What is the most expensive watch in the world? In this article we will analyze the most expensive watches in the world with data updated to December 2020.
Most expensive watch in the world
Rolex, Omega, Cartier Wathces, Longines, Patrek Philippe. These are just some of the most famous brands of watches all over the planet. A market that according to reports on Statista. A market according to data updated in October 2020 is worth 55,990 million dollars in 2020. A figure that is down compared to 2019, where the figure stood at 73.3 million, but that from 2021 onwards will be on the upswing again. In fact, it is estimated that in 2026 the revenue in the watch segment will be as much as $88,937 million.
If the watch market is so important globally, what are the most expensive watches in the world?
20. Patek Philippe J.B. Champion Ref. 2458 1952 Wrist 3.993
19. George Daniels Yellow Gold Space Traveller’s II 1982 Pocket 4.325
18. George Daniels Yellow Gold Space Traveller’s I 1982 Pocket 4.561
18. Patek Philippe Platinum World Time Ref. 1415 1939 Wrist 4.027
17. Patek Philippe Henry Graves Minute Repeater Wrist 4.607
16. Breguet Breguet & Fils, Paris No. 2667 1814 Pocket 4.686
15. Patek Philippe Stainless Steel Ref. 130 1927 Wrist 4.987
14. Patek Philippe White Gold Calibre 89 1989 Pocket 5.003
13. Patek Philippe Yellow Gold Calibre 89 1989 Pocket 5.042
12. Rolex Emperor Bảo Đại Ref. 6062 1952 Wrist 5.060
11. Rolex Paul Newman Big Red Daytona Ref. 6263 1980 Wrist 5.475
10. Patek Philippe Worldtimer Guilloché Ref. 2523/1 1954 Wrist 5.553
9. Patek Philippe Gold Chronograph Ref. 1527 1943 Wrist 5.709
8. Rolex Daytona Unicorn Ref. 6265 1970 Wrist 5.937
7. Patek Philippe Titanium Ref. 5208T-010 2017 Wrist 6.226
6. Patek Philippe Stainless Steel Ref. 5016A-010 2015 Wrist 7.259
5. Patek Philippe Gobbi Milan “Heures Universelles” Ref. 2523 1953 Wrist 8.967
4. Patek Philippe Stainless Steel Ref. 1518 1943 Wrist 11.137
3. Rolex Paul Newman Daytona Ref. 6239 1968 Wrist 17.753
2. Patek Philippe Henry Graves Supercomplication 1932 Pocket 23.983
1. Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A-010 2019 Wrist 31.000

Most expensive Rolex
Among the various watch brands, one of the best known is certainly Rolex. In fact, in 2020 in Switzerland this brand accounted for over 1/4 of the global sales market with 26.8% of total sales.
But what are the most expensive rolexes in the world?
The most expensive Rolex sold in history is the Paul Newman Daytona ref. 6239 which was sold in 2017 at a price of $17.753 million. With inflation the adjusted price would be $18,744 million today. In second place among the best-selling Rolexes in history is the Dayton Unicorn sold in 2018 at an auction in Geneva for a price of $5,937 million. Another Paul Newman, the Big Red Daytona, is the third most expensive rolex in the world sold at a recent auction in New York.
9. Rolex Daytona Oyster Ref. 6263 1969 Wrist 2.036
8. Rolex Antimagnetique 4113 1942 Wrist 2.466
7. Rolex Daytona Neanderthal Ref. 6240 1966 Wrist 3.010
6. Rolex Rolex Daytona Lapis Lazuli Platinum Ref. 16516 1999 Wrist 3.270
5. Rolex Daytona Oyster Ref. 6263 1969 Wrist 3.718
4. Rolex Emperor Bảo Đại Ref. 6062 1952 Wrist 5.060
3. Rolex Paul Newman Big Red Daytona Ref. 6263 1980 Wrist 5.475
2. Rolex Daytona Unicorn Ref. 6265 1970 Wrist 5.937
1. Rolex Paul Newman Daytona Ref. 6239 1968 Wrist 17.753
The main exporting countries of wristwatches
We have seen which are the most expensive watches in the world and which are the most expensive Rolexes. In this last part of the chapter more interesting data. Which are the main countries exporting wristwatches? In first place as the country that exports the most wristwatches is China. In 2020, China exported 361.1 million pieces worldwide. This figure is down from 2019, when 644.3 million watches were exported. In second place is Hong Kong with 197.8 million watches exported in 2019 and 138.3 million in 2020.

Find more statistics at Statista
In 2020, Germany almost surpassed Switzerland. Germany exported 13.1 million watches and Switzerland 13.8 million. Switzerland’s figure is definitely on the decline as in 2019, over 20 million watches were exported. Closing in fifth position is the United States with a value of 8.2 million in 2020, also down by 3.1 million compared to 2019.
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