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A nice car, a large home, an expensive watch—they're all status symbols.
But some folks will break the bank to buy a rare timepiece.
These are the most expensive watches ever sold at Sotheby's and Christie's, and elsewhere. You'll see that Geneva-based Patek Philippe dominates the list.
#11 The Henry Graves Jr. “Grande Complication," an 18-carat watch from 1926, sold for $1.98 million at Christie's in November 2005.
Courtesy of Christie's
#10 A 1944 stainless steel, water-resistant perpetual calendar Patek Philippe wristwatch sold for $2.26 million to a private Swiss museum at Christie's in November 2007.
#9 This Patek Philippe pink gold, perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch sold for $2.28 million at Christie's in May 2007.
Courtesy of Christie's
#8 A Patek Philippe 18-carat pink gold wristwatch with a blue enamel dial from 1953 sold for $2.704 million at Christie's in November 2010.
Courtesy of Christie's
#7 This 1942 Patek Philippe calendar wristwatch, which shows the moon phases, sold for $2.77 million at Christie's in November 2009.
Courtesy of Christie's
#6 This 1954 Patek Philippe platinum perpetual calendar wristwatch, with sweep centre seconds and a moon phase dial, sold for $3.1 million at Christie's in May 2008.
Courtesy of Christie's
#5 This 1928 Patek Philippe 18-carat, white gold, cushion-shaped, single button chronograph wristwatch sold for $3.6 million at Christie's in May 2011.
Courtesy of Christie's
#4 This 1949 Patek Philippe stainless steel perpetual calendar wristwatch with Arabic numerals sold for $4.1 million at Christie's in May 2008.
Courtesy of Christie's
#3 The Yellow Gold Calibre 89, a set of 4 pocket watches made by Patek Philippe in 1989, sold for just over $5 million at Antiquorum in Geneva in 2009.
#2 This Patek Philippe 18-carat gold perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch with moon phases and a tonneau-shaped case sold for $5.7 million at Christie's in May 2010.
Courtesy of Christie's
#1 The Henry Graves "supercomplication," also by Patek Philippe, sold for $11 million at Sotheby's in December 1999. It's the most complicated watch ever created.
Courtesy of Sotheby's
BONUS: It's not a typical watch, but this Duc D'Orleans Sympathique clock with a removable pocket watch sold for $5.77 million at Sotheby's in December 2012.
