The 10 most expensive watches ever auctioned

10. Rolex Ref. 6062, 4.65 million euros

A coveted historic watch was auctioned at Phillips in early 2017. This 1952 Rolex is named Bao Dai after its former owner, the last Emperor of Vietnam. After the Indochina War, during a visit to Switzerland in 1945, when the major powers were negotiating with the Viet Minh and discussing Vietnam's future, the Emperor visited the famous Rolex dealer Chronomètrie Philippe Beguin, then located opposite the Hotel des Bergues . Here he asked for the finest and most unusual Rolex watch ever made. After consulting with Rolex, the Emperor was presented with a yellow gold watch with a black dial and diamonds: a Rolex 6062. The price for the watch belonging to the last Emperor of Vietnam was 4.65 million euros.

9. Patek Philippe 18k Gold Perpetual Calendar Chronograph, 5.75 million euros

A Patek Philippe wristwatch from 1943 ranks ninth on the list. The Patek Phillip Perpetual Calendar Chronograph sold at Christie's in 2010 for nearly €6 million and is just one of many watches from the company to achieve record prices.

Patek Philippe was founded in 1839 by watchmaker Antoni Patek and Adrien Philippe. Patek Philippe watches have set several world records at auctions around the world. Demand is driven by Patek Philippe itself, which acquires rare models for its museum in Geneva.

8. Patek Philippe & Cie, Geneva, Ref. 1415, 6.06 million euros

 

And now we move on to Patek Philippe. In 2002, a platinum Ref. 1415 was auctioned at Antiquorum for approximately 6 million euros. Introduced in 1939, the model bears the nickname "World Time" and features a rotating frame on the dial displaying 41 city names from around the world.

7. Patek Philippe "Calibre 89", 6.06 million euros

The Calibre 89 is one of the most complicated pocket watches of all time and the world's most renowned watchmaking masterpiece. Work on the anniversary watch, created to celebrate Patek Philippe's 150th anniversary, began in 1980 and was completed in 1989. The watch is a double watch containing a map of the Geneva sky. The watch, sold at Antiquorum in 2004, is made of white gold and is one of three later versions.

An original Calibre 89 in yellow gold was offered at Sotheby's in May 2017 at an estimated price of €5.9 million to €9.1 million. However, it was ultimately withdrawn after the auction house rejected the final result of just under €5.5 million.

6. Le Duc d'Orléans Breguet Sympathique, 6.06 million euros

 

There are many very special watches to discover among the highlights of this list. One of them is the Breguet Sympathique, a watch of truly royal caliber. This example is named after its former owner, the Duke of Orléans, a cousin of the French king, and is one of the most complicated of the Sympathique models. During the French Revolution, the company's founder, master watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet, came up with the idea of inserting a self-winding pocket watch into a niche in the carriage clock. In 2012, Le Duc d'Orléans was auctioned at Sotheby's for approximately 6 million euros.

5. Patek Philippe, Ref. 5016, 6.46 million euros

 

This is the wristwatch equivalent of the most complicated pocket watch. The Ref. 5016 was produced by Patek Philippe between 1993 and 2011. In 2015, this example was auctioned at the "Only Watch" charity auction for approximately 6.46 million euros, making it the most expensive watch ever sold at auction.

4. Patek Philippe, Ref. 1518 Stainless Steel, 10.1 million euros

The very next year, a new record was set. This time, not for a Patek Philippe watch, but for the legendary Rolex Daytona, which once belonged to film legend Paul Newman and was worth more than 15 million euros to an anonymous collector. The bidding war for the unique watch lasted 12 minutes.

When you think of watches, Rolex is one of the names that immediately springs to mind. In 1905, Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis founded a watch import company in England, and in 1908, the name Rolex came into play. Eleven years later, the company moved to Geneva.

2. Patek Philippe Henry Graves Supercomplication, 21.5 million euros

  

And another Patek Philippe! This pocket watch was commissioned by Henry Graves Jr., an early 20th-century American financier and watch collector, who wanted to own the most complicated watch . The pocket watch, which plays the melody of London's Big Ben, was auctioned by Sotheby's in 2014 for €21.5 million.

1. Chopard 201 Carat Watch, 21.4 million euros

  Chopard's diamond watch consists of a 15-carat pink diamond, a 12-carat blue diamond, and an 11-carat white diamond. These three stones are accompanied by smaller white and yellow diamonds totaling 163 carats. The watch, with its 874 exclusive diamonds, is valued at €21.4 million. And it has a secret function! By touching a spring mechanism, the three large, heart-shaped stones open to reveal the dial, which contains three additional 8.45-carat yellow diamonds.

Chopard, known for its luxury watches, was founded in Switzerland in 1860. Initially, the company's headquarters were located in Sonvillier, then in Chaux-de-Fonds, and finally in Geneva. Chopard was famous early on for its specialization in ladies' and pocket watches. It wasn't until the 1980s that sporty men's watches were added. Further expansion followed in the area of diamond jewelry.