In 2024, most people rely on their smartphones and smartwatches to tell the time. The idea of spending thousands of dollars on a high-end mechanical watch may seem downright ridiculous. But a watch is more than just a time-telling device. Because it is an invention that can be worn. It is usually an investment… And they work.
Today we will present you the 10 most expensive luxury watch brands in the world along with their introductory prices. Don’t forget to follow until the end!
10. Jaeger-LeCoultre
- Founded In: 1833
- Watch Price Range: $5,000 – $2.5 million
- Who Wear: Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon
- Unique Features: Reverso design, intricate complications
- Why Expensive: High craftsmanship, innovative designs
- Additional Point: Known for creating the smallest mechanical movement.
Brand Jaeger-LeCoultre Founded in 1833 in Switzerland by Antoine LeCoultre, the watch has been worn by celebrities like Charlie Chaplin and, more recently, Jay-Z and Kit Harington. This brand is the pioneer of the world’s smallest watch mechanism.
Set record for thinnest watch mechanism Created one of the most complicated watches in the world. and launched a million meters It was the first device that could measure micrometers. Can start at $4,300 Million.
9. Rolex
- Founded In: 1905
- Watch Price Range: $5,000 – $500,000
- Who Wear: Roger Federer, Paul Newman
- Unique Features: Oyster case, perpetual movement
- Why Expensive: Iconic status, precision engineering
- Additional Point: First watch to receive the Swiss Certificate of Chronometric Precision.
Rolex is the most iconic luxury watch brand. It was founded in 1905 as the London firm Wilsdorf & Davis. Its founder was German entrepreneur Hans Wilsdorf. Partnering with his brother Davis, Wilsdorf embraced the lucrative wristwatch market long before his competitors. And this brand is becoming more and more popular.
In 1926, Rolex introduced its first fully waterproof watch, the Oyster. Today, Rolex watches are synonymous with luxury and success. It became a staple watch among the rich and famous.
Interestingly, the name “Rolex” was coined by Wilsdorf. Rolex watches start at around $5,000. In fact, the most expensive Rolex is Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona.
8. Blancpain
- Founded In: 1735
- Watch Price Range: $7,000 – $1.5 million
- Who Wear: Vladimir Putin, Francis Ford Coppola
- Unique Features: Fifty Fathoms, moon phase complications
- Why Expensive: Heritage, meticulous craftsmanship
- Additional Point: Oldest surviving watchmaking brand.
Blancpain was founded in 1735 and is the oldest watch manufacturer in the world. Jehan-Jacques Blancpain started watchmaking in a small Swiss village, and the Swiss watch brand remained in family ownership for nearly 200 years until it became a subsidiary of the Swatch Group in 1992.
The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms collection has evolved since 1953 to become one of the most reliable and widely used diver’s watches. The starting price of Blancpain watches is around $13,000.
7. Vacheron Constantin
- Founded In: 1755
- Watch Price Range: $18,000 – $6 million
- Who Wear: Napoleon Bonaparte, Harry Truman
- Unique Features: Maltese cross emblem, complex movements
- Why Expensive: Historical significance, intricate designs
- Additional Point: One of the oldest watch manufacturers in continuous operation.
Vacheron Constantin was founded in 1755 and is considered the oldest continuous watch manufacturer in the world. In 1790, they are credited with creating the first known complications for days and dates. They also produced the first six watches with quarter repeaters, which can chime the hours and quarter hours upon the wearer’s request.
When Georges-Auguste Leschot joined the company in 1839, he was able to standardize the watch movements into calibers, revolutionizing the watch industry. The starting price of Vacheron Constantin watches is around $13,000, as seen with the Fiftysix Automatic model.
6. Breguet
- Founded In: 1775
- Watch Price Range: $7,000 – $30 million
- Who Wear: Marie Antoinette, Winston Churchill
- Unique Features: Tourbillon, guilloché dials
- Why Expensive: Pioneering innovations, historical legacy
- Additional Point: Invented the tourbillon mechanism.
As one of the few luxury watch brands founded in France, Breguet is headquartered in Switzerland. Abraham-Louis Breguet was a Swiss watchmaker who established his watchmaking business in Paris in 1775. Among the many famous names who favored Breguet watches is none other than Napoleon Bonaparte himself.
The most famous creation is the Marie Antoinette, a pocket watch commissioned by a former husband of the Queen of France, Marie Antoinette. To create this spectacular timepiece, the completion took 40 years, and the pocket watch is valued at $30 million. The motto of the company is “Every woman is a queen.” The entry prices for this brand start at $15,000.
5. A. Lange & Söhne
- Founded In: 1845
- Watch Price Range: $15,000 – $2.5 million
- Who Wear: Brad Pitt, Vladimir Putin
- Unique Features: German precision, unique designs
- Why Expensive: Exceptional craftsmanship, limited production
- Additional Point: Known for its distinct Glashütte style.
In 1845, Ferdinand Adolf Lange founded the company, and his two oldest sons joined the paternal business in 1868, which then became known as A. Lange & Söhne. The German luxury watch manufacturer is known for exclusively producing mechanical movements.
The starting price for these watches is approximately $17,300, here for the Saxonia Thin. Notable wearers of A. Lange & Söhne watches include Ed Sheeran and Bill Clinton. With the luxury watch Grand Complication, A.
Lange & Söhne showcases the most expensive watch in Germany, representing a masterpiece of watchmaking. The model, made of rose gold, features seven complications and consists of 876 parts. Specialists worked on it for seven years. There are only six models worldwide, each priced at approximately $2 million.
