Patek Philippe sells most expensive watch ever

Watch prices have been going crazy for some time now, but this year saw one highlight that will never be forgotten. At the Only Watch charitable auction in November this year, the old record was shattered by 23.7 million Swiss francs.

The exceptional timepiece that Patek Philippe donated to the charitable Only Watch auction was sold for 31 million Swiss francs on November 9, 2019, the highest bid ever attained for a watch. In a sign of humility, Patek Philippe did not boast about this figure. Instead, the Genevan watch manufacturer shared its delight to be able to help the charity.

‘Patek Philippe is proud and delighted that this record amount is being remitted to the Monaco Association against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (Association Monégasque contre les Myopathies AMM) as a contribution to the development of therapies against degenerative neuromuscular disorders,’ it said in a statement.

The watch at auction was a unique piece, the Ref. 6300A-010 Grandmaster Chime. This is the single most complicated wrist watch ever made, taking over 100.000 man hours to develop. It has 20 different complications. For this special edition, the case was made in steel and the dial in salmon.

The first Only Watch auction was organized in 2005 and since then has taken place every two years. It has grown out to be more than that; it has become a world-travelling event for watch companies showing their unique pieces and raising attention for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. It also fetched millions for this charity. All watch companies offer their pieces for free to the auction.