The most expensive pocket and wristwatches ever sold at auction showcase exceptional artisanship, exquisite materials and intricate mechanics. Some even boast fascinating histories, with former owners ranging from royalty to Hollywood legends.

The holy grails of the horological world, these coveted timepieces prove that time truly is money. Read on to discover the 20 most expensive watches sold at auction, and get ready for some seriously astronomical price tags...

All dollar amounts in US dollars. Figures for pre-2022 sales have been adjusted for inflation.

Known for its cool collaborations with the likes of Jay-Z, LeBron James and artist KAWS, Audemars Piguet teamed up with Marvel in 2021 to create this Black Panther-themed watch.

A fierce global bidding war erupted when the unique white gold version was auctioned at a virtual event later in 2021, hosted by Kevin Hart and attended by LeBron and Serena Williams. The one-off eventually went under the hammer for $5.2 million ($6.1m/£4.5m today).

The first wristwatch created by esteemed Swiss maker Philippe Dufour, the Grande et Petite Sonnerie No 1 from 1992 has a simple elegance that belies its array of complications.

Considered one of the most important wristwatches of the late 20th century, it achieved $5.21 million ($6.2m/£4.6m today) at a Phillips Geneva auction in 2021. And version No 3, which was originally made for the Sultan of Brunei, sold that same year through the Collected Man website for $7.63 million ($9m/£6.7m today).

The Grandmaster Chime was created in 2014 to commemorate Patek Philippe's 175th anniversary and was sold by the Swiss watchmaker from 2016 onwards for $2.6 million (£1.9m).

Sylvester Stallone sold his white gold version via Sotheby's New York last June for $5.4 million (£4m). As per WatchPro, Patek Philippe is likely to have frowned upon the sale, with customers caught flipping their watches put on an informal blacklist. Stallone reportedly owned the watch for just two years, so he could well have drawn the firm's ire and an unofficial lifetime ban.

One of two Rolex wristwatches in the top 20 that belonged to Hollywood star Paul Newman, his 'Big Red' Daytona from 1980 was a gift from his wife Joanne Woodward, who had the back engraved with “Drive Slowly Joanne”.

Eventually passing to the couple's daughter Clea, it was auctioned by Phillips New York in 2020 for $5.48 million ($6.8m/£5m today).

Patek Philippe's Worldtime watches, which display multiple timezones, are idolised by collectors. One of only four featuring a guilloché dial, this exceptionally rare pink gold version was created in 1954 but wasn't sold by the watchmaker until 1973.

It went under the hammer at a Phillips Geneva auction in 2020 for $5.55 million ($6.9m/£5.1m today).

Patek Philippe's Gold Chronograph Ref 1527 is celebrated for its hugely influential design and uniqueness – it's the only vintage Patek Philippe chronograph model with a screw back case and round pushers.

This particularly fine example from 1943 fetched $5.74 million ($8.4m/£6.2m today) at a Christie's Geneva sale in 2010.

The Grand Complications Sky Moon Tourbillon is one of Patek Philippe's most sophisticated watches.

Crafted in 2015, this white gold version was part of an internet-only auction organised by Christie's Hong Kong in 2023 that attracted frenzied bidding. The timepiece ended up going for $5.8 million (£4.3m), obliterating the record for a watch sold via an online auction.

This singular white gold vintage Daytona, a 1970 one-off made for a German retailer, fetched $5.94 million ($7.6m/£5.6m today) at a 2018 Phillips Geneva auction that benefited the Children Action foundation.

Previously part of John Goldberger's prestigious collection, the watch only came to wider public knowledge in 2013, defying the long-held belief that manual Daytona chronographs were only made in steel or yellow gold.

The proceeds of the sale of this Patek Philippe timepiece also went to a good cause. In fact, the Titanium Ref 5208T-010 was specially created for the Only Watch 2017 auction at Christie's Geneva to benefit the Monaco Association against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and fund research into the condition.

The watch garnered a very tidy $6.23 million ($8.1m/£6m today), making a considerable contribution to this noble endeavour.

In 2021, Patek Philippe celebrated its 170-year alliance with Tiffany & Co. by creating this limited-edition Nautilus featuring a dial in the jeweller's iconic blue hue. Fittingly, 170 were produced. The very first was put up for auction via Phillips that same year.

It went for $6.5 million ($7.7m/£5.7m today). Again, the proceeds of the sale were funnelled to a good cause, The Nature Conservancy in this case.