4. Patek Philippe
- Founded In: 1839
- Watch Price Range: $15,000 – $11 million
- Who Wear: Queen Victoria, Leonardo DiCaprio
- Unique Features: Perpetual calendar, minute repeater
- Why Expensive: Unmatched quality, prestigious heritage
- Additional Point: Holds the record for the most expensive watch ever sold at auction.
The watch manufacturer Patek was founded in 1839 by Antoine Norbert de Patek and François Czapek. It remains the last independent family-owned watch manufacturer in Geneva to this day. In 1845, Czapek left the company, and Patek brought in the French watchmaker Jean Adrien Philippe.
The entry-level price for the brand starts at $18,600, here for the Aquanaut with an automatic movement. At the top of the list of the most expensive Patek Philippe watches of all time is the Grandmaster Chime 6300A-010. It is the only Patek Philippe watch made of stainless steel, and it is a true masterpiece of watchmaking, incorporating 20 complications.
Known as “The Only One,” it was created specifically for Only Watch, a charity watch auction where the world’s finest watchmakers create exotic, special, typically one-of-a-kind watches for the auction to raise the most money for charitable purposes. This was Patek Philippe’s contribution for 2019. The watch changed hands at the auction for $31 million, making it one of the most expensive watches of all time.
3. Audemars Piguet
- Founded In: 1875
- Watch Price Range: $20,000 – $1 million
- Who Wear: LeBron James, Tom Cruise
- Unique Features: Royal Oak design, high complications
- Why Expensive: Innovative designs, high-quality materials
- Additional Point: Introduced the first luxury sports watch.
Audemars Piguet was founded in 1875 by Jules-Louis Audemars and Edward-Auguste Piguet. The brand brought together the traditional foundations of watchmaking with the evolving technical skills of the time. When the Royal Oak Offshore was first introduced in 1993, it was considered unusually large with its 42mm diameter for that era.
The watches convey durability and resilience, eventually capturing the attention of celebrities such as Jay-Z and Leo Messi and influencing watch trends. The entry price for the brand starts at $20,700, as seen with the Royal Oak Quartz model. The collaboration with Marvel Entertainment marks a new chapter in the history of Royal Oak Concept, featuring a series of superhero character watches, starting with the Black Panther edition.
Limited to only 250 pieces, it showcases a case made of sandblasted titanium with a black ceramic bezel and crown, along with a spectacular dial featuring a sculpted, hand-painted white gold Black Panther. The estimated price for this watch is around $170,000.
2. F.P. Journe
- Founded In: 1999
- Watch Price Range: $30,000 – $1 million
- Who Wear: Eric Clapton, Ralph Lauren
- Unique Features: Precision chronometers, unique aesthetics
- Why Expensive: Limited production, exceptional craftsmanship
- Additional Point: Known for its motto “Invenit et Fecit” (Invented and Made).
F.P. Journe, founded by François-Paul Journe in 1999, follows the watchmaking traditions of the 18th century. In 1992, Journe created his first wristwatch with a remontoir system, which he had previously invented for a pocket watch.
This eventually became the prototype for the Tourbillon Souverain watches, which gained great success upon their introduction in 1999. F.P. Journe is relatively a newer watch brand. The watches are designed to last for centuries while maintaining their reliable performance.
They meet the standards of the most discerning watch collectors, with an annual production of of fewer than 900 watches and innovative movements crafted with intricate details. The Astronomic Blue is the most expensive watch from the brand, auctioned for $1.9 million at the Only Watch charity auction in 2019.
The prototype movement, along with its unique blue chrome dial and special tantalum case, makes the F.P. Journe Astronomic Blue one of the most significant artworks in the watch world. The entry prices for F.P. Journe start from $26,000 and upwards.
1. Richard Mille
- Founded In: 2001
- Watch Price Range: $80,000 – $2 million
- Who Wear: Rafael Nadal, Pharrell Williams
- Unique Features: Lightweight materials, futuristic designs
- Why Expensive: Cutting-edge technology, exclusive materials
- Additional Point: Known for its high-performance watches designed for athletes.
Richard Mille, topping our list of the most expensive watch brands, has been active in the watchmaking industry since 1974. His drive to create revolutionary luxury watches led him to launch his own brand in 1999. Mille designed his first watch in 2001, incorporating techniques and materials used in the construction of airplanes and Formula One race cars.
One of the brand’s early slogans was “A racing machine on the wrist.” With its tonneau-shaped case resembling a barrel, Mille established the signature style of his brand. As the components are curved, these watches are difficult and expensive to manufacture due to the complex production process and high-end components.
These watches are highly limited in quantity. The currently cheapest RM is reportedly the RM016 Extra Flat, priced at $60,000. It should be noted that it is rare to find an RM watch for under $100,000. The most expensive watch by Richard Mille, according to media reports, is the Tourbillon RM 56-02 Sapphire, valued at $2 million. This watch features a three-piece sapphire glass
FAQ’s
What is the world’s most expensive watch?
The world’s most expensive watch is the Graff Diamonds Hallucination Watch, valued at a staggering $55 million.
What is the #1 watch in the world?
The Apple Watch is considered the number one watch in the world in terms of sales and popularity.
What is the richest watch brand?
The richest watch brand is Rolex, with an estimated net worth of around £7.1 billion.
Who owns the most expensive watch?
The most expensive watch ever sold at auction is the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A-010, which fetched $31.19 million. However, the specific owner of this watch is not publicly known