Price of the world’s most expensive watch: 31 million for a Patek

What is the price of the most expensive watch in the world? Since 2019, the answer has not changed: 31 million Swiss francs, paid for a steel Patek Philippe whose proceeds went to medical research. Here is where this figure comes from, what the watch contains, and what its sisters sold in boutiques cost.

How much does the most expensive watch in the world cost?

On 9 November 2019, in Geneva, Christie’s conducted the eighth edition of Only Watch, a biennial charity auction organized to benefit research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Patek Philippe entrusted a unique piece to it. It was auctioned for 31 million Swiss francs, “the highest bid ever reached for a watch”, wrote the manufacture in its press release. The sum was donated in full to the Monegasque Association against Muscular Dystrophies.

At the November 2019 exchange rate, the Swiss franc was worth roughly one US dollar: the price is therefore equivalent to around 31 million dollars, and around 28 million euros. The previous Only Watch record already belonged to Patek Philippe, with a steel reference 5016 sold for 7.3 million Swiss francs in 2015. In four years, the bid more than quadrupled.

The Grandmaster Chime in figures

Technical features common to the 6300 family, according to the official spec sheet for the 6300GR-001.

Why a steel Patek is worth 31 million

The Grandmaster Chime was created in 2014 for Patek Philippe’s 175th anniversary, in a first series of seven pieces (reference 5175). The 6300 succeeded it in the catalogue. Its special feature: two dials, one for the time and the chiming mechanism, the other for the perpetual calendar, on a case that swivels to be worn on either side. Among its five chimes, the alarm that strikes the pre-set time and the date repeater are two patented world firsts.

The rest comes down to the material. Patek Philippe almost never uses steel for its grand complications, a fact the manufacture itself points out. Such a complex watch in such a rare metal, created as a unique piece for a charitable cause: the combination attracted bidders willing to pay far beyond the value of a gold Grandmaster Chime.

Other records compared to the 6300A

In our ranking of the most expensive watches in the world, the 6300A sits ahead of the Henry Graves Supercomplication by Patek Philippe, a pocket watch completed in 1932 and sold for 23,237,000 Swiss francs at Sotheby’s in Geneva in November 2014, a record for a non-charity auction. In third place, Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona reached 17,752,500 dollars at Phillips in New York in 2017, just ahead of the steel Patek Philippe 1518, which fetched 14,190,000 Swiss francs at Phillips in Geneva in November 2025.

Its younger sibling from Only Watch, the Grande Sonnerie 6301A-010, also a unique piece in steel, was auctioned for 15.7 million Swiss francs at Christie’s in May 2024, according to Patek Philippe: roughly half of the 2019 record.

Can you buy a Grandmaster Chime?

Yes, in gold, and at a published price. Patek Philippe publishes its recommended retail prices: the Grandmaster Chime 6300GR-001, in white gold and rose gold, is offered at 3,256,500 euros on the brand’s website (recorded on 13 October 2026), and the high jewellery version 6300/403G-001, set with diamonds and emeralds, at 5,121,000 euros. The calibre is the same as that of the 6300A. To choose between the two major houses, see also Rolex or Patek Philippe: which prestige watch to choose.

Prices verified and updated on 13 October 2026. Sources: Patek Philippe (Only Watch press releases 2019 and 2024, spec sheets 6300GR-001 and 6300/403G-001), Christie’s, Sotheby’s, Phillips.