THE 5 MOST EXPENSIVE WATCHES IN THE WORLD!

INTRO What are the 5 most expensive watches in history? The prices of new in the watch sector are already difficult to understand for the uninitiated, but it is even worse when it comes to auctions. Between history, rarity, condition, materials, designs and so on, the number of criteria to consider when estimating the price of a watch is endless . Today, we are looking at the 5 most expensive wristwatches ever sold. But before going into more detail on this top 5, let's quickly list the watches from 10th to 6th place. So let's start with this Rolex Daytona 6265 in white gold nicknamed "The Unicorn", “The Unicorn” a unique 37 millimeter piece produced in 1970 and sold in 2018 in Geneva for 5,937,000 dollars or around 5,623,000 euros for the 10th most expensive watch. of the world. And be careful because we are already starting strong and it will go crescendo! There are also only 2 Rolexes in this ranking and it is therefore the first.   Patek Philippe 5208T-010 In number 9: A Patek Philippe 5208T-010, another unique piece, this time in titanium. This single-pusher chronograph with perpetual calendar is equipped with a third complication : a minute repeater. It was produced and sold for the 2017 Only Watch sale for 6,226,000 dollars, or approximately 5,884,000 euros for the benefit of research for myopathy. We'll talk about Only Watch later at the end of the video... Patek Philippe 5711 Blue Tiffany & Co     In 8th place is the famous Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1A-018, a limited edition in steel with a Tiffany blue dial sold for 6,503,000 dollars in 2021, or approximately 6,157,000 euros, this time for the benefit of the environment with the association The Nature Conservancy. This makes it the most expensive Nautilus in the world, well, unless our calculations on Bernard Arnaud's Nautilus are correct. We know that as long as it's not sold, it's not quantifiable, but go take a look at our video on the subject if you want to know more.   Patek Philippe 5016A-010 In number 7: We stay at Patek with this 5016A-010, another triple complication combining a perpetual calendar with a moon phase, a tourbillon and a minute repeater. It was sold in 2015 in Geneva for 7,260,000 dollars , or approximately 6,857,000 euros. In number 6: Patek Philippe Worldtime 2523 Eurasia Here is a piece from 1953, the very first Patek Philippe 2523 Wordtime ever produced with its cloisonné enamel dial. A yellow gold watch with a world time complication sold in 2021 for 7,682,000 dollars or 7,255,000 euros. The preliminaries are now over, We now come to the top 5! Patek Philippe Gobbi Milano “Worldtime” ref 2523 Number 5: Patek Philippe Gobbi Milano "Worldtime" Ref. 2523 Same reference as the previous watch with its two crowns at 3 and 9 o'clock, it was also produced in 1953 but is on the other hand in pink gold with a dial entirely in blue enamel. There would only be two pieces like this in the world, but this one in particular comes with a double signature offering it an immeasurable rarity which also makes it a unique piece. We can therefore read "Gobbi Milano" at 6 o'clock, referring to the Patek distributor based in Milan. It was sold in 2019 in Hong Kong for 8,967,000 dollars or 8,470,000 euros. Number 4: Patek Philippe 1518 or rose Patek Philippe 1518 in rose gold Let's move on to this Patek Philippe 1518 in rose gold, a chronograph with moon phases and perpetual calendar that is approaching the 10 million mark. This is an even older timepiece than the two previous ones since its origins date back to 1948. Its size of 35 millimeters fits perfectly into the codes of the time and gives it a rare elegance. The first 1518 launched in 1941 marks the beginning of serial perpetual calendar chronographs at Patek, but also in the world of watchmaking as a whole. 281 copies would have been produced, of which only 58 in pink gold. The majority were equipped with a silver dial and only a handful had pink dials like this one. This is the 14th ever seen on the market. This piece belonged to the Prince of Egypt, Prince Mohammed Tewfik A. Toussou, who acquired it in 1951 and kept it all his life. It therefore never changed hands or was offered for sale for more than 70 years. It is also the only known 1518 in pink gold which was sold with its certificate of origin which dates from July 1951. It has been worn very little and has spent most of its time in a trunk. It has never been polished and therefore retains its original finishes, which have suffered very little from the weather. This is also the case for the superb dial which retains its original luster and its enamel scales and which shows very few traces of time. This 1518 therefore combines a renowned house, precious materials, a strong watchmaking history in addition to a history at the level of its owner, an impressive rarity and perfect condition. All the conditions were met for this piece to be considered a real museum piece, which would therefore reach stratospheric prices when it was sold. It was finally sold in 2021 in New York for 9,570,000 dollars or 9,040,000 euros. Patek Philippe 1518 en acier Number 3: Patek Philippe 1518 in steel We finally pass the 10 million with this other Patek Philippe 1518 even older than that of the prince of Egypt since it was produced in 1943, only two years after the start of production and was sold in February 44. This is one of only 4 steel versions that have been seen on the market, making it one of the rarest Pateks on the planet. Even the brand's museum in Geneva does not have an identical version even though it is Patek's largest private collection in the world. These 4 pieces are quietly kept in some of the most incredible private collections on the planet and when this one was offered for sale in 2016, it had been over 10 years since the market had seen a 1518 in steel. Below its serial number, we can see the number "1", which means that it is the very first steel case in history produced for a 1518. We remain here on 35 millimeters and on a perpetual calendar displayed in French. The case itself is made of steel, although it was only during the 1970s that the brand began to produce series watches using this metal. Prior to this, cases were almost exclusively made of precious metals including gold of various colors or platinum. Steel was reserved for special orders from professionals such as doctors or engineers who needed ultra-precise and technical wristwatches, while retaining an important versatile aspect and resistance to active lifestyles. This largely explains why many collectors view the steel Patek Grande Complications as true holy grails and as