel Nautilus Ref. 5711/1A-018 watches with a Tiffany Blue dial, made to mark 170 years of the Patek Philippe and Tiffany & Co. partnership. Phillips, with Bacs & Russo, sold it in New York on 11 December 2021 for $6,503,000. All proceeds went to The Nature Conservancy. The other 169 watches were sold only at Tiffany boutiques in New York, Beverly Hills and San Francisco. It was part of Patek's last run of the 5711, which the company planned to discontinue.

How it was made: Patek Philippe and Tiffany made the special edition as a farewell to the 5711. The number one watch was held back for the charity sale.

Where it is now: The buyer was anonymous at the sale. Luxus Plus (2024) and Crown Watch Blog say the collector Zach Lu owns the Tiffany 5711 from 2021.

• Only the first of the 170 watches was sold at auction.
• All proceeds went to The Nature Conservancy.
• The other 169 watches were available only at Tiffany boutiques in three US cities.

Sources: JCK: Patek-Tiffany watch sells for $6.5 million at auction (Dec 2021); Israeli Diamond Industry: Rare Patek Philippe sells for $6.5 million; Crown Watch Blog: Only Watch 2024 raised over CHF 28.3 million; Luxus Plus: Only Watch 2024, Patek 6301A (says Zach Lu already owned the Tiffany Nautilus 5711)

F.P. Journe x Francis Ford Coppola FFC Prototype (made 2021; sold December 2025)

Price: $10,755,000 with buyer's premium (reported as $10.8 million), Phillips New York (2025)

The FFC Prototype is the unique watch that F.P. Journe built for the film director Francis Ford Coppola, who asked in 2012 whether a watch could tell the time with a hand. Journe worked out a way to show 12 hours with five fingers. Phillips sold Coppola's own prototype at the New York Watch Auction: XIII on 6 and 7 December 2025 for $10.8 million (Watch Gecko: $10.7 million, including premium) after eleven minutes of bidding, to an anonymous phone bidder. Phillips said it set a record for F.P. Journe and for any watch by an independent watchmaker. That record stood until the Souscription No. 007 made $13.9 million in June 2026.

How it was made: Journe says the idea came at a dinner in Coppola's Napa Valley house in 2012. Coppola sent sketches of the finger positions and Journe spent several years on the display.

Where it is now: An anonymous phone bidder bought it; the name was not released.

• Phillips sold it at a New York sale that made $43.5 million, a US record at that time.
• After eleven minutes of bidding it went to an anonymous phone bidder.
• The 2021 FFC Blue (Only Watch) made CHF 4.5 million; the prototype made more than twice that in dollars.

Sources: Waqt (Phillips release): Phillips continues to break records at the New York Watch Auction XIII; Watch Gecko: December 2025 watch auction update, New York highlights; Phillips: Where now for F.P. Journe at auction (June 2026), recounts the FFC Prototype result

Patek Philippe Ref. 6301A-010 Grande and Petite Sonnerie Minute Repeater (Only Watch 2024) (made and sold 2024)

Price: CHF 15.7 million (about $17.3 million at May 2024 rates); fee status not stated, Christie's Geneva (Only Watch) (2024)

The Ref. 6301A is a unique stainless-steel Grande and Petite Sonnerie minute repeater with a 44.8 mm case. Its dial is hand-engraved guilloche covered in blue-green Grand Feu enamel, with twelve baguette-cut diamond hour markers, and the hand-wound calibre has 703 components. It sold at Only Watch on 10 May 2024 in Geneva for CHF 15.7 million. That was the top price of the 2024 sale but well short of the CHF 31 million paid for the Grandmaster Chime in 2019. Luxus Plus and Crown Watch Blog say steel; one source called the case platinum, which is not used here.

How it was made: Patek Philippe built it as a one-off for Only Watch 2024.

Where it is now: The buyer was Zach Lu, according to Luxus Plus (which describes him as a Taiwanese actor and model) and Crown Watch Blog (which calls him a collector).

• Crown Watch Blog called it 'by far the biggest hit' of Only Watch 2024, which raised CHF 28.32 million.
• The buyer also owns the Tiffany Nautilus 5711 from 2021, per Crown Watch Blog and Luxus Plus.
• The 47 lots at Only Watch 2024 were donated by 52 brands.

Sources: Luxus Plus: Only Watch 2024 auction, the Patek Philippe 6301A breaks all records; Crown Watch Blog: Only Watch 2024, over CHF 28.3 million raised; Only Watch: 10th edition raised CHF 28,320,000 for research

Phillips Decade One: The $17.6 Million Steel 1518 (8 and 9 November 2025)

Phillips marked ten years of its Geneva watch sales with 'Decade One (2015-2025)' at the Hotel President on 8 and 9 November 2025. The sale made CHF 66,815,725, about $83 million, and sold every one of its 207 lots. Lot 23, the 1943 steel Patek 1518 that Phillips had also sold in 2016, made CHF 14,190,000, about $17.6 million, after 9 minutes 28 seconds of bidding among five bidders. It was the most expensive vintage Patek Philippe wristwatch sold at auction, and the first vintage Patek wristwatch to pass $10 million. Its $83 million total was a record for a watch auction until Phillips' Geneva sale of May 2026 made $96.3 million.

• The same watch sold at Phillips in 2016 for CHF 11,002,000.
• Bidding on the 1518 lasted 9 minutes 28 seconds.
• In May 2026 a pink-gold Ref. 2499 and a Ref. 2523 also passed $10 million at Phillips.

Sources: Watch Collecting Lifestyle: Phillips shatters records with $83 million auction (Nov 2025); Complex: Patek Philippe record $10 million auction (2026)

Phillips Geneva XXIII: The Biggest Watch Auction on Record (9 and 10 May 2026)

Phillips' Geneva Watch Auction: XXIII was held on 9 and 10 May 2026. It sold 224 of 225 lots for CHF 74,846,995, about $96.3 million, which Phillips and Europa Star called the highest-grossing watch auction on record. It was led by the Patek Ref. 2523 'South America' at CHF 7,961,000, and by an F.P. Journe Souscription No. 18 at CHF 4,875,500. Phillips reports prices including the buyer's premium. A New York sale a month later made $75.8 million, the US record.

• 224 of 225 lots found buyers.
• A New York sale a month later made $75.8 million and set a US record.
• The top Geneva lot was a Patek 2523, not a Rolex.

Sources: Phillips: Phillips has just set the highest-grossing watch auction in history; Europa Star: Phillips has just set the highest-grossing watch auction