Another Patek Philippe watch created exclusively for the Only Watch charity sale, the Stainless Steel Ref 5016A-010 was auctioned in 2015 via Phillips Geneva.

Bidders were clearly feeling very generous since the timepiece eventually sold for around 10 times its lower estimate, fetching a sky-high $7.3 million ($9.9m/£7.3m today).

Originally sold by luxury Italian retailer Gobbi Milano, this 1957 beauty is the only pink gold second series version to feature the Gobbi Milano signature on the dial, making it unique and vastly inflating its value.

Amid an aggressive bidding war, the watch sold for $7.68 million (£5.7m) at a Sotheby's Hong Kong auction in 2022.

Dubbed the 'grail watch', this previously unknown Two-Crown Worldtime Patek Philippe from 1953 is exceedingly rare and ridiculously desirable. The Eurasia map on the face is its standout feature.

As expected, deep-pocketed collectors went all out when the timepiece came up for auction through Phillips Geneva in 2021, with the bidding reaching a staggering $7.68 million ($9.1m/£6.7m today).

The second watch made by François-Paul Journe and the first sold by the superstar horologist, the Tourbillon Souverain à Remontoire d'Egalité from 1993, lit up the Phillips Geneva auction room when it went under the hammer last November.

The timepiece changed hands for a record $8.36 million (£6.2m), becoming the most expensive watch created by an independent maker.

Only the fifth pink gold Ref 2523 to have come up for auction, this gorgeous 'Heures Universelles' watch was made by Patek Philippe for Gobbi Milano in 1953 and is the sole example that features the signatures of both brands.

Described as “breathtakingly rare", the watch sold for $9 million ($11.3m/£8.4m today) at a Christie's Hong Kong auction in 2019.

Patek Philippe produced only 14 pink gold Ref 1518s with salmon dials, and this particular specimen from 1948 is the finest of the lot. Adding to its allure is the fact that it was formerly owned by Egypt's Prince Mohammed Tewfik A Toussou.

Expectations were high when the watch was auctioned through Sotheby's New York in 2021. And it certainly didn't disappoint, selling for $9.57 million ($11.3m/£8.4m today).

Descibed as “the holy grail of holy grails”, this momentous 1943 timepiece is one of only four Patek Philippe Ref 1518s in stainless steel and the sole example originally sold on a steel bracelet. Formerly owned by fashion mogul Gerolamo Etro and mega collector Ernst Schuster, the watch sold at a Phillips auction in Geneva in 2011 for $11.5 million ($16.4m/£12.2m today).

Earlier this year, the fabled 1518 was put up for sale through Monaco Legend Group, priced in excess of $20 million (£14.8m). This would make it the most expensive watch sold outside of an auction.

Paul Newman's first Rolex Daytona, which was another gift from his wife Joanne in 1968, has been called the greatest watch on the planet. Famed for its connection to the movie star, the watch, which is engraved with the words “Drive Carefully Me”, is the stuff of legend. The actor presented it to his daughter Nell's boyfriend James Cox in 1984.

Cox eventually offered the watch for sale via Phillips New York in 2017. It realised $17.75 million ($23.2m/£17.2m today), smashing the record held by the Emperor Bao Dại Ref 6062 for the most expensive Rolex sold at auction. The lion's share of the proceeds went to Nell's charitable foundation.

This storied timepiece, which belonged to uber collector Henry Graves, sold at a Sotheby's Geneva auction in 2014 for a massive $24 million ($32.4m/£24m today), making it the most expensive pocket watch of all time.

With 24 complications and 920 components, the 1933 creation is a real tour de force and remains the most complicated timepiece designed without the aid of a computer.

In 2019, Patek Philippe pulled out all the stops, creating the first and only steel Grandmaster Chime for the Only Watch charity auction at Christie's Geneva in aid of the Monaco Association against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

The watch brought the house down, going under the hammer for an unbelievable $31 million ($38.8m/£28.7m today), becoming the most expensive timepiece in the world. It isn't the most valuable though...

That distinction goes to the dazzling Graff Hallucination. Adorned with 110 carats of rare coloured diamonds, the OTT wristwatch was valued in 2014 at $55 million, which translates to a whopping $74.3 million (£55m) today.

The other watch worth more than the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref 6300A-010 is the Graff Fascination. Dripping in white diamonds, it scored a valuation of $40 million ($54m/£40m today) in 2015.

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