Most Expensive Watches

The World’s Most Expensive Watches

It is a well known fact that both high end watch makers and those who endorse them (celebrities, industry moguls, socialites, etc.) are in a constant race to one-up eachother. Often times, a celebrity with a great deal of disposable income or an unnamed source will finance the making of the world’s next “most expensive watch.”

The Henry Graves Supercomplication

The quintessential example of watchmaker patron battles is the epic competition between carmaker James Ward Packard and railroading and banking uber mogul, Henry Graves. Packard commissioned Patek, his signature watchmaker, to create a watch for him that would be the most extraordinary pocket watch ever t grace the Earth. The two multimillionaires battled it out for several years until at last, Graves won out over Packard, taking home the one of a kind Supercomplication. The grandfather of all pocket watches watch was auctioned off on December 2, 1999 at Southeby’s in New York and went home with an anonymous bidder to the tune of $11,030,000.

Brands That Shape the High End Market

The top 10 most expensive watch makers in the world are as follows. Keep in mind that from year to year and often even season to season, the order will change as new timepieces are released by the crafters.

1. Vacheron Constantin
2. Blancpain
3. Audemars Piguet
4. Girard-Perregaux
5. ChronoSwiss
6. Chopard
7. Jaeger-LeCoultre
8. International Watch Company
9. Omega
10. Breguet

There are, of course, other lesser known watch making houses all over Switzerland, Italy and France. These smaller and lesser known watch makers often have an even more highly sought after timepiece which will inevitably be worth more because it is either one of a kind or it is one of very few.

Exquisite Craftsmanship

Nothing replaces a tradition of excellence.

What makes the most expensive watch selections worthwhile is not always why they make the news. Often, a watch is all over the radar simply because of how much someone was willing to pay for it. Heirloom items and other historically relevant watches are worth mentioning, certainly; but a jewelry watch that is not much more than any other watch that has been embellished with millions of dollars worth of gemstones is not what makes a watch a true rarity. Craftsmanship is the ultimate marker of a watch’s true worth. 252 year old watchmaker Vacheron Constantin has many one million dollar plus timepieces floating across the globe; their standards and refusal to create anything short of perect has garnered them an unparalleled reputation as the watch by which all others should be measured.

Jewels and Features

Some of the world’s most expensive watches are in fact diamond watches. Allegedly the most expensive watch ever made comes to us from Chopard of France. The watch is liberally sprinkled with diamonds on the interior where the watch face can be seen and above the face is a movable covering … made entirely of white and pink diamonds, ranging in karat size from 11 and 12 weights each. The watch is said to be valued at just over 25 million dollars.

Who Has the Time

Some Celebrities and other wealthy socialites and blue bloods have the world’s most highly valued timepieces.

You don't have to buy the most expensive watch brands to look fabulous! Check out our interview with The Budget Fashionista on Buying Watches to save money and stay in style!