Records and rankings
The most expensive watches sold at auction of the 1940s
Hammer prices in USD at the rate of the sale day, across nine auction houses. Every entry links to its lot. Rare references show their price to Premium members.
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1
Patek Philippe ref. 15181943 · Phillips · 13 Nov 2016USD 11,289,463 -
2
Patek Philippe Pink on Pink ref. 15181947 · Phillips · 7 May 2022USD 4,222,874 -
3
Patek Philippe ref. 15181948 · Phillips · 28 Jun 2020USD 3,708,902 -
4
Patek Philippe Calatravone ref. 5701942 · Phillips · 9 May 2021USD 3,571,854 -
5
Patek Philippe ref. 14361945 · Phillips · 8 Nov 2015USD 3,387,249 -
6
Patek Philippe ref. 15181948 · Christie's · 13 May 2024USD 3,130,010 -
7
Patek Philippe ref. 24191946 · Christie's · 27 Nov 2021USD 2,941,024 -
8
Patek Philippe ref. 15181945 · Christie's · 7 Nov 2022USD 2,811,295 -
9
Rolex Antimagnetique ref. 41131942 · Phillips · 14 May 2016USD 2,467,838 -
10
Patek Philippe ref. 15181947 · Phillips · 10 Dec 2019USD 2,300,000
Most auctioned references
| Rolex 1675 | 1,105 |
| Rolex 1803 | 735 |
| Rolex 5513 | 703 |
| Rolex 1680 | 689 |
| Rolex 6263 | 614 |
Record by brand
| Patek Philippe | USD 19.9 M |
| Rolex | USD 17.8 M |
| Philippe Dufour | USD 6.5 M |
| F.P. Journe | USD 5.7 M |
| George Daniels | USD 5.2 M |
| Urban Jürgensen | USD 4.7 M |
| Richard Mille | USD 4.6 M |
| Audemars Piguet | USD 3.9 M |
Updated
Rankings refresh with every data sync; last update 2026-10-05. 20 lots with doubtful prices are excluded pending review.