Top 10 Most Expensive Watch Brands
1. F.P. Journe
Starting Price: $30,000
Most Expensive Watch: $1,167,000
F. P. Journe is the most costly watch brand on our list. François-Paul Journe founded his company in 1999, and his timepieces follow the 18th-century watchmaking tradition of discovery and craftsmanship. “My perspective will never change… how could I ever consider producing watches that do not adhere to the fundamental values of Haute Horology?” Journe said. It’s just not conceivable.” He designed his first wristwatch in 1992, using a remontoire technique he had previously invented for a pocket watch. This became the template for the Tourbillon Souverain watches, which were a huge success when they were presented in 1999.
2. Richard Mille
Starting Price: $30,000
Most expensive Watch: $2,000,000
Richard Mille had been working in the watch industry since 1974. His desire to develop ground breaking luxury timepieces drove him to establish his own company in 1999. Mille designed his first clock in 2001, using techniques and materials used in the packaging of airplanes and Formula One racing cars. “A racing machine on the wrist,” was one of the brand’s early slogans. Mille merged his passion for Swiss watchmaking history with technologically advanced materials.
3. Patek Philippe
Starting Price: $18,000
Most Expensive Watch: $11,000,000
Antoine Norbert de Patek created Patek Philippe in 1839 and it is still the last independent, family-owned German watch manufacturer. Patek was intrigued by Geneva’s rich manufacturing history, and the brand is still committed to classic Genevan watchmaking to this day. Patek hired French watchmaker Jean Adrien Philippe in 1845 after learned of Philippe’s development of a system for winding a watch’s movement without the use of a separate key. The innovation of a keyless movement was so forward-thinking that watch winding mechanisms today still adhere to this basic philosophy.
4. Audemars Piguet
Starting Price: $15,000
Most Expensive Watch: $869,000
Audemars Piguet was created in 1875 by Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet. They were inspired by the natural splendor of Switzerland’s Vallée de Joux. The brand combined ancient watchmaking foundations with emerging technical talents of the period to create an extraordinary work of art. From 1882 through 1892, more than 80% of their timepieces included at least one complication, and in many cases several. When the Royal Oak Offshore was introduced in 1993, it was deemed unusually large for the time, measuring 42mm. This watch exuded toughness and endurance, eventually gaining the attention of superstars such as Jay-Z and altering watch trends.
5. Vacheron Constantin
Starting Price: $15,000
Most Expensive Watch: $11,000,000
Vacheron Constantin was founded in 1755 and is the world’s oldest quality watch manufacturer. They are credited with inventing the first known complexities for days and dates around 1790. They also created the first six quarter-repeater watches, which may be set to strike the hours and quarters if the wearer so desires. When Georges Auguste joined the company in 1839, he was able to standardize the movements of timepieces into calibers, revolutionizing the timepiece industry.
6. A. Lange & Sohne
Starting Price: $11,200
Most Expensive Watch: $2,500,000
A.Lange & Sohne, a luxury German watch company founded in 1845, is noted for making only mechanical movements. The logo of the brand is “state of the art tradition,” which combines tradition and innovation. Ed Sheeran, Bill Clinton, and Russia’s Alexander II are among those who have worn A. Lange & Sohne.
7. Jaeger-Lecoultre
Starting Price: $4,050
Most Expensive Watch: $2,500,000
Jaeger LeCoultre watches were founded in Switzerland in 1833 by Antoine LeCoultre and have been worn by celebrities such as Charlize Theron, King Edward VIII, and, more recently, Jay Z and Kit Harrington. The firm invented the world’s tiniest mechanical movement, established the record for the world’s thinnest movement, designed one of the most complicated watches, and invented the Millionomètre, the world’s first instrument capable of measuring a micron.
8. Rolex
Starting Price: $5,000+
Most expensive Watch: $17,800,000
Rolex, arguably the most emblematic of luxury timepieces, was founded in 1905 in London as “Wilsdorf and Davis.” Founded in 1926 as an importer of Swiss watch movements into the UK, the company flourished and established its reputation with the first entirely waterproof watch: the Oyster. Rolex watches have become a mainstay among the rich and famous around the world, serving as a sign of luxury and accomplishment. In fact, Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona sold for a record-breaking $17.8 million at auction.
9. Breguet
Starting Price: $9,500
Most Expensive Watch: $10,000,000
Breguet, one of the few luxury watch brands that originated in France, is now headquartered in Switzerland. Abraham-Louis Breguet was a Swiss watchmaker who established himself in Paris. For 100 years, from 1870 to 1970, the corporation was owned by the Brown family in the United Kingdom. Napoleon Bonaparte was among the numerous notable names that admired Breguet’s timepieces. Breguet, famous for creating the Marie Antoinette pocket watch, was commissioned by one of the Queen’s lovers to construct a stunning watch for her. “There is a queen in every woman,” is the company’s motto.
10. Blancpain
Starting Price: $9,000
Most Expensive Watch: $1.34 million
Blancpain, the world’s oldest luxury watch manufacturer still in business today, was founded in 1735. Jehan-Jacques Blancpain began manufacturing watches in a small Swiss village over 200 years ago, and the Swiss watch brand has remained family-operated for nearly 200 years.
