Top 10 Most Costly Watch Brands in the World

Luxury watches have long stood as prestige, status, and refined taste markers. They are not merely tools to tell time but masterpieces shaped by heritage, innovation, and artistry. The costliest watch brands in the world consistently push the limits of what fine watchmaking can achieve through limited production, meticulous hand-finishing, rare materials, and complex movements. But what makes one brand more expensive than another? 

In this blog, we answer the question of which is the most expensive watch brand and what sets these elite names apart in terms of craftsmanship, exclusivity, and legacy.

List of Top 10 Most Expensive Watch Brands in the World

Explore the elite world of horology with our list of the top 10 most expensive watch brands, where precision, heritage, and opulence define each exceptional timepiece.

1. Patek Philippe

Founded in: 1839
Patek Philippe is often regarded as the pinnacle of traditional Swiss watchmaking, and for good reason. With an unbroken history of family ownership, the brand is deeply committed to values prioritising legacy, innovation, and uncompromising craftsmanship. “You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation”—this famous slogan isn’t just clever marketing; it speaks to the brand’s philosophy of timeless value and enduring quality.

Patek is renowned for mastering complications, from perpetual calendars to minute repeaters, and is often considered the gold standard for mechanical complexity. Each watch is a blend of technical ingenuity and understated elegance, which explains why collectors and royals revere the brand. The Maison doesn’t flood the market; rather, it carefully curates its production, ensuring rarity and long-term value—both reasons it frequently tops the list of the world’s most expensive watch brands.

Noteworthy models: Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A-010 (which holds the record for the most expensive watch sold at auction) and Henry Graves Supercomplication (a pocket watch with 24 complications built in 1933). 

Price range: Starts around $31,000 (approx. ₹26 lakh), with rare complications and auction pieces reaching well over $25 million (around ₹208 crore)..

2. Graff

Founded in: 1960
Graff may be best known for its diamonds, but its entry into the haute horlogerie world has been quiet. Founded by Laurence Graff, the brand carries its gem-setting mastery into every timepiece, often treating the watch dial and case as a high-jewellery canvas. Unlike traditional Swiss maisons, Graff approaches watchmaking from the vantage point of artistry first and engineering second—though both are executed to exceptional standards.

What sets Graff apart in the conversation around the world’s most expensive watch brands is how it blends rare gemstones with mechanical complexity. These are not subtle pieces; they’re made to astonish. Limited production and meticulous attention to detail mean each watch is essentially a wearable masterpiece, often doubling as high-value heirlooms or private collection centrepieces.

Noteworthy models: Hallucination (over 110 carats of rare diamonds) and The Fascination (featuring a 38.13ct pear-shaped diamond that can be worn separately as a ring).

Price range: Typically starts around $186,000 (approx. ₹1.55 crore), with one-off pieces exceeding $50 million (close to ₹415 crore).

3. Jacob & Co.

Founded in: 1986
Jacob & Co. is proof that audacity and craftsmanship can coexist. Founded by Jacob Arabo, a jeweller turned watch impresario, the brand made its name by embracing bold design, architectural complexity, and unapologetic opulence. While some maisons chase heritage, Jacob & Co. thrives on spectacle, pushing technical boundaries to create watches that feel like theatre on the wrist.

What makes the brand one of the world’s most expensive watch brands isn’t just the lavish use of gemstones or intricate cases, but its ability to reinvent traditional complications in imaginative ways. From rotating astronomical maps to multi-axis tourbillons, Jacob & Co.’s creations are meant to captivate and start conversations. Their watches are a favourite among entertainers, elite collectors, and those who treat horology as art with attitude.

Noteworthy models: Billionaire Watch (set with 260ct of emerald-cut diamonds), Astronomia Tourbillon (features a rotating globe, diamond, and vertical movement)

Price range: Starts around $87,000 (approx. ₹72 lakh), with high-jewelry or bespoke pieces reaching beyond $18.5 million (approx. ₹153 crore).

