Over the Top Watches!

March 16, 2012

Ownership of high-end watches has become the latest symbol of status and wealth.  In spite of their cost, timepieces such as TagHeuer, Cartier, Movado, and Piguet are in great demand all over the world.  These watches are able to command prices well over a thousand dollars.  And if a wristwatch is studded with diamonds or made of platinum, the asking price can be over ten thousand dollars.

As popular as high-end watches are, there is also a demand for top-end watches.  For the retail price of some of these watches, the buyer could purchase a luxury automobile – such as a Lamborghini!  The price of a top-end watch is affected by several variables.  The name of the watch-making company is important, as some command more respect than others.  Quite naturally, the price is also affected by the quality of the materials from which the timepiece is made.  In addition, the more “complications” a watch has, the more expensive the watch.  Complications are basically the functions a watch is able to perform. And lastly, if a timepiece is rare – meaning that there were only a limited number produced – the price can be greatly enhanced.

Many watches are so expensive that they are placed in a safe and only worn infrequently. There are jewel-studded ladies’ watches by Swiss watchmakers such as Vacheron, Constantin and Girard-Perregaux that will set the purchaser back over $200,000.  One watch, the Piaget Emperador Temple, is so laden with diamonds that it costs an incredible 3.3 million dollars.  Another, Frank Muller’s Aeternitas Mega 4, is make from four meteorites that crashed into Earth.  It retails for a cool 2.7 million.

Perhaps the most interesting watches are those with the most complications.

Complications can include such functions as a split second hand isolater, a split second chronograph, a perpetual calendar, and functions to keep track of time in multiple time zones. A certain pocket watch, the Patek, Caliber 89, has thirty-three functions and costs an astronomical $5,120,000.  A buyer would need a degree in mechanical engineering to understand all the functions this magnificent timepiece offers!