It is believed that the first mechanical clock was invented in China, around 725 AD. For many years they hung on people's walls, but over time they migrated to their wrists. The first mention of a wristwatch dates back to 1571 – an earl gave Queen Elizabeth I a bracelet with a built-in clock mechanism. Wristwatches gained worldwide popularity only in the 20th century, and today they can be seen on the wrists of many men and women. And this despite the fact that every person today has a smartphone, through which you can always find out the exact time. Wristwatches are a stylish accessory, and some of them cost a lot of money. We bring to your attention a selection of the most expensive of them – with photographs, of course.
Contents
- 1 Watch with fragments of meteorites
- 2 Watches with the rarest diamonds
- 3 Watch for the French Queen
- 4 The most luxury Swiss watches
- 5 The most expensive watches in history
Watches with fragments of meteorites
About 200 years ago, the Frenchman Louis Moinet produced watches for many famous people, including Napoleon Bonaparte. Today, the Louis Moinet company, which produces unique and very expensive wristwatches, is named after him.
For example, there is a set of Louis Moinet Meteoris wristwatches,which costs 4.6 million dollarsThe four models, sold only together, are created using four different meteorites.
The Louis Moinet Meteoris Mars model is made using the Jiddat al-Harasis meteorite, which arrived from Mars. The Louis Moinet Meteoris Mercury watch is made of space rock, which may be a particle of Mercury. And Louis Moinet Meteoris Moon, as the name suggests, has a fragment of the Moon. The Louis Moinet Meteoris Sun wristwatch is made from a meteorite, the origin of which still remains a mystery.
Read also: How much do the rarest meteorites cost and where to buy them?
< h2>Watches with the rarest diamonds
WatchesJacob & Co Billionaire Timeless Treasurewere introduced in 2023 and are among the most expensive in history. Their high cost is due to the fact that it is not just a watch, but an expensive piece of jewelry with diamonds.
It is set with 425 examples of yellow diamonds, which are much rarer than white ones. To select the most beautiful and matching stones, Jacob & Co took 3.5 years. The high cost of these stones is associated not only with the rare color, but also with the shape – they are all square, and people had to put in a huge amount of effort to give such a cut.
The gems are arranged in descending order, they are large near the dial and small closer to the strap. They are also decorated with tsavorites, rare and bright green garnets.
Cost of Jacob watches & Co Billionaire Timeless Treasure equals to 20 million dollars.
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Watch for the French Queen
Some of the most expensive wristwatches were created by Abraham-Louis Breguet, a French watchmaker of Swiss origin. Commissioned by a secret admirer of the French Queen Marie Antoinette, he began creating yellow gold watches. This material was most likely chosen for its beautiful appearance – due to the copper content, such gold glitters very beautifully.
Unfortunately, Queen Marie Antoinette was never able to receive the gift. The Breguet Marie-Antoinette Grande Complication was not released until 1827, many years after her execution. They took so long to be made because they have a very complex design – perhaps they are the most complex in the world. By the time they were released, by the way, the watchmaker himself had died.
The fate of these watches turned out to be very difficult. They were stolen in 1983 and were returned only 24 years later. In 2004, watch specialists were able to create a replica of this watch worth $30 million. The original watch is believed to be priceless, as it is a horological artifact.
Read also:The largest gold coin in the world weighs 1 ton – smaller copies can be used to pay in stores< /p>
The most luxurious Swiss watches
Another complex and expensive watch is the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref 6300A-010. They were developed by the Swiss company Patek Philippe, which has been creating luxury wristwatches since 1839.
Model Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A-010 was released for the 175th anniversary of the brand. It also has a very complex design, because it not only shows the exact time, but also has a perpetual calendar, a built-in alarm clock and even a striking mechanism.
Swiss watches cost 31 million dollars because, in addition to their complexity, they are unique. They are the only ones in the Grandmaster Chime range that have a steel case, and their strap is made of crocodile leather.
Required reading: The most expensive pearls in the world – how they are formed and who mines them out of water
The most expensive watch in history
The most expensive watch in the world is the Graff Diamonds Hallucination – it costs $55 million. Luxury watches were presented in 2014, as part of the Baselworld exhibition, which is held every year in Switzerland.
The high cost of this watch is due to the fact that the case made of diamonds is held on a bracelet made of platinum. It is noteworthy that the creators used gemstones in yellow, pink, blue, green and orange shades. They are also made in the shape of a heart and other shapes. This watch, unlike all the others, only shows time. For the most part, it is a piece of art rather than an accessory with a useful function. It goes without saying that this watch exists in a single copy.
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Final question: do you know which material is the most expensive in the world? If you think it's gold or platinum, you're wrong. You will find the answer in the article “The most expensive material on Earth – not a single person can buy it.”