4. Rolex

Founded in: 1905
Rolex is the most universally recognised name in luxury watchmaking, and yet, its success lies in consistency rather than extravagance. What began as a London-based venture by Hans Wilsdorf has become a global symbol of prestige, precision, and professional purpose. Rolex pioneered innovations such as the waterproof Oyster case and the self-winding Perpetual rotor, not to dazzle but to deliver durability and dependability in all conditions.

Rolex is known for its value retention, brand equity, and cultural significance. A Rolex isn’t just a timepiece; it’s an icon. Every model carries a legacy from the Submariner to the Daytona and commands global demand, making certain vintage or limited references highly sought-after at auctions. Add to that the brand’s tightly controlled production and strategic scarcity, and you get a watch that often appreciates with time.

Noteworthy models: Paul Newman Daytona (Ref. 6239, famously auctioned for over $17.8 million), Oyster Perpetual Submariner, GMT-Master II

Price range: Entry-level models start around $6,200 (approx. ₹5.2 lakh), with rare or vintage pieces exceeding $12 million (approx. ₹100 crore). 

5. Richard Mille

Founded in: 2001
Richard Mille is a relatively young name among the world’s most expensive watch brands. Still, in just two decades, it has disrupted traditional expectations of what a high-end timepiece can be. The brand approaches watchmaking with the philosophy of “a racing machine on the wrist,” combining ultra-light materials like carbon nanotubes and titanium with shock-resistant tourbillons that can withstand the rigours of sports—yes, even tennis matches and Formula 1 races.

Richard Mille watches are known for their skeletonised dials, futuristic design language, and engineering that borders on obsessive. Each timepiece is produced in extremely limited numbers, often in collaboration with athletes or celebrities, and carries the kind of technical audacity that justifies its lofty price tag. The result? A cult following and auction prices that continue to rise.

Noteworthy models: RM 27-04 Tourbillon Rafael Nadal (only 50 pieces made), RM 56-02 Sapphire (crafted almost entirely from sapphire crystal).

Price range: Starts around $80,000, with special editions surpassing $2 million.

6. Vacheron Constantin

Founded in: 1755
With uninterrupted operations since the mid-18th century, Vacheron Constantin is one of the oldest and most revered Swiss watchmakers. Its motto, “Do better if possible, and that is always possible,” reflects the brand’s quiet commitment to artistry and technical finesse. While less ostentatious than some peers, Vacheron Constantin earns its place among the world’s most expensive watch brands through horological mastery, old-world craftsmanship, and an eye for timeless detail.

Collectors often admire the Maison's elaborate complications, hand-finished movements, and elegant design ethos. The brand also invests significantly in métiers d’art techniques—enamelling, engraving, and guilloché—offering one-of-a-kind pieces that merge watchmaking with fine art. It’s a brand for those who appreciate discretion paired with depth.

Noteworthy models: Reference 57260 (the most complicated watch ever made with 57 complications), Patrimony, and Traditionnelle collections

Price range: Starts at around $25,000 (approx. ₹21 lakh), with bespoke or grand complication pieces reaching over $8 million (approx. ₹66 crore).

7. Audemars Piguet

Founded in: 1875
Audemars Piguet is one of the few heritage Swiss watchmakers still owned by its founding families, and that independence reflects in its bold decisions. The brand made horological history in 1972 with the introduction of the Royal Oak—a stainless steel sports watch priced like gold, designed by Gérald Genta. It was a radical move at the time, and it paid off. Today, the Royal Oak is a design icon, and Audemars Piguet stands firmly among the world’s most expensive watch brands.

The maison is known for blending technical innovation with striking aesthetics. From ultra-thin perpetual calendars to openworked flying tourbillons, AP watches are admired for their mechanical complexity and contemporary flair. The brand is also deeply rooted in haute horlogerie, often releasing limited editions with hand-finished calibres that are as much about art as engineering.

