Top 10 Most Expensive Watches in the World in 2026

Luxury watches have become much more than instruments for telling time. At the highest end of the market, rare gemstones, intricate craftsmanship, limited production, and fascinating histories can turn a watch into a multimillion-dollar collector's piece. Some are made in extremely limited numbers, while others are unique creations that blur the line between fine watchmaking and jewelry. Miami Living Magazine ranks the world's ten most expensive watches, counting down to the timepieces that command the highest prices.

10. Patek Philippe Ref. 1518 in Stainless Steel — $17.6 Million

Photo Credit: Patek Philippe Steel Watches by John Goldberger

Introduced in 1941, the Patek Philippe Ref. 1518 was the world's first serially produced perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch. Only four stainless-steel examples are publicly known. One sold at Phillips in Geneva in November 2025 for CHF 14.19 million, or approximately $17.6 million, making it the most expensive vintage Patek Philippe wristwatch ever sold at auction.

9. Rolex Daytona “Paul Newman” Ref. 6239 — $17.75 Million

Photo Credit: "Paul Newman" Rolex Daytona Reference 6239/Fortuna

Paul Newman's personal Rolex Daytona Ref. 6239 sold at Phillips in New York for $17,752,500 in 2017. Given to Newman by his wife, Joanne Woodward, the stainless-steel watch features the inscription “Drive Carefully Me” on its caseback. The sale set a world record for a wristwatch at auction at the time, before being surpassed by Patek Philippe's Grandmaster Chime in 2019.

8. Jacob & Co. Billionaire Timeless Treasure — $20 Million

Photo Credit: Jacob & Co (Official Media)

The Jacob & Co. Billionaire Timeless Treasure combines high jewelry with mechanical watchmaking. Unveiled in 2023 with a reported $20 million price, the unique piece features 425 yellow diamonds totaling 216.89 carats, along with 76 tsavorites. Its skeletonized tourbillon movement is housed in an 18-karat yellow-gold case and provides a 72-hour power reserve.

7. Patek Philippe Henry Graves Supercomplication — $24 Million

Photo Credit: Hodinkee

Commissioned by New York financier Henry Graves Jr., the Patek Philippe Henry Graves Supercomplication was completed in 1933 after years of development. The pocket watch contains 24 complications, including a celestial chart showing the night sky above Graves' Manhattan home. It sold for CHF 23.2 million at Christie's Geneva in 2014, setting a record for the most expensive timepiece ever sold at auction at the time.

6. Chopard 201-Carat Watch — $25 Million

Photo Credit: Watch Origin

The Chopard 201-Carat Watch is as much a piece of high jewelry as it is a timepiece. It contains 874 diamonds totaling 201 carats, including pink, blue, and white center stones. Three heart-shaped diamonds open with a spring-loaded mechanism to reveal the watch dial, while the reported $25 million value reflects the extraordinary collection of gemstones used in its design.

5. Jaeger-LeCoultre Joaillerie 101 Manchette — $26 Million

Photo Credit: Jaeger-LeCoultre (Official Media)

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Joaillerie 101 Manchette combines a bracelet covered in diamonds with the brand's historic Calibre 101 movement. Created in 1929, the Calibre 101 is one of the smallest mechanical movements ever made. The jewelry version is reported to contain 576 diamonds and carries a reported value of approximately $26 million.

4. Breguet Grande Complication No. 160 “Marie-Antoinette” — Approximately $30 Million

Photo Credit: Breguet (Official Media)

Breguet No. 160, better known as the “Marie-Antoinette,” is one of the most famous watches in horological history. Commissioned in 1783 by an unidentified admirer, the pocket watch was completed in 1827 and contains an extensive collection of complications. Its frequently reported $30 million value is an estimate, not the result of a confirmed public sale.

3. Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A — $38 Million

Photo Credit: Hodinkee

Created as a unique stainless-steel watch for the 2019 Only Watch charity auction, the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A sold for 31 million Swiss (USD 38 million) francs in Geneva. The watch features 20 complications and a reversible double-sided case, including a grande sonnerie, minute repeater, alarm, and perpetual calendar. Its auction result remains the highest confirmed price ever paid for a watch at public auction.

2. Graff Diamonds The Fascination — $40 Million

Photo Credit: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP - Getty Images

The Graff Diamonds Fascination was unveiled in 2015 with a reported value of $40 million. Covered in 152.96 carats of white diamonds, the watch features a 38.13-carat pear-shaped diamond at its center that can be removed and worn as a ring. The reported $40 million figure represents its stated value rather than a documented auction sale.

1. Graff Diamonds Hallucination — $55 Million

Photo Credit: Graff Diamonds

The Graff Diamonds Hallucination was unveiled at Baselworld in 2014 with a reported price of $55 million. Its platinum bracelet is covered with 110 carats of rare colored diamonds in shades of pink, yellow, blue, green, and orange. The stones were individually selected and hand-set, creating a piece that combines high jewelry with traditional watchmaking. The $55 million figure is a reported valuation rather than a confirmed auction price.

By ML Staff.