More than five years ago, we published a piece about watches more expensive than a Ferrari. Each and every one of those watches is still more expensive than your supercar of choice because great watches appreciate in value like the cars they’re more expensive than, but that list was hardly comprehensive. Here are 8 more watches more expensive than a Ferrari, some of the most expensive watches in the world. We know we’ll never be able to afford anything on this list, or even comprehend how half of them work, but sometimes it’s fun just to window shop.
Vacheron Constantin Reference 57260
$10,000,000+
With 57 total complications (including eight Hebrew calendar functions, seven alarms, seven perpetual calendars and nine astronomical functions), close to three thousand parts and eight years of work from three separate specialist watch makers, the Vacheron Constantin Reference 57260 is the most complicated watch ever made. We don’t know how many parts and complications were used to build the Death Star, but we’re willing to bet that, if you factor in size, this watch is more complicated. Even if you had $10 million burning a hole in your pocket, this was specially made for a private collector and is one of a kind. Link
MB&F Horological Machine No 6 (Space Pirate)
$230,000
MB&F (aka Maximilian Büsser and Friends) is responsible for some of the most ridiculous creations on the market. The HM6, dubbed the “Space Pirate,” features a biomorphic case with a 360° viewing sphere at each of the corners. Two spheres are used to display hours and minutes, while the others house turbines to regulate the winding system. In the middle of the watch you’ll find a 60-second flying tourbillon with a retractable shield to protect from UV radiation. If you need a watch for your next trip to outer space, this is the one you want. Link
Greubel Forsey Quadruple Tourbillon
$830,000+
The Greubel Forsey Quadruple Tourbillon Secret isn’t the most expensive watch on this list, but you could still pick up every supercar you had a picture of on your walls as a kid—except the Porsche 959 at today’s prices—with enough money left over to build a fancy new garage for less than the cost of this watch. What are you getting instead of a Ferrari Testarossa, Lamborghini Countach and BMW M1? Four independent tourbillons housed in an asymmetrical case with either a 5N red gold with anthracite dial or a platinum case with silvered-fold dial. Each watch takes a full year to make and is hand-finished by 18 different people. Link
Christophe Claret DualTow NightEagle
$500,000+
Christophe Claret’s DualTow NightEagle was inspired by the American F-117 Nighthawk stealth aircraft, but unlike its inspiration, this watch will never go unnoticed. Hours and five minute increments are displayed with specially designed, parallel rolling belt indicators on each side of the dial that are powered by cylinders designed like the wheel rims of a Bugatti T35. You’ll also see the innovative single-pusher chronograph operating with the use of nine identical planetary gears that were designed to resemble a celestial nebula. With production limited to 68 pieces, there are about as many of these watches as there are actual F-117 Nighthawks. Link
Franck Muller Aeternitas Tourbillon Repeater 8888 GSW T CCR QPS NR
$1,500,000+
Franck Muller has been making supremely complicated watches for over three decades and was one of the first to make a tourbillon visible from the front. In case the face of the watch you see here doesn’t paint enough of a picture, the man is known as the “Master of Complications.” The Aeternitas Tourbillon Repeater 8888 GSW T CCR QPS NR has a name almost as complicated as the watch itself, but each of the close to fifteen hundred parts serves a very specific purpose. If the mechanical masterpiece of the only “Grand Sonnerie” time-keeper with a dial visible tourbillon isn’t quite luxurious enough for you, it also sits on a hand-sewn black alligator strap. Link
Jaeger-LeCoultre Hybris Mechanica à Grande Sonnerie
$1,100,000+
Once the “world’s most complicated watch,” the Jaeger-LeCoultre Hybris Mechanica à Grande Sonnerie was originally released as part of set of three watches that, combined, had over 55 complications. This watch alone has 26 different complications, but the functions that the 1,472 parts produce are limited to time, perpetual calendar and a complex sonnerie chiming mechanism that plays the entire Westminster chimes melody. It’s a complicated watch that’s highly collectible, but ultimately it’s more about a clean aesthetic than cramming in everything but the kitchen sink. It’s the Jaguar E-Type of watches. Link
Henry Graves Jr. Patek Philippe Supercomplication
$21,000,000+
No list of expensive watches would be complete without at least one entry from Patek Philippe, but the Henry Graves Jr. Supercomplication is in a world of its own within the scope of the Patek Philippe universe. Beginning in 1925 and constructed over a period of seven years, the Henry Graves Jr. Supercomplication houses 24 different complications in a gold, double-dialed and double open-faced case with the entire piece weighing over a pound. The world’s most expensive watch has been owned by at least one member of a royal family and is so significant that it has its own Wikipedia page. Link
Jean Dunand Shabaka 2015
$500,000+
Founded in 2003 by Theirry Oulevay and Christophe Claret, Jean Dunand was named after a Swiss-born artist who was one of the great craftsmen of the Art Deco movement. The luxury, glamor and exuberance that the period represented can be found in all of Jean Dunand’s timepieces, but most apparently in the 2015 release of the Shabaka. The watch might be housed in a round case and have rotating hands to display the time, but the perpetual calendar is unlike anything you’ve seen before because it uses multiple rotating cylinders to display day, date and month. If the opulent, dark red, casino-style dial isn’t quite your speed, don’t worry—each and every watch will be completely unique and made to order based on your preferences. Link
