Records and rankings
The most expensive watches sold at auction of the 1950s
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 World Time ref. 2523J1955 · Christie's · 28 May 2023USD 8,503,993 -
2
Patek Philippe World Time ref. 2523J1953 · Christie's · 26 May 2024USD 8,357,207 -
3
Patek Philippe World Time ref. 2523/11954 · Phillips · 7 Nov 2020USD 5,476,666 -
4
Rolex Bao Dai ref. 60621952 · Phillips · 14 May 2017USD 5,198,366 -
5
Patek Philippe ref. 24991952 · Phillips · 7 Nov 2021USD 4,532,834 -
6
Patek Philippe Second Series ref. 24991953 · Phillips · 13 May 2023USD 4,106,320 -
7
Patek Philippe ref. 24991952 · Sotheby's · 13 Nov 2018USD 4,024,399 -
8
Patek Philippe ref. 24971954 · Phillips · 7 Nov 2021USD 3,602,956 -
9
Patek Philippe ref. 25231953 · Christie's · 8 Nov 2021USD 3,394,973 -
10
Patek Philippe ref. 24991951 · Phillips · 13 May 2023USD 3,021,462
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.