Sep 14, 2015
Reading time 4 min.
The World's Most Expensive Watches: 8 Timepieces Over $1 Million
We've compiled eight of the world's most expensive watches, all breaking the $1 million ceiling, from brands like Jaeger-LeCoultre, Greubel Forsey, Vacheron Constantin and others.
We've all experienced sticker shock while perusing the world's most expensive watches. There are even a few brands for which six-figure price tags are the norm — "expensive watches" by almost anyone's definition. But a handful of luxury watches go well beyond "pricey" and into the rarefied "million dollar watch" category, i.e., costing more than $1 million. We've compiled eight of the world's most expensive watches, all breaking the $1 million ceiling, in which the only things grander than the complications are the price tags.
What's the most you've ever paid (or thought about paying) for an expensive watch? Let us know in the comments section below!
The Hublot Classic Fusion Haute Joaillerie "$1 Million," limited to only eight pieces, earns its $1 million price tag with the 1,185 baguette diamonds covering every surface of the watch, from the case and bracelet to the openworked dial. For the case alone, a 15-person team had to perform 1,800 hours of cutting and 200 hours of dimensional checking and quality control. Certainly one of the most expensive watches ever made by Hublot.
Million Dollar Watches: Hublot Classic Fusion Haute Joaillerie "$1 Million"
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The Roger Dubuis Excalibur Quatuor finds its way to the million-dollar watches list thanks to its case, which is made entirely of silicon (according to the brand, the first such watch of its kind), a material with half the weight of titanium and four times the hardness. The Quatour — yes, the most expensive watch produced to date by Roger Dubuis — is equipped with the RD101 movement, notable for its four sprung balances, which work in pairs to compensate for the effects of gravity much faster than a tourbillon would, resulting in a more accurate watch. The Excalibur Quatuor is priced at 1 million Swiss francs (which translates to roughly around $1,125,000 U.S.).
Million Dollar Watches: Roger Dubuis Excalibur Quatuor
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The Jaeger-LeCoultre Hybris Mechanica à Grande Sonnerie has a retail price of $ 1,474,070. The watch boasts 1,300 parts, which make it capable of playing the entire Big Ben chiming sequence. It was released in 2009 as part of the Hybris Mechanica 55 trilogy, a trio of very expensive watches that comprised 55 complications altogether.
Million Dollar Watches: Jaeger-LeCoultre Hybris Mechanica à Grande Sonnerie
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Produced as a limited edition of only seven pieces, the Vacheron Constantin Tour de I'Ile, which celebrated the brand's 250th anniversary, is priced at $1,538,160. This expensive watch has two faces (on the front and back) to make room for its many displays, including a second time zone, perpetual calendar, and sunset time indicator, among others. The Tour de l'Ile may be the most complicated timepiece on the list of watches over $1 million.
Million Dollar Watches: Vacheron Constantin Tour de I'Ile
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The Greubel Forsey Art Piece 1 was revealed at the 2013 SIHH, and quickly rose to the upper echelon of the "most expensive watches ever made" rankings, with a price of CHF 1.5 million (approximately $1.6 million). The watch's standout feature is the nanosculpture by artist Willard Wigan in the crown. The Art Piece 1 also has an inclined tourbillon.
Million Dollar Watches: Greubel Forsey Art Piece 1 (side view below)
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The Richard Mille RM 56-01, which features a distinctive, all-sapphire glass case, is priced at $1.85 million. The RM 56-01 was on display at SIHH 2013. The price is a rarity even for Richard Mille, on average one of the most expensive watch brands out there, with six-figure prices commonly found.
Million Dollar Watches: Richard Mille RM 56-01
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Richard Mille upped the ante at SIHH 2014, with the launch of the Richard Mille Tourbillon RM 56-02 Sapphire, which combines the tripartite sapphire case of the RM 56-01 with the brand’s revolutionary “cabled movement” design. Click here for more info on Richard Mille's most expensive watch yet, which breaks not only the $1 million barrier but the $2 million one as well, priced at a cool $2,020,000.
Richard Mille Tourbillon RM 56-02 Sapphire - front
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Finally, the most expensive watch we've come across in recent years is from the German luxury watch brand A. Lange & Söhne. The A. Lange & Söhne Grand Complication, unveiled at SIHH 2013, is priced at a staggering 1.92 million euros (approximately $2,497,000 in U.S. currency). The Grand Complication features a grand sonnerie and petit sonnerie in addition to a minute repeater, a monopusher chronograph with a split-seconds function and jumping seconds, and a perpetual calendar with a moon-phase display.
A. Lange & Söhne Grand Complication
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This article was originally published on March 25, 2014 and has been updated with additional material.
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