10. Patek Philippe Gold Chronograph Ref. 1527, $5.7 million
Exceeding its original estimate by a cool 317%, at number ten on this list of most expensive watches sold at auction is a Patek Philippe Gold Chronograph Ref. 1527. The 18K gold chronograph wristwatch with moon phases and tonneau-shaped case sold at Christie’s in 2010 for 6,259,000 CHF ($5.7 mil or £3.8 mil).
One of the most sought-after watch brands around, Patek Philippe makes this list seven times.
9. Rolex Daytona Unicorn Ref. 6265, $5.9 million
This white gold chronograph wristwatch first became known to the public in 2013 through a magazine article. What is so unusual about the watch is that it was commonly thought that Rolex only produced manual-winding cosmographs out of yellow gold or stainless steel, but never out of a material such as white gold. This makes it possibly the only Rolex manual-winding chronograph in white gold to this day.
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The rare Unicorn watch came to Phillips in 2018 from the collection of John Goldberger. The Unicorn is believed to have been manufactured in the 1970s as a special order from a German retailer. Originally, the watch featured a black leather strap but Goldberger decided to replace it with this white gold bracelet.
The bidding concluded at 5,937,500 CHF ($5.9 mil or £4.6 mil), which puts this unique watch ninth on our list.
8. Patek Philippe Titanium Ref. 5208T-010, $6.2 million
The Patek Philippe Titanium Ref. 5208T-010 was sold at the ‘Only Watch’ charity auction at Christie’s in 2017. Every year, Patek Phillip creates rare pieces for this charity auction in order to attract wealthy buyers and raise more money for the research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
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Thierry Stern, President of Patek Phillipe, commented in an interview that the Titanium Ref. 5208T-010 was “the second most complicated Patek Philippe wristwatch, cased in titanium, is an even stronger and more ‘powerful’ offer to catch the interest of collectors worldwide”. The watch is unique because it is the only model made out of titanium, and the customised blue dial and the black rhodium finish off the look.
At auction, the watch exceeded its estimate of 900,000 to 1,100,000 CHF when it reached a final price of 6,200,000 CHF ($6.2 mil or £4.7 mil).
7. The Duc d'Orléans Breguet Sympathique, $6.8 million
This Brequet ‘Sympathique’ of royal calibre is a very special type of timepiece among the highlights on the list. The copy under the name ‘The Duc d'Orléans’, after its owner, is one of the most complex of Sympatique models. The founder of Breguet, Abraham-Louis Breguet, came up with the idea of the Sympatique mechanics during the French Revolution and there are only 12 Sympathiques known to date. A separate watch in the form of a pocket watch can be placed in a niche at the top of the clock which automatically turns every day.
See also: TAG Heuer: The Performance of Time The clock sold in 1999 at Sotheby’s, where it reached the then auction record of $5.7 million. In 2012, it went up for sale again, at Sotheby’s, achieving $6.8 million (£4.2 mil).
6. Patek Philippe Stainless Steel Ref. 5016A-010, $7.3 million
During the ‘Only Watch’ auction in 2015, the Patek Philippe Stainless Steel Ref. 5016A-010 was one of the highlights due to its combination of “a minute repeater, a tourbillon and a perpetual calendar with applied gold Breguet numerals”. It stands out with its unique blue dial made out of enamel and it was custom made for this charity auction. It reached a price of 7,300,000 CHF ($7.3 mil) making it the sixth most expensive watch sold at auction to date.
5. Patek Philippe Gobbi Milan ‘Heures Universelles’ Ref. 2523, $8.9 million
The Patek Philippe Gobbi Milan ‘Heures Universelles’ Ref. 2523 was offered at the Masterpiece auction at Christie’s in 2019 and reached an extraordinary price of HKD70,175,000 ($8.9 mil or £6.9 mil), making it the most expensive watch sold in Asia. Christie’s described this watch as “breathtakingly rare”, as only one of the single-signed blue enamel dial references known to still exist. It features two signatures of the one and only Patek Philippe and that of the retailer Gobbi. It is believed that the Heures Universelles is one of only seven reference 2523 dual-crown world time wristwatches in pink gold.
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4. Patek Philippe, Ref. 1518 Stainless Steel, $11.1 million
In 2016, the Patek Philippe, Ref. 1518 Stainless Steel wristwatch became the then most expensive wristwatch ever sold at auction when it went for 11,002,000 CHF ($11.1 mil or £9 mil). The very rare stainless steel watch was sold to a private collector and is one of only four famous models.
3. Paul Newman's Rolex Daytona, $17.8 million
A new world record of wristwatches at auction was struck a year later in 2017 when Paul Newman's Rolex Daytona came under the hammer. The legendary wristwatch that once belonged to the famous actor was sold for $17,752,500 (£13.2 million). It is currently the most expensive wristwatch sold in North America. It was bought by an anonymous buyer after twelve minutes of vigorous bidding, which began with the auctioneer proposing a starting absentee bid of $1 million before a specialist on a phone with a client called out “ten million dollars!”
See also: A Growing Movement: The Rise of Vintage Watches
Rolex is one of the most famous brands in the world when it comes to watches. Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis founded ‘Wilsdorf and Davis’ in 1905 in England and imported watches that were assembled and manufactured locally. In 1908, Hans Wilsdorf started ‘Rolex’ and in 1919 the business was moved to Geneva, Switzerland.
2. Patek Philippe Supercomplication, $24.1 million
Another Patek! This pocket watch was commissioned by Henry Graves Jr., a secretive financier and one of the leading authors of the 20th century. It took half a decade to design the clock and another three for it to be executed. Made in 18-carat gold and with 24 functions, the watch is one of the most advanced of its time. The clock can calculate sunrise and sunset and play the same tune as Big Ben in London. But the most remarkable aspect is the clock's map of the starry sky as seen over the Central Park Zoo in New York. The clock realised 23,237,000 CHF ($24.1 mil or £15 mil) at Sotheby's in 2014.
1. Patek Philippe: Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A-010, $31.1 million
The current record holder for the most expensive watch at auction is the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A-010, which was sold at Christie’s ‘Only Watch’ auction in 2019 for CHF 31,000,000 ($31.1 mil or £25.2 mil).
The watch was offered with the opportunity to visit the Patek Philippe workshops and have a private lunch with the President, Thierry Stern. This was the first and only Grandmaster that Patek Philippe produced in steel, which is very uncommon for a grand complication and it might even be their most complicated wristwatch that they ever manufactured. The watch’s exclusivity is highlighted by its inscription “The Only One” on the subsidiary alarm time dial.
