You won’t find these high-end, exclusive watches at your local boutique. A new generation of collectors and enthusiasts is growing the demand for expensive watches. Swiss watchmakers are creating bold new pieces with even higher price tags. These exclusive models are reserved for affluent clients who view multi-million dollar timepieces as worthwhile investments.
Crafted from precious materials and advanced movement technology, these coveted watches are some of the costliest creations in existence. We have compiled a list showcasing the most expensive watches globally, highlighting modern masterpieces and historical milestones that are considered museum-grade investments. This collection features various grand complications, excluding familiar names like Rolex and Audemars Piguet.
Discover the world of Haute Horology through our selection of the most expensive watches and learn about the origins of these extraordinary creations. Stay tuned to duPont REGISTRY for more luxury watch releases and top-list specials.
10. Franck Muller Aeternitas Mega
Price: $2,580,000
The Franck Muller Aeternitas Mega represents the pinnacle of achievement for the Swiss watchmaker, emerging as its most expensive and complex model ever created. Boasting 36 complications and 1,483 components, the Aeternitas Mega is a marvel of micro-engineering and horological expertise. Its 42mm tonneau-shaped case is crafted from 18k white gold, and the dial, adorned with a variety of functions, is presented in a traditional font, reflecting Franck Muller’s commitment to blending modern design with the rich traditions of its earliest creations. The exquisite Franck Muller Aeternitas Mega is exclusively available through boutique appointments, with a price tag of $2,580,000.
9. Louis Moinet Meteoris Collection
Price: $4,600,000
Louis Moinet, a forerunner in the luxury watch industry, embarked on his journey into Haute Horology in 1800. He is celebrated for inventing the Chronograph in 1816, a feat officially recognized by the Guinness World Records organization. While its most expensive timepiece is actually a collection of models, the Louis Moinet Meteoris line stands out. This collection includes four unique tourbillon models, each inspired by the solar system: the Tourbillon Mars, Tourbillon Rosetta Stone, Tourbillon Asteroid, and Tourbillon Moon. What makes these models truly one-of-a-kind is their incorporation of actual meteorite material into their design. Priced at $4.6 million, the Louis Moinet Meteoris Collection is crafted for the ultimate horology enthusiast.
8. Hublot Big Bang
Price: $5,000,000
Differentiating itself from any other Big Bang model in existence, Hublot created this piece unique example in 2014 with star status in mind. Its 18k white gold construction is littered with 1,282 diamonds that flow throughout its dial, case, and bracelet. The exclusive diamond Big Bang was originally purchased by Beyoncé Knowles for her music mogul husband Jay-Z to celebrate his 43rd birthday. After selling for a record-breaking six-figure price, the watch claimed the nickname ‘The $5 Million Big Bang’. To this day, it remains the most expensive Hublot ever made.
7. Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1A Tiffany & Co.
Price: $6,503,500
The Nautilus 5711/1A Tiffany & Co. shocked the watch world in 2021 after Patek Philippe announced its exclusive series that features a vibrant blue dial. Demand for the $52,635 stainless-steel watch grew when Patek Philippe revealed that only top Tiffany & Co. clients would be offered the collaboration piece. The very first public sale of the Patek Philippe x Tiffany & Co. 5711 came courtesy of a benefit auction from RM Sotheby’s. The highly-anticipated sale ended with a final selling price of $6,503,500. Since then, athletes, celebrities, and other influential individuals have been spotted wearing the most talked about Patek Philippe x Tiffany & Co. watch.
6. Vacheron Constantin Ref. 57260
Price: $8,000,000
What first began as a tailor-made complication for a passionate collector quickly became the most expensive Vacheron Constantin watch ever created. The Reference 57260 pocket watch features six layers of technical excellence that result in an astonishing 57 complications, which include multiple calendars and a double retrograde split-seconds chronograph. The complex dial design is housed in a 98mm case crafted from 18k white gold. The 2,800 parts were all completely hand-decorated by one single Master Watchmaker, using traditional techniques. The 57260 watch is part of a legacy of exceptional creations that have marked the history of Vacheron Constantin.
5. Jacob & Co. Billionaire Timeless Treasure
Price: $20,000,000
Jacob & Co. is back to raise the price tag of its most expensive retail watch by unveiling the all-new $20,000,000 Billionaire Timeless Treasure. Covering its entire surface with precious stones, the Billionaire Timeless Treasure features over 425 Asscher-cut yellow diamonds and 76 emerald/kite-cut tsavorite gems throughout its case and bracelet. Glistening in the light upon every angle, the first-ever colored Billionaire watch presents a total of 482 yellow diamonds that weigh in at an incredible 216.9 carats. The project took over three years to create and almost dried up the market for exceptionally high-quality yellow diamonds across the globe.
4. Jaeger-LeCoultre Joaillerie 101 Manchette
Price: $26,000,000
Jaeger-LeCoultre operates as one of the oldest watchmakers in the industry, known for iconic designs like the legendary Reverso. Showcasing Jaeger-LeCoultre’s talents as technical craftsmen, its 101 Collection was launched in 1929 to offer the world’s smallest mechanical caliber. The Joaillerie 101 Manchette stands out as a pinnacle model for the brand, as it includes over 576 brilliant-cut diamonds through its minuscule square design. Lost in its small-scale construction is a single square that holds Jaeger-LeCoultre’s miniature movement. The Joaillerie 101 Manchette holds significance as it was created for Queen Elizabeth II’s 60th year as a leader.
3. Breguet Grande Complication Marie Antoinette
Price: $30,000,000
Styling itself in a more traditional pocket watch design, the Breguet Grande Complication Marie Antoinette received its name as the Queen of France took a liking to the watchmaker’s creations. The Grande Complication watch was originally gifted to her in 1783 when a dinner guest ordered the piece from Breguet, fitting the all-gold example with a wide range of expert horological functions. In April 2008, after four long years of research and reconstruction, the new Marie-Antoinette timepiece was proudly placed in its impressive presentation case, carved from the wood of the very Versailles oak tree under which the Queen once used to rest.
2. Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A-010
Price: $33,616,493
The Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime was originally launched in 2014 to celebrate the company’s 175th anniversary. The first and only example to be made in stainless steel features 20 complications, including five acoustic functions, two of which are patented global premières: an alarm that strikes the preprogrammed alarm time and a date repeater that sounds the date on demand. The Grandmaster Chime also includes a double-face case design that is quickly reversible using Patek Philippe’s patented reversing mechanism. This example sold in 2019 for an astonishing price of $33,616,493, making it Patek Philippe’s most expensive watch ever.
1. Graff Hallucination
Price: $55,000,000
The Graff Hallucination first debuted on the market in 2014 as the most expensive watch ever created. The entire construction of the timepiece features over 110 carats of rare diamonds and stones, completely covering the platinum bracelet in a rainbow-style design. The Hallucination remains in the ownership of the controlling shareholder of the South African Diamond Corporation, Laurence Graff. Although the watch focuses on the beauty behind the precious stones, its small quartz dial is hidden inside multiple small pink diamonds in the center of the piece.