Eric Clapton’s Patek Philippe watch made news when it sold for $3.6 million at auction, but many luxury items sell for similar prices or higher.
via GQ
The platinum Patek Philippe wristwatch has 23 jewels, gold dauphine hands and a double Geneva seal. This purchase is close to the record for the most expensive auction watch, but this title went to the nearly $4 million J.B. Champion Chronometer, also made by Patek Philippe.
While Eric Clapton’s watch is extravagant, it is a fraction of the cost of the most expensive diamond. The 17th century Wittelsbach blue diamond is 35.56-carats and was owned by Spanish, Austrian and Bavarian royalty. The diamond sold for $23.4 million in 2008.
The world has never seen a jewelry collection like Liz Taylor’s, which earned a record for the priciest public collection. Pieces sold for a total of around $118 million and included:
- Taj Mahal Diamond, $8.8 million
- Diamond-sapphire ring from Michael Jackson, $600 thousand
- 33.19-carat diamond ring from Richard Burton, $8.8 million
- La Peregrina pearl necklace, $11.8 million
The Patek Philippe watch is a wonderful item but is only one marvelous piece in a sea of treasures.
f diamonds are a girl’s best friend, the Wittelsbach would make one heck of a BFF. The 35.56-carat blue diamond dates back to the 17th century, when King Philip IV of Spain selected the jewel to be part of his daughter’s dowry. The diamond passed among Austrian and Bavarian royalty for centuries, but after World War I Bavaria became a republic and the jewel was repossessed by the state. Christie’s auction house tried to sell it in 1931 but apparently found no buyers. The diamond disappeared for a few decades only to resurface in 1962. A private collector purchased it in 1964, but sold it in 2008 for $23.4 million.
Nicole C for Raymond Lee Jewelers, South Florida’s premiere source for buying and selling luxury watches and designer jewelry.
