Mankind is so smart that from ancient times they have started developing a sense of time, and constantly keeping track of an everflowing unstoppable concept.
Although the invention of timepieces progressed in the 17th century, they were invented as early as the 14th century. Various types of horological developments kept emerging as centuries passed.
Even today, in the modern era, watches are considered one of the most important gadgets one must carry with oneself.
As human nature is filled with creativity, different varieties of watches have been being invented with time. For a fancy person, a deluxe watch is something more than just keeping track of the time.
In this article, we’ll be including two of the most popular variants, which are wristwatches and pocket watches.
This list is made with a view to discussing the most expensive watches mostly designed for men. However, the watches may also be liked by others as taste is subjective.
Here are the top 10 of the most expensive watch for men:
1.Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime
2.The dazzling 201-carat Chopard Watch
3.The Supercomplication pocket watch by Patek Philippe
4.The Billionaire by Jacob & Co.
5.Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona
6.Reference 1518 by Patek Philippe
7.Reference 57260 Vacheron Constantin
8.Big Bang by Hublot
9.The Elegant Breguet Antique Number 2667 Pocket Watch
10.The legendary “Meteoris” by Louis Moinet
TEN
The legendary “Meteoris” by Louis Moinet
Price: $4.6 Million
One of the oldest and most breathtaking art pieces is the Meteoris timepiece. It was created by the chronological legend, Louis Moinet. This watch set is proof that horology is not only science but also art.
Louis Moinet has earned his rightful reputation by creating magnificent timepieces for numerous historical figures such as Napoleon Bonaparte, Thomas Jefferson, King George IV of England, Tsar Alexander I, and Marshal Murat King of Naples.
His extraordinary talent for developing horological instruments and binding mechanics with beauty and elegance has earned him several titles. He’s often addressed as a pioneer of chronometry, inventor of the chronograph, and one of the most influential watchmakers of all times. His work has evidently left a legacy behind because we’re still admiring his work after all these years.
As expected from the master of mechanics himself, Meteoris is a watch to take your breath away. Not just because it is very beautiful but also because its mechanism is one of a kind and leaves the observer in awe.
Meteoris is the set containing four watches with different mechanics and an artfully made planetarium.
The planetarium piece of the Meteoris
Firstly, the planetarium is a table-like structure on a pedestal with an adorned mechanical planetarium surrounded by four pillows for the watches.
It weighs about 100 kilos and is 150mm tall and about 91cm in diameter.
The 4 watches are described below:
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Louis Moinet Meteoris Tourbillon Mars watch
This watch is called the Tourbillon Mars watch. It is 47mm wide with a complex case containing 50 parts. Its sapphire crystal and one-minute tourbillon manually wound movements have a partially skeletonized mainspring barrel.
Furthermore, the dial containing 3.46 carats of 56 baguette-cut diamonds on the case bezel and lugs is made from a meteorite called “Jiddat al Harasis 479” which was found in Oman, stemming from Mars by the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow.
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Louis Moinet Meteoris Rosetta Stone watch
This rose gold watch is called the Rosetta Stone Watch. The dial is made of Sahara 99555 stone, the oldest meteorite found on Earth that’s estimated to be 4.5662 billion years old!
This stone is thought to have originated from the planet Mercury according to the Institute for Planetology of Munster, Germany.
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Louis Moinet Meteoris Tourbillon Asteroid watch
The third watch is called the Tourbillon Asteroid watch. This watch contains about 18k white gold and some diamonds. The dial is made of a meteorite that came from an asteroid.
The stone is cut from a meteorite called ‘Itqiy’ which is thought to have formed near the Sun and was authenticated by the University of Arizona Tucson. It was found in the western Sahara desert in Africa.
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Louis Moinet Meteoris Tourbillon Moon watch
This final watch is called the Louis Moinet Meteoris Tourbillon Moon watch. The dial is made of moon rock, attached to an alligator strap with a Jules Verne-style watch case.
According to the authentication of UCLA, the stone is from a meteorite called Dhofar 459 found in Oman.
