5 Of The Most Expensive Watches Available Online
A good luxury watch marries art and engineering.
Watchmakers spend a significant amount of time researching techniques, materials, and design before they even think about putting a watch together. It is a labour of love, and with how delicate the parts are, even the simplest of watches requires a skilled craftsman.
The most expensive watches do have embellishments that account for their price, of course, like the diamond encrusted Hublot, for instance. But more often than not, these watches are also examples of some of the finest timepiece engineering.
When you buy a luxury watch, you’re buying it because you appreciate the work that goes into producing an exclusive and timeless accessory that says a lot about the kind of person you are. The right watch can create an image of a man of power and character, and should be seen as the investment it is.
While the most expensive watches in the world may not necessarily be found online (or be available for sale at all), here is a list of some of the higher-end watches online that you can buy from online vendors like Ethos.
- Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Minute Repeater
One of the pioneers of Swiss watchmaking, Jaeger-LeCoultre has been around since the early 19th century and has a number of revolutionary designs to its name.
The Master collection has some of the cleanest lines found in watches and is extremely polished. The case is made of pink gold, the dial is silver-toned and the strap is made of alligator leather.
The watch is made up of 413 different pieces and must be hand wound.
Most of the work behind this watch has been on the minute repeater, a mechanism that lets the watch chime the time on demand. This is one of the most complex mechanisms in the field, and the watch has a crystalline gong that produces a clear sound.
- Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Grande Tradition Tourbillon Cylindrique à Quantième Perpétuel
Jaeger-LeCoultre continues its excellent work on the Master Grande Tradition collection with this model, which has a platinum case and an alligator leather strap. The lower dial is set with baguette-cut diamonds, and the entire dial is silver grained.
All 431 pieces and 49 jewels that make up this watch have been hand-fitted, like all the other watches in this collection.
With a perpetual calendar, moon phases and a date window, this model is already heavily equipped. To add to this is the focal point of the watch, the flying tourbillon, which adds to the precision of the watch and is also a novelty restricted to luxury watches today.
- Omega DeVille Tourbillon Co-Axial Numbered Edition
One of the finest Swiss watchmakers in the world today, Omega has been the official timekeeper for the Olympic games since 1932 and are renowned for their highly accurate and durable watches. So much so that they were chosen by NASA to be the watchmakers for their space missions.
The DeVille collection is characterized by the unique designs of each and every watch in it.
With a 38.7mm red gold case and a leather strap, the basic watch design of this model follows classic aesthetics. The watch itself is completely handcrafted and features Omega’s own central tourbillon movement.
The tourbillon is not left unprotected, however, it’s encased in a gorgeous titanium cage that rotates completely once a minute.
The dial itself is made of sapphire with gold fashioned indexes and bears an officially certified chronometer.
- Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Tourbillon Ivory Enamel
Jaquet Droz was making quality timepieces as early on as the 18th century. This legacy continues on in their current collections of luxury watches, which reflect the expertise and craftsmanship that has been honed with centuries of work on watches.
The Grande Seconde Collection has been inspired by a pocket watch created in the 18th century which had Grand Feu, or miniature enameling on its dial. It is recognised for its avant-garde design all over the world.
The Tourbillon watch in this collection has a tourbillon frame set at the 12 o’clock position with the hours and minutes frame at the six o’clock position. Reminiscent of the original pocket watch, the dial has ivory Grand Feu enameling set on an 18ct red gold case.
The minutes and hours hands are also in red gold, while the seconds hand is made of blue steel. The strap is handmade from black alligator leather.
- Breguet Classique ‘Hora Mundi’
Producer of the first wristwatch in 1810, Breguet is one of the oldest surviving pioneers of watchmaking inventions like the tourbillon.
With the Classique collection, Breguet brings back clarity and elegance to the wristwatch, by adhering to the traditional values the company upholds.
Boasting of a sapphire case back, the ‘Hora Mundi’ also features self-wound movement. The dial depicts Asia-Oceania with the ‘wave’ motif that has a translucent lacquer coating. The outer case is made of rose gold and the watch has 43 jewels set in it.
There are a total of 362 components in this watch, which includes those that make up the instant-jump time-zone display with the synchronised day and night indicators.
And there you have it. If you’re on the lookout for a high-quality, luxury watch, these five expensive watches are available online and are definitely worth every penny.