Your watch collection might be incomplete unless it features a Patek Philippe.
One of the world’s most illustrious and expensive watch brands, Patek Philippe was co-created by Polish watchmaker Antoni Patek and inventor of keyless winding mechanism Adrien Philippe (who replaced former co-founder Franciszek Czapek).
It immediately received a royal stamp of approval when Queen Victoria bought their keyless pendant watch from the Great Exhibition in London – it was an exquisite piece featuring rose-cut diamonds set in the shape of a bouquet. The brand’s royal patronage was cemented when the Queen bought yet another Patek Philippe – this time, it was a gold timepiece suspended from a diamond and enamel brooch.
Thus, Patek Philippe was the creme of the luxury watch crop, sported by royals, aristocrats, and the landed gentry. Sculpted splendidly, hosting intricate complications, and dressed in jewels, its luxuriant allure has been imitable for centuries. However, the brand has steadfastly held onto its exclusivity, producing only about 60,000 watches a year and showcasing their work in only a handful of retailers.
Let’s dive deep into the mystifying world of Patek Philippe by counting down its most expensive watches of all time.
The Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A-010: $31 Million
The Grandmaster Chime 6300A-010, the first and only version of its kind, was created specifically for the biennial 2019 Only Watch auction.
A sole wonder, the stainless steel watch is equipped with 20 complications dotting the rim of the case and five chiming modes. The stellar rose gold dial is embellished with gold-accented Breguet numerals. One side of the complication-ridden case rim is crafted in steel and the other in dark ebony, evoking the contrast between day and night.
Two chiming modes are new inventions that have been patented; an acoustic alarm and a date repeater, tooting the date as needed. The case also features a hand-guilloche hobnail pattern as a dignified nod to forgotten traditional crafts. To add to its utter uniqueness, when the clock strikes 12, the phrase "The Only One" appears on the auxiliary dial.
Christie’s valued this watch at CHF 3,000,000 (which equates to $3.4 million). However, it fetched nearly ten times the estimated value, going for a whopping $31 million at the gavel drop.
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Patek Philippe The Henry Graves Jr. Supercomplication: $24 Million
Made with 18-carat gold and featuring 24 complications, the Henry Graves Jr. Supercomplication is one of the world’s most complicated manual pocket watches.
It was commissioned by banker Henry Graves Jr. to compete with American automaker James Ward Packard, who was a proud owner of the Grande Complication pocket watch. Each magnate was trying to outdo the other in the watch collection battle, and both commissioned grand timepieces from Patek Philippe.
This Supercomplication took three years to design and five years to make. The 24 complications included a perpetual calendar, sunrise and sunset times, and a cosmic map of New York as seen from Graves's apartment. It remained the world’s most complicated watch for five decades, leading to Graves effectively beating Packard in the luxury watch-off.
Graves spent $15,000 on the watch in the 1930s. It was showcased at a Sotheby’s auction six decades later, where it went for $11 million to the Qatari Royal Family. After the death of Prince Sheikh Saud in 2014, it was sent once again for a Sotheby’s auction, where it fetched $24 million.
Grande and Petite Sonnerie Minute Repeater Ref. 6301A: $18.2 Million
The 6301A is yet another exclusive Only Watch series, renowned for its grande et petite sonnerie and minute repeater feature. Only 30 units of this model were made.
The green enamel dial is fitted with 12 baguette-cut diamond hour markers and is etched with a grande feu portrait of Philippe Stern, all held together by a stainless steel case.
As a solitary grande et petite sonnerie, the watch has two vital modes – it strikes every quarter hour in grande sonnerie and every hour in petit sonnerie. Its manually wound calibre GS 36-750 PS IRM movement can be seen through the exhibition caseback. Additionally, it can chime the time at the push of a button set on the crown. There’s also a feature to set the watch to silent mode.
Watch collector Zach Lu bought Ref. 6301A at an online Christie’s Only Watch auction for CHF 15,700,000 ($ 18.2 million).
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Patek Philippe Stainless Steel Ref. 1518: $11.1 Million
Patek Philippe’s Ref. 1518 was the world’s first range of perpetual calendar watches, creating seismic waves in the horology industry. Only 281 were produced between 1941 and 1954 – four in stainless steel, about 60 in pink gold, and the rest in yellow gold. Rumour has it that some models were made by combining steel and pink gold. Some sources have also theorised the existence of platinum models, though none have been discovered.
The stainless steel Ref. 1518 is one of the rarest Patek Philippes in the world, being a patented first and one of only four units. It was the most advanced watch of its time, being donned by royals and aristocrats from around the world.
The production of the steel 1518s is shrouded in mystery. It has been speculated that three were made by casemaker George Croisier as per some inscriptions they bear. The fourth has no such markings, leading to the conclusion that it was made by another casemaker.
This stainless steel watch, whose maker remains a mystery, is nonetheless a veritable fragment of horological history. It was auctioned off in 2016 in Geneva for CHF 11,002,000 ($11.1 million).
Patek Philippe 'Prince Tewfik' Pink on Pink 1518: $9.6 Million
The 'Prince Tewfik' Pink on Pink 1518 is one of the aforementioned Ref. 1518s. Thus, not only was it one of the world’s first perpetual calendar watches, but it is also of royal breed, having belonged to Prince Tewfik Adil 'T.A.' Tousson of Egypt.
A member of the Muhammad Ali dynasty, Prince Tewfik is a direct descendant of the founder of modern Egypt. He bought the watch in 1951 and fled Egypt the following year during the Egyptian Revolution. After travelling around Europe, he ended up settling down in the United States, where he pursued higher education and became an academic. The watch was in a safe deposit box for the rest of his life, accounting for its exemplary condition.
Out of the 60 1518 pink gold units, only 13 units of this specific pink on pink model (a pink gold case with a salmon dial) were ever produced, making this the second rarest 1518 series after stainless steel. The rosy-hued dial featured a French calendar with moon phases.
Prince Tewfik also preserved this watch’s Certificate of Origin, Operating Instructions manual, and the original box. As such, this is the only 1518 unit with original certifications, testifying to its authenticity. Its unspoiled, minted condition undoubtedly augmented its net worth significantly.
Prince Tewfik's Pink on Pink 1518 was auctioned off after his death in 2021. Valued at $2 million by Sotheby’s, the watch went for a thumping $9.6 million.
Patek Philippe is the epitome of sheer beauty and timeless elegance. Bedecked in ethereal magnificence and crowned by royalty, its prestige is illimited. Indeed, Patek Philippe lives up to its grandiose slogan – "You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation."
