The Most Expensive Watch in the World?

[imageWIS]

Off the top of my head the most expensive watches I can think of (per complications, not jewelry pieces): Blancpain 1735 Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon ref. 5002 Patek Philippe Graves Patek Philippe cal. 89 Patek Philippe Star Caliber 2000 Vacheron Constantin Tour de l’ÃŽle Audemars Piguet Cabinet Watches Vacheron L’Esprit des Cabinotiers:

Hi res image: http://images.antiquorum.com/79/full/250.jpg Jon.

 

[itsstillmatt]

Jon-

What do you think of the three Ulysse Nardin comlications with all of the crazy astrological stuff. To me they are really ugly, but incredibly cool.

 

[edmorel]

Originally Posted by iammatt

Jon-

What do you think of the three Ulysse Nardin comlications with all of the crazy astrological stuff. To me they are really ugly, but incredibly cool.

Lord Arran has those also. The Astrolabium, Planetarium and Tellurium, ugly as hell but interesting nonetheless. UN does amazing work with complications (astrological, repeaters with those cool little dudes hitting the bells on the dials) and also wonderful enamel work. They are definitely avant garde relative to the other makers. The Sonata is my favorite watch of theirs currently and the Freak is, well, freakish.

Edit: did not mean to answer for Jon, it's just that UN is one of the few watchmakers that gets my heart beating!

 

[itsstillmatt]

Originally Posted by edmorel

Lord Arran has those also. The Astrolabium, Planetarium and Tellurium, ugly as hell but interesting nonetheless. UN does amazing work with complications (astrological, repeaters with those cool little dudes hitting the bells on the dials) and also wonderful enamel work. They are definitely avant garde relative to the other makers. The Sonata is my favorite watch of theirs currently and the Freak is, well, freakish.

Edit: did not mean to answer for Jon, it's just that UN is one of the few watchmakers that gets my heart beating!
I always think of their watches as ones I love to look at but would not wear. My wife has one of their dual timezone watches. The way the mechanism works is better than others that I have seen and it is relatively understated.

 

[imageWIS]

They are a cool technical exercise, but hardly worth all the hoopla they received when they first came out. I think the truly genius piece by UN is the Perpetual Ludwig which is the only perpetual calendar in the world that is controlled via the crown and is completely mechanical and can be adjusted forwards or backwards on the fly.

Jon.

 

[imageWIS]

How this for a party piece?

Jon.

 

[Tomasso]

 

[itsstillmatt]

Now if you just combined that aesthetic with the striking movement on the Nardin watches you would really have something.

 

[imageWIS]

Originally Posted by iammatt

Now if you just combined that aesthetic with the striking movement on the Nardin watches you would really have something.
I have a picture of (and have played with one in real life) a Blancpain Minute Repeater with erotic automaton; it’s the best combination of both worlds. Jon.

 

[LabelKing]

 

[imageWIS]

Originally Posted by LabelKing

Ewwww....

Jon.

 

[grimslade]

What's a minute repeater? Is it like that remote Adam Sandler has in that new movie? Cuz that would be cool...

 

[grimslade]

Originally Posted by imageWIS

I have a picture of (and have played with one in real life) a Blancpain Minute Repeater with erotic automaton; it’s the best combination of both worlds.

Jon.


EDIT: Never mind, if it's the movement pictured above...

 

[LabelKing]

Originally Posted by grimslade

What's a minute repeater? Is it like that remote Adam Sandler has in that new movie? Cuz that would be cool...
It's a mechanism that chimes out the time up to the minute as opposed to a quarter repeater. There are also five-minute repeaters. Repeater mechanisms are among the most difficult items to create in terms of aesthetics, efficency, and sheer tone. Breguet used to soak the gongs in horse urine. Some are also "a toc", which is a dumb repeater. Repeaters are divided into grande and petit sonneries.

 

[imageWIS]

Originally Posted by LabelKing

It's a mechanism that chimes out the time up to the minute as opposed to a quarter repeater.

There are also five-minute repeaters. Repeater mechanisms are among the most difficult items to create in terms of aesthetics, efficency, and sheer tone. Breguet used to soak the gongs in horse urine.

But only mid-stream!

Personally, I think Patek has the best sounding repeaters...they seem to have perfected the metallurgy of repeater gongs.

Jon.