This watch is surely worth its money with all the rare outer space stones it contains!
NINE
The Elegant Breguet Antique Number 2667 Pocket Watch
Price: $4.68 Million
This beauty is made up of two oscillating bodies containing an 18k yellow gold case.
This exquisite timepiece was crafted by Breguet more than a century ago. A fun fact about this watch is that in the dial elegant displays both English numerals and Arabic suspended numerals can be seen.
This pocket watch has been around for a long time and has been sold multiple times. This is perfect for vintage watch collectors!
EIGHT
Big Bang by Hublot
Price:$5 Million
The Hublot’s Big Bang is a revolutionary timepiece for contemporary watches.
This majestic piece containing 1282 diamonds was a gift from Queen Bey aka Beyonce to her husband Jay Z on his 43rd birthday.
Such a stunning gift it is!
SEVEN
Reference 57260 Vacheron Constantin
Price:$8 Million
The pocket watch by Vacheron Constantin holds a lot of complications. Some consider it to be the world’s most complicated timepiece.
The number 57260 actually symbolizes the number of complications of different themes on the watch.
The first two digits ’57’ mean there are 57 total complications in the watch. There are 2826 individual components. There are 242 jewels, 10 patents, 31 hands, 85 different prototypes. Moreover, it weighs 957 grams and drew over eight years of hard work in making the masterpiece.
Surely it’s a magical all-inclusive timepiece; every vintage watch lover would like to keep it in their collection.
SIX
Reference 1518 by Patek Philippe
Price:$11.1 Million
This revolutionary series was the world’s first-ever made-in-series wristwatch, featuring a chronograph and a perpetual calendar. It was also the first of its kind from the manufacturing company Patek Philippe. The series was launched in 1941.
The stainless steel ravishing wristwatch finally met its buyer at an auction held in Geneva at Phillips.
FIVE
Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona
Price:$17.8 Million
The movie star Paul Newman’s 1968 Rolex Daytona was auctioned by Phillips for 15.5 million dollars. It total cost 17.8 million including the buyer’s premium of 12.5%.
The watch was so popular that it gathered over 400 people to the auction and was sold in only 12 minutes. It also set the record for the most expensive pocket watch ever sold in an auction at that time.
The Winning Icons auction was held in Phillips’ New York headquarters at 57th and Park Avenue.
The watch was a gift from his wife who has been called a Holy Grail among watch collectors for having a keen eye for collecting amazing watches.
James Cox, the former boyfriend of Nell Newman(Paul’s daughter) has owned the watch since 1984 when Paul gave it to him. The watch ended up in Phillips through a myriad of collectors buying the watch.
A portion of the sale money went to Nell Newman Foundation, a support organization that works for animal welfare and human services.
This watch has a Hollywood story which makes it even more desiring for vintage watch collectors.
FOUR
The Billionaire by Jacob & Co.
Price:$18 Million
The 260-carat bracelet containing several emerald-cut diamonds,167 individual components, and 19 jewels is a sheer beauty completely made of 18k white gold. Thanks to the uniquely skeletonized movement and its magnificent architecture by Jacob & Co.
This six-link timepiece is designed in such a way so that all the links allow for flexibility, fit, and feel required. The gem-setting expertise shown in this watch really puts Jacob & Co in higher status in terms of world-class high-quality watchmaking.
Furthermore, the hands of the watch are treated with ruthenium which is a rare transition metal belonging to the platinum group of the periodic table.
Everything about this timepiece screams expensive expertise with amazing visuals that set apart this watch to be worthy of the price tag.
THREE
The Supercomplication pocket watch by Patek Philippe
Price:$24 Million
At number 3 we have another elegant pocket watch that was auctioned in Geneva, Switzerland, on November 11, 2014. At that time this timepiece set the record for the most expensive watch for any pocket watch or wristwatch sold at auction.
It’s not unusual to hear that a Patek Philippe watch costs so high. In fact, many of these watches are known to bring in huge amounts of money in auctions as buyers fight to buy a piece.
