The top result in a published ranking of 2022 watch auctions was a Gobbi Milano-signed Patek Philippe Ref. 2499, reported at about US$7.72 million after currency conversion. The list offers a snapshot of exceptional, high-value lots—not a guide to ordinary watch prices or a forecast of investment returns.
What was the most expensive watch auctioned in 2022?
The ranking places a 1957 pink-gold Patek Philippe Ref. 2499 signed Gobbi Milano first, at approximately US$7,724,346. That is a converted figure, so it should be read as about US$7.72 million rather than as a precise dollar total. The compilation describes the watch as a second-series perpetual-calendar chronograph, one of nine examples of that variant and the only known example bearing the Gobbi Milano signature. The published ranking and lot notes are based on a secondary compilation that republishes a Robb Report article; not every lot in the ranking was independently checked against an auction-house result page.
The compilation reports a 2007 prior sale for the watch. That earlier transaction can provide historical context, but it does not establish the watch’s investment return: sale prices may differ in currency, fees, condition, completeness, and circumstances, and a simple comparison would not account for those differences.
The top 20 auction results
The ranking contains ten Christie’s lots and five apiece from Phillips and Sotheby’s. All but the lot ranked 20th exceeded US$2 million, and nine exceeded US$3 million, according to the compilation. Dollar conversions are approximate where the source says they are; the table preserves original currencies when the compilation provides them.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
#1 Best Overall
| Rank | Watch | Reported result | What distinguished it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patek Philippe Ref. 2499, Gobbi Milano-signed | About US$7,724,346 (converted) | 1957 pink-gold second-series perpetual-calendar chronograph; one of nine of the variant and the only known example with the Gobbi Milano signature. |
| 2 | George Daniels Spring Case Tourbillon | CHF4,083,500; Phillips reported US$4,092,075 | Unique, two-sided yellow-gold wristwatch with a hinged inner movement case that springs open to reveal a reverse dial. |
| 3 | Richard Mille RM56-01 | About US$3,661,673 (converted) | Sapphire and titanium case, skeletonized tourbillon escapement, power-reserve and torque indicators; sold in Geneva. |
| 4 | Rolex Daytona Ref. 6263 “Paul Newman” Oyster Lemon | About US$3,421,169 (converted) | 18-karat yellow-gold example; the compilation calls it the earliest of three known examples with this dial color. |
| 5 | Patek Philippe Ref. 1518 “Pink on Pink” | CHF3,297,000; US$3,333,926 | Phillips annual results list the May Geneva sale in both currencies. |
| 11 | Patek Philippe Ref. 3974 | HK$19,610,000; US$2,498,314 | Phillips said the May Hong Kong result set a reference record. The watch had a yellow-gold case by Jean-Pierre Hagmann, black lacquer dial, and Calatrava Cross. |
| 15 | Patek Philippe Ref. 5531R-012 | US$2,220,000 | Christie’s June New York result for a rose-gold grand complication with a miniature cloisonné enamel Lavaux vineyards dial, minute repeater, and world-time functions. |
| 17 | Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Ref. 5402 | About US$2.1 million (converted) | Steel watch with a gold bezel, associated with designer Gérald Genta. |
The table includes the selected lots detailed in the compilation and official house results cited below; it is not a transcription of all twenty entries. The full ranking is available in the published compilation.
Why the George Daniels result stood out
Phillips reported that Daniels’s Spring Case Tourbillon sold in Geneva for CHF4,083,500, or US$4,092,075, in November 2022. The hinged construction is central to its appeal: the movement sits in an inner case that can spring open within the outer case, presenting a second dial on the reverse. Phillips called the result a record for a wristwatch by a British maker. Phillips’ 2022 watch-auction results provide the house’s reported price and description. Its unusual mechanism and the identity of its maker make it a distinct example in a list otherwise dominated by famous luxury maisons.
What made other high-ranking watches notable?
Rarity, signatures, and provenance
The first-place Patek Philippe illustrates how an unusual signature and a narrowly defined variant can matter alongside the model name. The compilation says it is the only known Ref. 2499 of this variant signed Gobbi Milano. The “Paul Newman” Oyster Lemon Daytona was also presented as a rare variant: the compilation calls it the earliest of three known examples with that dial color. Such statements describe the cited lots; they should not be generalized into a price premium for every watch with an unusual signature or dial.
Complications and hand-finished detail
Complications and craft recur in the selected results. Patek Philippe’s Ref. 1518 and Ref. 2499 combine a perpetual calendar with a chronograph, while Ref. 5531R-012 pairs a minute repeater and world-time functions with a miniature cloisonné enamel scene. The Ref. 3974’s case attribution to Jean-Pierre Hagmann and its black lacquer dial add details specific to that lot. These features help explain why the examples drew attention, but the ranking does not isolate the value contributed by any single complication, material, or craft technique.
Christie’s reported the Ref. 5531R-012 at US$2,220,000 in its June 2022 New York results. Its release also quoted Keith Davis, Head of Watches, Christie’s Americas, saying the house had achieved “a new record for the highest valued watches sale at Christie’s New York in only 137 lots.” Christie’s June 2022 results identify the watch and report its sale price.
Independent makers and designer associations
The top twenty also included independent makers and designer-linked models alongside established maisons. Besides Daniels, the compilation lists Richard Mille’s RM56-01 and F.P. Journe examples; it also links the Royal Oak Ref. 5402 to Gérald Genta. This is a description of this unusually expensive group, not evidence of how independent makers or designer associations perform across the wider watch market.
Rank #4
How to read auction prices
The compilation says its prices combine the hammer price and buyer’s premium where charged. A buyer’s premium is an amount added to the winning bid, so a reported buyer-paid result is not directly comparable to a hammer-only estimate or bid. Sotheby’s 2022 results page says its listed results include the house’s premiums and exclude applicable taxes and costs unless otherwise stated. Sotheby’s results set out that policy.
- Keep the currency and conversion together. The Daniels result, for example, is reported by Phillips as CHF4,083,500 and US$4,092,075. Other converted figures in the compilation are approximate.
- Check what the result includes. A buyer-paid result can include a premium; taxes and other costs may sit outside the reported figure.
- Compare like with like. Sale date, venue, original currency, condition, completeness, documented provenance, and exact reference or variant can all matter. A hammer-only figure and a total including premium measure different things.
What patterns can—and cannot—be drawn from the top 20?
Three houses account for every lot in the compilation: Christie’s had ten, while Phillips and Sotheby’s had five each. The ranking also brings together rarity, provenance, signatures, unusual materials or dials, complications, and maker identity. Those are recurring characteristics of the selected headline lots, not a formula that determines a watch’s value.
Phillips said its Watch department generated over US$227 million in 2022, its highest annual result to that point and nearly 10% above 2021. That is the auction house’s own department-level figure, not a total for the whole market. The compilation also attributes US$626 million in combined watch sales to Sotheby’s, Christie’s, and Phillips; that is a secondary article’s figure and is not independently reconciled here. Neither figure changes what a top-20 list can establish: it shows a small set of exceptional sales, not a representative sample of watches offered or sold.
For personal-finance decisions, the main caution is straightforward: a record or headline auction price is not evidence that a watch is a sound investment. The list does not establish typical resale values, future returns, or the costs and risks of owning and selling a particular watch.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
