Most Expensive Watch Brands Ranked

The most expensive watch brands are Patek Philippe, Jacob & Co., Rolex and Audemars Piguet when ranked by the highest price paid or asked for a single watch. Patek Philippe holds the auction record: its Grandmaster Chime 6300A sold for 31 million Swiss francs, about $33.6 million, at Christie’s in Geneva on 9 November 2019. Rankings are as of October 2026.

This ranking uses each brand’s highest confirmed auction result or published price, alongside resale prices for its regular models as tracked by Loupe on 15 October 2026.

Which watch brand is the most expensive?

Patek Philippe is the most expensive watch brand by auction results. It holds the record for any wristwatch sold at auction, CHF 31 million, about $33.6 million, for the stainless steel Grandmaster Chime 6300A at the Only Watch charity sale run by Christie’s in Geneva in November 2019, according to Guinness World Records.

Also readPatek Philippe vs Audemars Piguet: Which Holds Value Better

It also holds the pocket watch record. The Henry Graves Jr. Supercomplication, made between 1925 and 1932, sold for CHF 23.2 million, about $24 million, at Sotheby’s in Geneva on 11 November 2014. Patek Philippe describes itself as the last independent, family-owned watch manufacturer in Geneva, and is led by Thierry Stern. Regular models are far less extreme: a Calatrava 6119R in rose gold is listed at $37,510 and an Aquanaut 5167A at $27,257 on Patek Philippe’s website.

For a model-by-model view of record sales, see our list of the most expensive watches.

Most expensive watch brands ranked

Below Patek Philippe, the ranking splits into brands with high auction records and brands whose new watches carry the highest published prices. Each entry gives the record price and, where available, what regular models cost.

2. Jacob & Co.

Jacob & Co., founded by jeweller Jacob Arabo, makes the most expensive diamond watches on this list. Its Billionaire watch was unveiled at Baselworld in 2015 with an $18 million price tag, and Floyd Mayweather showed his on Instagram in June 2018, according to Forbes. The one-off Billionaire Timeless Treasure carries a $20 million price. It was cut from 880 carats of rough yellow diamonds, with 216.89 carats set in the case, according to JCK. The brand has not said whether it has sold. Most of the value comes from the stones rather than the movement.

3. Rolex

Rolex’s highest auction result is $17,752,500 for Paul Newman’s own Daytona ref. 6239, sold by Phillips in New York on 26 October 2017. At the time it was a world record for a wristwatch at auction. New Rolex watches are much cheaper: a Submariner 124060 is listed at $10,050 on Rolex’s US website. Our Rolex price guide lists current retail prices model by model, and our ranking of the most expensive Rolex watches of all time covers its auction records.

4. Audemars Piguet

Audemars Piguet’s Grosse Pièce pocket watch sold for about $7.7 million with fees at Sotheby’s New York in December 2025. The buyer was Audemars Piguet itself, which added the watch to its heritage collection, according to National Jeweler. The result beat the brand’s previous high of $5.2 million for the one-off Royal Oak Concept Black Panther in 2021. On the resale market, Loupe tracks Audemars Piguet models from $7,623 to $457,390 as of October 2026.

5. F.P. Journe

F.P. Journe was founded by François-Paul Journe in 1999 and makes about 900 watches a year, according to Forbes in 2018, the year Chanel bought a 20% stake in the company. Its FFC Blue, made with film director Francis Ford Coppola, sold for CHF 4.5 million, about $4.9 million, at the Only Watch charity auction run by Christie’s on 6 November 2021.

6. Breguet

Breguet’s record is $4,686,120, or CHF 4,339,000, for the Breguet & Fils No. 2667, a gold precision pocket watch with two movements made in 1814. It sold at Christie’s Geneva in May 2012, a record for any Breguet watch at auction, and was bought by the brand’s own president for the Breguet Museum. Current Breguet watches range from $9,500 for a Type XX to $39,600 to $40,700 for a Classique Le Réveil du Tsar, according to WatchCharts.

7. Vacheron Constantin

Vacheron Constantin, founded in Geneva in 1755 and now part of Richemont, sold a gold pocket watch presented to King Fuad I of Egypt in 1929 for CHF 3,306,250 at Antiquorum in Geneva on 3 April 2005. The watch has a minute repeater, grande sonnerie and perpetual calendar. Loupe tracks the brand’s models from $5,254 to $144,821 on the resale market.

8. A. Lange & Söhne

A. Lange & Söhne of Glashütte, Germany, was refounded in 1990 and is part of Richemont. Its 2013 Grand Complication was made in a series of six, each at a retail price of almost €2 million, according to Monochrome. Its highest auction result for a wristwatch is $852,525 for a stainless steel 1815 Homage to Walter Lange at Phillips Geneva in May 2018. Loupe tracks its models from $18,029 to $77,858.

9. Richard Mille

Richard Mille has the highest entry price of the brands Loupe tracks in this article. Its cheapest tracked model, the RM 033, trades at about $74,869, and models range up to $1,494,065 for an RM 052 Mask Tourbillon, according to Loupe in October 2026. Its RM 67-02 Charles Leclerc prototype sold for CHF 2.1 million at Only Watch in 2021, the highest Richard Mille auction result we could confirm.

10. Greubel Forsey

Greubel Forsey’s Grande Sonnerie has at least 935 components and took 11 years of research and development. Forbes reported its price at about $1.2 million in 2017 and said only five would be made that year, with each one taking about a year to produce.

How do the top watch brands compare on price?

Richard Mille has both the highest entry price and the highest top price on the resale market among the five brands below. Vacheron Constantin and A. Lange & Söhne sit lower on the resale market than their reputation suggests.

Loupe figures were generated on 15 October 2026. For a closer look at the two most traded brands, read our comparison of Patek Philippe vs Audemars Piguet.

What are the highest watch auction prices by year?

The highest watch auction price rose from CHF 23.2 million, about $24 million, in 2014 to CHF 31 million, about $33.6 million, in 2019. The table shows selected high results from the brands in this ranking.

Why are some watch brands so expensive?

Low production, hand finishing and complicated movements drive the price of the most expensive watch brands. Greubel Forsey planned only five Grande Sonnerie watches in 2017, and F.P. Journe makes about 900 watches a year in total.

• Complications: Minute repeaters, grande sonneries and perpetual calendars take years to develop. Greubel Forsey’s Grande Sonnerie took 11 years of research.
• Materials: Jacob & Co. prices are driven by diamonds rather than the movement.
• Provenance: Watches with famous owners sell for more. Paul Newman’s own Daytona and the Henry Graves Jr. Supercomplication both set records.
• Charity sales: Some brand records were set at the Only Watch charity auction, including the Patek Philippe 6300A, the F.P. Journe FFC Blue and the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo Extra-Thin 15202XT, which sold for CHF 3.1 million in 2021.

For buyers, regular models from Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet and Vacheron Constantin start in the thousands of dollars on the resale market, while Richard Mille starts near $75,000. The multimillion-dollar results belong to one-off or historic pieces.