evidence of a true and profound knowledge of horological history. This 1518, as rare as it is enigmatic, therefore appeared on the market in 2016 in absolutely magnificent condition and the steel case shows almost no signs of polishing, shock, scratches or the like. All the parts are original, the finishes have retained their early 1940s luster, the dial retains its superb appearance with the scales and the name of the house in perfectly executed enamel. In terms of history, this watch was sold in 1944 to a certain Joseph Lang from Budapest, Hungary. Its list price at the time was 2,265 Swiss francs, 500 francs less than the gold versions. It may also be interesting to note that on the day of his purchase, Mr. Lang had not actually bought a steel 1518, but two! History does not say who these two watches were made for, but they both resurfaced in Hungary in the 90s and 2000s. Considered by many to be the most important steel Patek Philippe in history , it was sold in 2016 in Geneva for 11,137,000 dollars, or 10,522,000 euros. Rolex Daytona 6239 “Paul Newman” Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime 6300A-010 Number 2: Rolex Daytona 6239 "Paul Newman" We leave Patek by approaching the winner with this Rolex Daytona "Paul Newman" from 1968, a piece that many watch enthusiasts have heard of since it has remained , until 2019, the most expensive wristwatch in the world. We are once again in the presence of a piece from a renowned brand, sold in impeccable condition, which represents a piece of history in world watchmaking and which belonged to a public figure admired and adored by many because this Daytona panda was Paul Newman's personal watch. It was a gift from his wife in the 1970s who had the case bottom engraved with the words "Drive Carefully. Me". It was a wink, as if to remind the actor-turned-pilot that his wife was waiting for him after the finish line and that it was more important to arrive alive than to arrive first. Mr Newman seemed to have a particular love for this watch which very rarely left his wrist, until the 80s when his wife gave him a new Daytona, a reference 6263. The historic 6239 was then offered to the girlfriend of the daughter of Paul Newman and it remained in his possession until that famous auction in 2019. The name Daytona dates back to 1962, to celebrate the fact that Rolex then became the official timekeeper of the Daytona 500, a 500 Mile car race , or 805 kilometers, on the famous Daytona circuit in the United States. Since that time and still today, the winners of this legendary race are awarded a Daytona. But this 6239 didn't have just any panda dial. It was a so-called "exotic" dial which is characterized among other things by an art deco style font and very specific indexes in the sub-dials. These exotic dials had very little success when they were released and were therefore produced in very limited quantities, which logically plays on their rarity today. Several experts agree that during their production period, one in 20 Daytonas featured an exotic dial. It was only in the 90s and 2000s that these sundials gained widespread interest, largely following the publication of the book "Paul Newman: The images of a life", a version of the cover of which presented the actor and pilot wearing this Daytona with a dial so rarely featured at the time. This 6239, driven by the Rolex 722 caliber developed on a Valjoux 72 base, is moreover the only Daytona called "Paul Newman" which truly belonged to the icon who gave it its nickname. The different references that are part of the Paul Newman Daytona when equipped with exotic dials are the 6239, the original reference that Paul Newman wore, the 6240, the 6241, the 6262, the 6263, the 6264 and the 6265. The most accessible is the most classic: the 6239, except of course when it comes to the one which belonged to the legend and which therefore created the genesis. This historic piece was sold in 2017 in New York, in front of a room of more than 700 potential buyers, for 17,753,000 dollars, or 16,772,000 euros by an anonymous buyer who bid over the phone. Part of the profits are once again going to associations, including one set up by the family of Paul Newman. The actor was a quiet philanthropist and when his daughter and her ex-boyfriend decided to sell this watch, they knew he wished it was for a good cause. It was then an absolute record for the time, until the 8th edition of the Only Watch event came to an end... Number 1: Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime 6300A- 010 2019, Patek has set the bar very, very high with this unique Grandmaster Chime produced as we said for the Only Watch event. We return here to a watch in steel, an extremely rare metal for the manufacture, especially when we are talking about watches with Grandes Complications as is the case here. It is also the only Grandmaster Chime using this material. The watch is here magnificently decorated and guilloché with the "Clous de Paris" motif and measures 47.7 millimeters in diameter and 16.07 in thickness, which makes it a relatively imposing piece, while maintaining an elegance and class that is difficult to match. The Grandmaster Chime was unveiled to the public in 2014 but only became part of the catalog in 2016. It was then offered in a white gold case. It is the house's most complicated wristwatch with its 20 complications. Among these, there are five sound complications, two of which are world exclusives : an alarm sounding the time that is programmed, and a date repeater, which therefore indicates the current date in an audible way. Jay-Z is one of the few celebrities who have been seen wearing a Grandmaster Chime, especially at the 50th birthday of his friend P-Diddy. It has a version with black and white dials and we talked about it in our video on this collection. Its steel case is reversible thanks to a unique rotation mechanism patented by the brand. The watch therefore has two 18-carat gold dials. On this version which holds the price record, there is one pink gold color and another in black. On the rose gold dial, the sub-dial at 12 o'clock indicates the alarm time and bears the inscription "THE ONLY ONE", a detail specific to this unique piece for Only Watch. It was sold in Geneva for 31,000,000 Swiss francs, or approximately 30,000,000 euros. There is therefore a gap of around 14 million euros between the first and the second most expensive ever sold...   And you, would you be willing to pay for such an expensive watch if you could afford it? Anyway, thank you for watching this video, we hope you enjoyed it and don't hesitate to check out another one!   With that, see you soon the calibrated ones!