One fun fact is that this was bought by Sheikh Saud Bin Mohammed Bin Ali Al-Thani of the Qatari royal family from Sotheby’s in 1999 and then had to be returned to Sotheby’s as part of debt repayment that made it possible for Sotheby’s to sell it again!
So why such a fuss over a barely used watch?
Well, to answer this question, up until 1989, the Supercomplication was called the world’s most complicated timepiece with a total of 24 different complications.
Wouldn’t you want to buy the most complicated watch if you had the means to buy it?
TWO
The Dazzling 201 Carats Chopard Watch
Price:$25 Million
This spectacle is a pride of Chopard as they’re known for making next-level luxury adornments.
The handmade glamour features various diamonds in different hues, shapes, and colors giving it a completely unique charm. According to Rich Grale, the watch contains about 874 high-quality diamonds cut in size.
In the middle, there is a heart-shaped pink diamond weighing 15.37 carats that adorns the timepiece. Another 12.79-carat heart-shaped blue diamond and a flawless heart-shaped D-color diamond weighing 11.36 carats make the watch worthy of the whopping 25 million dollars.
It has a breathtaking feature where the center three diamonds open up like a flower exposing the watch face, upon the press on the spring-loaded mechanism in the piece.
Such a creative and dashing watch!
ONE
Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime
Price: US$31.19 million
Patek Philippe’s The Grandmaster Chime reference 6300A-010 was specially manufactured for the Only Watch Auction 2019. The timepiece is the only version of its kind.
The Grandmaster Chime features stainless steel. Again, it has four spring barrels, 20 complications with five acoustic functions, a time repeater, a calendar with year display, day and night indicator, etc. The front dial is of salmon color that has an inscription written “The Only One”.
Patek Philippe originally launched the watch in 2014 on the company’s 175th anniversary. At that time, it was introduced in a seven- pieces- series.
On November 9, 2019, the watch sold at a whopping US$31.19 million at the Only Watch auction held by Christie’s. At present, this is the most expensive watch in the world.
Frequently Asked Questions:
☛ What is the most expensive men’s watch brand?
When it comes to a watch brand everyone has heard the name of Rolex.
Their name is so widespread that reeks of power and prestige, and quality.
They were the first brand to patent waterproof models like the famous Oyster model.
Rolex watches have been showcased in multiple movies. A noteworthy character would be James Bond. It has been featured in multiple James Bond movies to further spread its brand name.
Their dedication to the quality of their watches and loyalty to their customers, without a doubt, plays a big role in why despite the high price, their watches are still widely used, bought, and recommended.
☛ What is the most expensive watch case?
Patek Phillipe watch cases are some of the most expensive watch cases.
Just like the timepieces they create, they don’t disregard the significance of the quality of the watch cases.
They believe in the notion that the exterior of a timepiece must reflect the excellence of the movement inside.
☛ Which is the most expensive watch of Rolex?
The most expensive watch of Rolex is currently the Rolex Daytona that Movie star Paul Newman used to own.
The watch is already featured in our list of the most expensive watches for men.
Be sure to check out the article to find out more about the stunning Daytona that sold for 17.8 million dollars at a New York auction held by Phillips.
☛ What is a good inexpensive men’s watch?
Timex men’s Weekender watches are best at keeping a balance between elegance and affordability.
The watches are created with the thought of having the freedom to choose.
It has a quick-release feature that lets you change the strap and switch up your watch look very easily.
If you’re looking for an amazing watch at an affordable price, look no further, because Timex has you covered!
Hope you enjoyed the article!
About Dawson Kutch
Dawson Kutch is a born and raised Alaskan who loves the outdoors and everything it has to offer. Kutch has been an avid hunter and fisher his entire life, and takes great pride in providing for himself and his family. While he enjoys spending time in the great outdoors, Kutch also has a passion for fashion and loves to stay up-to-date on the latest trends. In his free time, Kutch enjoys spending time with his wife and one young daughter. He is always looking to learn more and better himself, both as a writer and as a person.
