Athletes, rappers, movie stars and celebrities have a lot of money and, more often than not, love to spend it on flashy and excessive items. Mansions, Italian sports cars, yachts and planes – these are all things the rich love to spend their money on. Sometimes it’s a practical purchase – after all, everyone needs a Maybach to drive the family around, but much of the time these celebrities buy things with a ‘look-at-me’ factor. In this instance, jewellery often fits the bill. More specifically, high-end watches are the order of the day thanks to their practicality and high visibility to onlookers.
The watch means so many things to different people. It can be just a piece to tell time, a fashion accessory, status symbol or collectible. They can have mechanical or electronic movements and analog or digital displays. Watches can be solar powered, battery powered or spring powered. They can also come with numerous functions and displays, called ‘complications’ which can tell us not only the time, but the date, altitude, time-zone, moon-phase and compass direction – to name but a few features. Today, there are numerous watch manufacturers offering countless varieties of watches which have many functions and styles at a range of prices. From a $50 Timex Ironman to a $10,000 Rolex Oyster Perpetual, there is a watch for everyone’s tastes and needs.
The following list looks at 10 of the most expensive watches to be sold or auctioned. What makes these watches so expensive? It depends on the maker and the direction they wanted to take their creation when they started building. Some are pricey solely for the fact they are built with extremely expensive materials. Others have a high price tag because of the time it took to finish the watch or the complexity of the design and movement. Some of these time-pieces date back to the 18th century while some are a bit more modern. In any event you can be sure that the usual suspects most are familiar with will not be appearing here. Rolex need not apply, this list is far too rich for your blood.
10. Piaget, Emperador Temple – $3.3 Million
A Swiss luxury watchmaker, Piaget was founded in 1874 by George Piaget. Initially only concerned with the production of watch movements, Piaget began developing its own watches in the 20th century. To date, the most expensive Piaget watch is the Emperador Temple. This watch is actually a two-in-one with two faces hidden under each other, covered and surrounded in diamonds. One face is hidden behind 481 brilliant-cut, 207 baguette-cut and a single emerald-cut diamond. The other face has 162 brilliant-cut and 11 baguette-cut diamonds highlighting a Mother-of-Pearl dial and a tourbillon. The watch’s bracelet has a further 350 baguette-cut diamonds. Unsurprisingly, this one-of-a-kind watch sold quickly soon after it came onto the market.
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