Having a watch that costs more than a house sounds ludicrous, but you’d be surprised how many people actually have watches as an investment.

There’s more to these watches than a pretty design; they involve years of heritage and mechanical precision.

1. Piguet Jules Audemars Grand Complication

With a selling price of $782,100, this watch features a skeletonized dial with silver rimmed sub-dials and a scratch-resistant sapphire.

In terms of features, this watch comes with a perpetual calendar, a moon phase sub-dial, an equation of time sub-dial, 648 parts, and 52 jewels. 

2. Franck Muller Aeternitas Mega 4

The Franck Muller Aeternitas Mega 4 has 36 complications, 1,483 components, and a 1,000-year calendar. You can tell how complex this watch looks with just a glance.

In fact, its intricate workings garnered it the nickname “Master of Complications” by watch collectors. It sells for about $1.8 million.

3. DeWitt WX-1 Concept

This watch is equally complex as the first two but may be more subjective. The DeWitt WX-1 Concept is both a watch and a contemporary art object.

It’s made of aluminum-lithium alloy and is a lightweight contraption with 370 parts. The $715,000 watch combines design, a futuristic sensibility, and delicate construction, which makes it stand out.

4. Lange & Sohne Grand Complication

This is the most expensive watch from A. Lange and Sohne, and only six were made. The Grand Complication has a starting price of $1.97 million.

Due to its complexity, it takes a year to craft. It is said to be inspired by a pocket watch from 1902 but with more additions.

5. Jaquet Droz Les Ateliers d’Art Automata the Charming Bird

Just as the name suggests, there’s a miniature singing bird within the case of this watch, along with a dome-shaped sapphire crystal to protect it.

The artists at Jaquet Droz meticulously create and piece together the bird of the watch, which takes about 20 hours to complete. If you want to own a bird on your wrist, the starting price is $399,000.

6. Rolex Paul Newman Ref. 6264 John Player Special

The Rolex brand is synonymous with elegance and luxury. It’s one of the world’s most famous and expensive watch brands.

The Rolex Paul Newman Ref. 6264 is nicknamed the John Player Special after the colors of the sponsored Formula 1 Lotus car. Only 10 were made in black and yellow, raising its price to $1.5 million and above.

7. Hublot Masterpiece MP-02 Key of Time

Here we have a watch with a satin and micro-blasted 18-karat rose gold case and crown with a matte black dial. There are only 50 pieces of this Hublot Masterpiece MP-02 Key of Time worldwide, hence the staggering starting price of $310,000.

As for its machinations, it comes with a Tourbillon and power reserve indicator.

8. Patek Philippe Ref. 2499 Platinum

Watch enthusiasts are familiar with Patek Philippe and its luxurious collection of watches. For some, a Patek Philippe watch is even superior to a Rolex.

This specific timepiece is from 1987. There are only two models, each with 23 jewels. Vintage Patek Philippe is tough to find, and this one costs about $2.7 million.

9. Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Calibre 2755

The Traditionnelle Calibre is one of Vacheron Constantin’s most complicated watches. Its machinations include a Tourbillon, perpetual calendar, power reserve indicator, and minute repeater.

It features a flat silver dial and an 18-karat white gold dial plate. This beauty starts at $699,000.

10. Louis Moinet Meteoris Collection

There are only four watches in the Meteoris Collection, one of which is named after the 19th-century father of chronographs, Louis Monet. The dials of these watches incorporate precious stones and meteorite pieces, and each one incorporates a unique piece of rare space rock.

This timepiece goes for $3.5 million on the market.

11. Ulysse Nardin Royal Blue Mystery Tourbillon

This stunning watch gets its name from the bright blue sapphire crystals used in the main plate and bridges of the watch. Additionally, 16 blue jewels are added to the piece.

A Tourbillon cage floats around in place without support, giving the “Mystery Tourbillon” its name. Only 30 watches of this model exist worldwide, and they’re priced at $1.2 million.

12. George Daniels Yellow Gold Space Travellers’ II Pocket Watch

This pocket watch, estimated to be worth $3.6 million, was created by Dr. George Daniels, one of the finest watchmakers in Europe. He named the piece after the Apollo 11 moon landing, which was the greatest space journey at the time. 

It was his magnum opus, full of clever tricks and machinations. 

13. Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime

There are many very expensive Patek Philippe watches out there, and some are worth millions of dollars. However, this one is one of the most expensive wristwatches sold at auction. It fetched $31 million, and its starting price of $24 million is nothing to sneeze at either.

The Grandmaster Chime has two dials with 20 different functions, including several chiming modes.

14. Breguet Grande Complication Marie Antoinette

A list like this must include the most expensive watch in the world. The Breguet Grande Complication Marie Antoinette sells for a starting price of at least $25 million.

This watch was commissioned in 1782 by a secret lover of Marie Antoinette, with legendary horologist Abraham-Louis Breguet at its helm. His son finished it in 1827. The watch is encased in gold and features intricate machinery.