Ever since the 16th century when they were first
introduced, wristwatches have become an essential accessory and even a
fashion statement for both men and women. Their design, features and
mechanisms have evolved a lot over time, with a lot of brilliant
watchmakers creating timepieces that could be easily considered works of
art.
Today we’ll take a look at the world’s most expensive watch brands
right now, with prices ranging from a couple of thousands to way over
one million dollars for a one off piece. Featuring the finest materials,
extremely delicate mechanisms and high grade gemstones, carefully put
together by expert hands, the timepieces made by these brands are just
for the privileged few.
10. Jaeger LeCoultre
Founded in 1833 by Antoine LeCoultre, Swiss watchmaker Jaeger
LeCoultre has revolutionized the timekeeping industry over time with a
lot of innovations. For example, they’ve introduced the world’s smallest
caliber, they’ve designed the most complicated wristwatch and also the
world’s first keyless watch, which relied on a small push-piece that
permitted a lever to change over from one function to another.
The fine timepieces from Jaeger LeCoultre start at around $4,000 and
could reach well over one million for exquisite watches like the Hybris
Mechanica a Grande Sonnerie which sells for $1,474,070. This incredible
watch has no less than 1,300 parts and can play the entire Big Ben
chiming sequence.
9. Breguet
Another Swiss manufacturer, Breguet prides itself for being one of
the oldest watchmakers that are still in production, with their history
starting in 1775 in Paris. The company moved in Vallee de Joux,
Switzerland, in 1976 and among their inventions we can count the
tourbillon invented by Abraham-Louis Breguet as well as the world’s
first wrist watch made in 1810.
The price range of their timepieces ranges today between $6,000 and
$400,000, but they could go even further for one off pieces. Breguet
even made watches for King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette with the
Breguet No. 160 grand complication being also known as Marie-Antoinette,
containing every watch function known at the time, encased in gold with
sapphires inside to decrease friction. Unfortunately the queen didn’t
live to see the watch completed and it is now exhibited at the L.A.
Mayer Institute for Islamic Art in Jerusalem.
8. Blancpain
Jehan-Jacques Blancpain created this company in 1735 and every single
one of their products is made by just one watchmaker, making these
timepieces highly exclusive and valuable. The prices range between
$6,000 and $500,000 and according to their slogan they never made quartz
watches nor will they ever.
Rolex makes around 2,000 watches every day while Blancpain only
creates around thirty – that’s why it’s much more difficult to get one.
One of their most impressive watches is also one of the world’s most
complicated timepieces, produced in a limited run of just 30 pieces,
with one more added every year.
7. Louis Moinet
Started by the inventor of the chronograph in 1806, the workshop of
Louis Moinet made some extraordinary clocks for world leaders and
celebrities like Napoleon Bonaparte, Tsar Alexander the 1
st, King George IV of England or Thomas Jefferson.
Louis Moinet’s watches were considered true art pieces and his first
timepieces can be seen in museums like the Louvre, Chateau de Versailles
or Palazzo Pitti. The regular watches coming from his company cost
between $8,000 and $26,000.
6. Audemars Piguet
Swiss luxury watch maker Audemars Piguet was founded back in 1875 by
two friends, Jules-Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet, who wanted
to produce complex watch movements that would soon take over the world.
Right now Audemars Piguet is one of the world’s most renowned
watchmakers and each component of their timepieces is still made with
traditional techniques. Their watches are being priced between $8,000
and $250,000.
5. Piaget
The watchmakers from Piaget also worked as jewelers in the small
village of La Cote-aux-Fees, Switzerland and they originally
manufactured watch movements, moving into the creation of watches only
in the 20
th century.
Their prices range from $10,000 to $210,000 nowadays and some of
their watches could be actually considered fashionable jewellery, like
the Altaplano Caliber 1200D that’s just loaded with gems, an internal
structure crusted in diamonds and a highly complex mechanism which costs
$152,000.
4. Roger Dubuis
Founded by Carlos Dias and Roger Dubuis, this Swiss watchmaker is
much younger than the competition with only 20 years in the field, but
the quality of their craftsmanship is extraordinary, making their
watches really appreciated. You could get a Roger Dubuis timepiece from
somewhere between $11,000 to $156,000 but there are some exquisite
pieces selling for way more than that.
The Millesime Double Flying Tourbillon is a good example, produced in
a limited run of just 88 pieces. Roger Dubuis himself created this
mesmerizing timepiece as one of the most accurate watches ever made,
which sells for $263,000.
The company also enters the million dollar watches list with
Excalibur Quatuor that’s made entirely out of silicon, with half the
weight of titanium but four times the durability. This amazing timepiece
has an RD101 movement that makes it incredibly accurate and it’s priced
at around $1,125,000.
3. Patek Philippe
Founded in 1851 in Geneva, Patek Philippe is considered by many
experts as the most prestigious watchmaker in the world, being the
supplier of watches to Queen Victoria since their inception. Their
timepieces have some of the most complicated mechanisms and they usually
sell for $10,000 to $780,000.
Patek Philippe has made some of the most expensive watches ever sold
such as the Henry Graves Supercomplication, which was sold back in 1999
for $11 million and then again in 2014 for $24 million.
2. Vacheron Constantin
Vacheron Constantin are the oldest watchmakers with an uninterrupted
history and one of the three best traditional watchmakers along with
Patek Philippe and Piguet. They’ve made timepieces for Napoleon
Bonaparte, Pope Pius XI, Harry Truman and the Duke of Windsor, and
they’re also responsible for the world’s first engine-turned dials.
For their 250th anniversary they created a limited edition of seven
pieces entitled Tour de I’lle which featured two faces to have enough
space for all their displays. These watches had a second time zone, a
perpetual calendar, sunset time indicator, plus many other features
which make them one of the most complicated watches ever made, with a
price of $1,538,160. If you’re looking for a cheaper watch from Vacheron
Constantin, the minimum you need to pay is $11,000.
1. A. Lange & Sohne
Probably the best high-end watches come from Germany, more specifically from Glashutte, near Dresden. Founded in 1845,
A. Lange & Sohne
had a long tradition in making quality pocket watches. The company
ceased to exist in 1948 but it was reborn in 1990 with their first wrist
watches coming out in 1994.
Blending perfect mechanical movement with gold or platinum cases, the
watches from A. Lange feature a distinctive look that’s sometimes
called “Teutonic” in its austerity. The cheapest watches can be bought
for $14,000 and they could go up to $580,000 and beyond.
For example, the Grand Complication watch, unveiled at SIHH 2013, was
priced at $2,497,000, featuring both a grand sonnerie and a petit
sonnerie as well as a minute repeater, a monopusher chronograph with
split seconds function, perpetual calendar and a display of the moon
phases.
