The most expensive watches ever sold at auction

Source: Passion Asset Advisory Watch Auction Records, compiled from the auction-house records linked in each row. The houses report the prices; the list preserves their currencies and stated date precision. The two US$10.2m Patek results are close: Phillips reports US$10,255,212 for the Hong Kong Ref. 2499 and US$10,245,807 for the Geneva “South America” Ref. 2523. Their displayed rounded values should not be used to claim a meaningful valuation gap.

The Gobbi Milano blue-enamel Ref. 2523, sold for HK$70,175,000 in 2019, remains important but now sits outside this top ten. Christie’s historical result summary records that sale. One watch sold twice is counted at its higher result, not as two separate objects.

The Ref. 6300A-010 was made for the 2019 Only Watch charity auction. Its stainless-steel case, reversible display and 20 complications distinguish the specific watch. This is not the sale price of a regular production Grandmaster Chime. Christie’s original lot description.

Charity auctions bring together exceptional objects, donors and bidders under conditions that differ from ordinary resale. The result is real; using it as a comparable for a standard watch requires much more caution.

The 2024 Only Watch Ref. 6301A-010 entered the list at CHF15.7m. In 2025, Phillips sold the steel Ref. 1518 for CHF14.19m, or US$17.631m as reported by the house. That is a reported sale total, not a CHF14.19m hammer price.

Three results in 2026 matter here: the Hong Kong pink-gold Ref. 2499, Geneva’s “South America” Ref. 2523 and New York’s Journe Souscription No. 007. The table keeps each house’s original currency and published dollar comparison visible.

These results tell us what bidders paid for those objects at those sales. They do not establish that every watch category recovered, that every owner could sell quickly or that the same price would be achieved again.

The FFC Prototype from Francis Ford Coppola’s collection reached US$10,755,000 in December 2025. In June 2026, Souscription Résonance No. 007 reached US$13,922,000. Phillips identified the latter as an independent-maker record at that sale. Phillips’ June 2026 results.

The FFC’s provenance and prototype status, and the Résonance’s early subscription identity, make them exceptional. A change in the maker’s auction record is not the percentage return of a normal production watch or a portfolio.

See the highest F.P. Journe auction results for the maker-specific ranking. Our F.P. Journe auction results page lists selected verified records and their price basis. It is a source ledger, not a claim to include every private or public transaction.

1. Object identity: reference, serial or case number, movement and configuration establish what actually sold.
2. Rarity: a unique piece or unusual material can matter, but the production claim needs a source.
3. Provenance: documented ownership can distinguish two otherwise similar watches.
4. Condition and originality: replaced or restored components can make headline comparisons unreliable.
5. Sale context: charity, guarantees, bidding competition, buyer’s premium and currency affect interpretation.

Complication and craftsmanship matter too, but a list of functions is not a valuation model. Neither is a famous name on its own.

A luxury watch may carry a large retail price or insurance valuation without ever selling publicly. Such figures are not included. Undisclosed private transactions cannot be ranked responsibly without a reliable record of the asset and price.

Jewellery watches are not less legitimate watches, and owner gender does not determine whether a result belongs here. The test is evidence: an identified timepiece, an auction and a documented result. We make no claim about the highest price paid privately for any watch.

Sources are linked in each row. The list combines commercial and clearly identified charity auctions; it includes the Henry Graves pocket watch. Dollar values are historical reporting equivalents, rounded for comparison, not inflation-adjusted returns. Source checks completed on 28 September 2026; the ranking’s stated coverage ends with the June 2026 season.

“House-reported sale total” retains the published amount without reconstructing a hammer price or assuming a premium breakdown. A premium-inclusive label is used only where that basis is confirmed. Month-only and multi-day sale dates are labelled rather than presented as an exact lot day. None of these figures is the seller’s net or a promise that every tax and delivery cost is included.

House summaries can contain typographical errors. Where a summary and an individual lot disagree, the lot result is preferred: the FFC entry uses Phillips’ US$10,755,000 lot result. No dealer asking price or unverified private valuation is presented as a closed sale.

For an individual watch, use watch appraisal and valuation. If you want to sell a luxury watch privately, compare expected net proceeds and timing, not a record-lot headline. A free sale estimate is different from a $500 written report; neither guarantees the price at a future sale.

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For a decision about an individual Journe rather than a record lot, read the F.P. Journe value guide.