Noteworthy models: Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin, Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon GMT, Code 11.59 Minute Repeater Supersonnerie

Price range: Starts around $30,000 (approx. ₹25 lakh), with rare models and grand complications exceeding $1.5 million (approx. ₹12.5 crore).

8. Breguet

Founded in: 1775
Breguet is often regarded as the grandfather of modern watchmaking. Founded by Abraham-Louis Breguet in Paris, the brand is credited with inventing the tourbillon, the Breguet hands, and the Breguet overcoil—innovations still widely used across the industry today. It has a history steeped in royalty and revolution, having served clients like Marie Antoinette and Napoleon Bonaparte.

What sets Breguet apart is its quiet reverence for tradition. Even today, its watches are defined by fluted casebands, hand-engraved guilloché dials, and sleek, neoclassical design. Though it doesn’t command the hype of more mainstream brands, Breguet’s horological weight and artistry make it a collector’s delight. Its grand complications, especially tourbillons and minute repeaters, showcase a level of hand-finishing that few maisons can match.

Noteworthy models: Marie-Antoinette (No. 160), Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat 5367, Marine Équation Marchante 5887

Price range: Starts at around $15,000 (approx. ₹12.5 lakh), with bespoke or historic models fetching upwards of $10 million (approx. ₹83 crore).

9. Chopard

Founded in: 1860
Chopard started as a precision watchmaker in the Swiss Jura mountains, but over time, it evolved into a luxury maison known for blending high jewellery with fine watchmaking. Chopard stands out because of its dual expertise—crafting elegant mechanical timepieces and high-carat jewellery watches, often within the same collection.

The brand takes pride in ethical luxury, using responsibly sourced gold, and pioneering sustainable practices within high horology. Collections like L.U.C. showcase Chopard's in-house movement manufacturing and mechanical excellence, while the Happy Diamonds and Imperiale lines offer glamour with a sense of playful sophistication. The rarest pieces combine high complications with jewellery craftsmanship, making them highly desirable among collectors.

Noteworthy models: L.U.C. Full Strike Minute Repeater, Happy Sport Tourbillon Joaillerie, Imperiale Flying Tourbillon

Price range: Starts around $10,000 (approx. ₹8.3 lakh), with haute joaillerie timepieces and complications exceeding $1 million (approx. ₹8.3 crore).

10. A. Lange & Söhne

Founded in: 1845
A. Lange & Söhne may not be Swiss, but its reputation rivals the finest maisons in haute horlogerie. Based in Glashütte, Germany, the brand is known for its distinctly German design language—clean dials, precision typography, and an unwavering dedication to mechanical excellence.

What sets Lange apart is the finishing. Every movement is assembled twice, and the level of detail on plates, bridges, and components is simply exquisite. The iconic outsize date, the three-quarter plate, and hand-engraved balance cocks are now signature traits. Lange doesn’t chase trends or celebrity endorsements. Its appeal lies in purity, craftsmanship, and engineering that quietly astonishes.

Since its revival in the 1990s, it has steadily climbed to become one of the most respected names in fine watchmaking, often described as the connoisseur’s choice.

Noteworthy models: Lange 1, Zeitwerk Minute Repeater, Tourbograph Perpetual “Pour le Mérite”

Price range: Starts at around $20,000 (approx. ₹16.5 lakh), with high complications and limited editions reaching over $2.5 million (approx. ₹21 crore).

Final Thoughts

The world's most expensive watch brands each carry a unique legacy—whether through history, innovation, or design mastery. From the regal heritage of Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin to the gemstone-laden creations of Graff and Chopard, these maisons represent more than just timekeeping—they reflect taste, wealth, and individuality.

At the heart of each brand lies a commitment to craftsmanship, exclusivity, and mechanical brilliance. Whether it’s the technical audacity of Richard Mille or the elegant precision of A. Lange & Söhne, these watches are created not just to be worn but to be treasured.

For collectors and enthusiasts alike, such timepieces are more than luxury accessories. They are enduring status symbols—and in many cases, appreciating assets—offering both personal satisfaction and long-term value.