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Patek Philippe is widely considered to be one of the most prestigious watch manufacturers in the world.

As of July 2023, among the world’s top ten most expensive watches ever sold at auctions, nine are Patek Philippe watches. In particular, Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A-010 currently holds the title of the most expensive watch (and wristwatch) ever sold at auction (US$31.19 million/31 million CHF), while Patek Philippe Henry Graves Supercomplication, the world’s most complicated mechanical watch until 1989, currently holds the title of the most expensive pocket watch ever sold at auction (US$24 million/23,237,000 CHF).

On November 28, 2012, the Patek Philippe Star Calibre 2000 Ref. 990/1 was sold at Christie’s in Hong Kong for a final price of US$3.28 million (HKD 25,300,000), becoming the most expensive timepiece ever auctioned in Asia at the time. The timepiece boasts 21 complications, including Westminster Chimes, minute repeating, lunar orbit and so on, and was made in 2008. 

On November 11, 2014, the Henry Graves Supercomplication was sold at Sotheby’s Geneva Auction for a record-breaking US$23.98 million (CHF 23,237,000), becoming the most expensive watch ever sold at auction and held the title until November 9, 2019. The Supercomplication was made in 1933 for the prominent banker Henry Graves Jr. The ultra-complicated pocket watch (having 24 complications) was the result of Graves’ friendly horological competition with James Ward Packard. After Graves’ death, the watch was held by his daughter, and then by his grandson until 1969, when it was sold to Seth G. Atwood who kept the watch in his renowned “Time Museum” in Rockford, Illinois until 1999. The watch was auctioned at Sotheby’s in December 1999 for a record-breaking US$11 million to Sheikh Saud Bin Mohammed Bin Ali Al-Thani of the Qatari royal family. 

On November 12, 2016, a Patek Philippe Ref. 1518 in steel took the title as the most expensive wristwatch ever sold at auction (until October 2017). Sold through Phillips’ Geneva auction house, the watch fetched a final price of US$11.14 million (CHF 11,002,000). This was the first time that a steel-case Ref. 1518 (only four were made in steel) went for auction; in fact, this piece was the first of the four steel Ref. 1518 manufactured, which features a chronograph and perpetual calendar. 

On November 9, 2019, Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A-010 became the most expensive watch ever sold at auction, fetching US$31 million (CHF 31,000,000) in Christie’s Geneva auction. 

On December 11, 2021, Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 5711 with Tiffany blue dial sets a new world record for any wristwatch sold online, realizing US$6.5 million in Phillips New York auction. 

On April 25, 2022, a likely unique Patek Philippe Ref. 2499 – featuring a rare pink-gold case, and even rarer signature on its center subdial from Gobbi, the Milan watch dealer – sold at Sotheby’s in Hong Kong for $7.68 million (HKD 60,265,000), setting a new record as the most expensive Ref. 2499 ever sold at auction.

 

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Patek Philippe