Precision engineering, the rarest of gems, looks fit for The Louvre — watches don’t just tell the time — they are definitive statements of style and personality. Below are the most expensive ones in history:
6. Paul Newman Rolex Daytona — US$17.8 million Gifted to him by his equally famous wife Joanne Woodward (complete with an engraving to drive safely given his penchant for cars), this 1968 Daytona will always be in demand because of its owner — a certain Mr. Paul Newman. The King of Cool’s iconic Rolex, with its distinctive black and cream dial, was sold in a mere 12 minutes at auction — appropriate for a man famously obsessed with speed.
5. Patek Philippe Henry Graves Supercompilation — US$24 million Commissioned in 1933 for ardent collector Henry Graves, the Supercomplication boasts a staggering 920 individual parts. Graves almost disposed of it given his fear of the watch being stolen but the thought thankfully passed, especially for the buyer who acquired it anonymously in 2014.
4. Breguet Grande Complication Marie-Antoinette — US$30 million Legend has it that this pocket watch was commissioned for Marie Antoinette. Abraham-Louis Breguet started work in 1782 before his son finished the piece in 1827 — replete with a gold casing and intricate, visible gears. Given her early demise, the queen never saw the finished piece but, after being stolen in the late 1900s, the watch is currently housed in the L.A. Mayer museum.
3. Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime — US$31 million Perhaps the priciest two-for-one deal in the world, the buyer who paid US$31 million after a five-minute bidding war technically received two watches at once. With two dials (one on the back), five different chiming modes and a white gold case, this is definitely a timepiece that would be instantly recognisable in any collection.
2. Graff Diamonds’ The Fascination — US$40 million The brainchild of bespoke British jeweller Graff Diamonds, The Fascination is an effortless waltz between the precision of a luxury timepiece and the opulence of gleaming diamonds (including a 38-carat diamond dial). A convertible watch, it can also be worn as a ring.
1. Graff Diamonds’ Hallucination — US$55 million The most expensive watch ever made is arguably also the most fantastical. Hallucination lives up to its name, with a kaleidoscopic arrangement of diamonds in different cuts and colours amounting to 110 carats. Diamonds notwithstanding, it does also tell the time, with a sleek dial in the middle.
