No. 19. Vacheron Constantin – Malte Tourbillon Regulator



Price: $700,000

The Vacheron Constantin Malte Tourbillon Regulator is a tonneau-shaped watch that features a tourbillon and a black leather strap. It has 263 baguette-cut diamonds in the dial of the watch, as well as 274 similar cut diamonds in the case. It is part of the timepiece company’s high jewelry collection.

No. 20. Greubel Forsey – Quadruple Tourbillon



Price: $690,000

The Quadruple Tourbillon Secret was presented at the 2012 SIHH, Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, in Geneva. While the full dial of the QT Secret hides the two double tourbillon oscillators below, the two 4-minute indicators on the dial provide a hint of the complexity underneath. Turning the timepiece over enables the four tourbillons systems presented head to tail and coupled by a spherical differential to be appreciated at a glance through the display back.

No. 21. Girard-Perregaux – Vintage Jackpot Tourbillon



Price: $625,000

What happens when a game of chance and watchmaking precision come together? Out comes the Girard-Perregaux Vintage 1945 Jackpot Tourbillon. A perfect toy for the elite, this watch comes with a slot machine equipped with a striking mechanism. Although the mechanism is quite complex, it does not affect the legibility. A window at 12 o’clock reveals a row of three denotations and when the lever arm, covering the crown, is pulled, the reels start spinning and randomly stop on any of the five symbols. The hammer goes gong making sounds similar to slotting machines in the casino. The jackpot is hit when there are three bells in a row and chances of hitting the jackpot are 1 in 125. At 6 o’clock a cut off allows you to admire the Tourbillon with the golden Bridge. The watch has a four day power reserve and comes with a case made of pink gold.

No. 22. de Grisogono – Meccanico dG S25D



Price: $590,000

In an era where big–not just big, but giant!–watches have become the norm, this behemoth stands out from the crowd. A 15th birthday present from Geneva-based De Grisogono, the company claims it is the most complicated watch in the world (with a price tag to match). Behold: a watch that gives you both analog and digital time by mechanical means–a world first. Necessary?

Well, no. But astounding, nevertheless. What appears to be the Meccanico dG‘s digital display is actually the super-complex meshing of 651 mechanical components, worked by 23 cams connected to synchronized gears. Just for good measure, this tour de force is also water-resistant up to 100 feet in case you feel like a dip, in whatever time zone you might find yourself. In a limited edition of 177 pieces

No. 23. A. Lange & Söhne – Tourbograph “Pour le Mérite”



Price: $508,900

The TOURBOGRAPH “Pour le Mérite” is an exceptional ex-pression of micromechanical virtuosity. It is the very first wristwatch in the history of horology that unites a fusée-and-chain transmission, a tourbillon, and a rattrapante chronograph mechanism. Its movement reflects the ultimate degree of precision watchmaking ingenuity.

No. 24. Chopard – Secret



Price: $508,000

The Chopard Secret has a pave set diamond dial and square frame. The case is encrusted with brilliant, square and baguette-cut diamonds that weigh 19 carats. The strap is made of satin and boasts of a clasp made of baguette-cut diamond. Only two pieces of this model have been made.

No. 25. The Urwerk Zeit Device 1001



Price: $400,000

A Pocket watch Uwerk Zeit Device UR-1001 can run for 1000 years and costs $400,000. The UR-1001 is made of a steel body with modern marvel and 51 jewels. The watch runs with the help of gears and a set of cubes to display month, date and year and also sports a day/night indicator. Most of the watches doesn’t change the date automatically between months with 30 days and months with 31 days, but UR-1001 has been programmed to change the date perfectly. But yes, 28 days in February is the only month where you have to adjust the date, means only once in a year.

The watch measures 4.17 inches x 2.44 inches x 0.9 inches and there is a 100 year dial at the back; when the watch hits 100 years, a second linear calendar counts centuries up to full millennium.

The UR-1001 doesn’t self-wind and a single wind can only run the watch for 39 hours. It features a red warning indicator that reminds the owner to wind.

No. 26. Montblanc – Grand Tourbillon Heures Mysterieuses



Price: $365,750

This super-expensive watch is the second costliest watch from Montblanc, having a platinum case, a gold dial and alligator leather strap.

The watch is wounded by hand, and the display is made of black metallic hands on sapphire discs.

Cheaper versions of this watch are available: the 18 carat white gold at $319.000 (8 pieces) and the 18 carat red gold version at $302.500 (8 pieces).

No. 27. Concord – C1 Tourbillon Gravity



Price: $320,000

When Concord released the C1 Quantum Gravity Tourbillon in 2008, many people believed it signalled what the future of high-end watchmaking would look like. It was a time of rapid modernisation in the watch industry, in both talent, and perceptions of what high-end collectors wanted to buy. There was less focus on traditionally conservative design, and a great deal of experimentation with what were, in the context of the often staid high-end watch industry, quite radical designs. In many ways the C1 Quantum Gravity Tourbillon helped define an era.

While the “Quantum-inspired” super-watch era never replaced a preference for traditional designs, projects like the C1 Quantum Gravity Tourbillon have had a lasting effect on what modern luxury timepieces strive to be.

Under the Movado group, Concord was “re-launched” only shortly before they released the C1 Quantum Gravity Tourbillon. The brand eschewed much of its traditional DNA, instead opting for a futuristic industrial look, which reached its zenith in this particular timepiece. The movement of the Quantum Gravity is a feat unto itself, in addition to the overall case design. Concord worked with the hottest movement maker of the era, a firm known as BNB Concept, to develop the mechanism inside the watch. Heavy on conceptualisation, the movement features a bi-axial tourbillon (spins on two axis points at once), connected to the rest of the movement with tiny suspension-bridge-style wires. A small cylinder of green liquid is located on the dial, which empties and fills as a means of indicating the power reserve left in the mechanical movement.

The easiest way of understanding the point of the C1 Quantum Gravity Tourbillon is to realise that it helped fully legitimise modern conceptual futuristic design as having a place in the high-end watch industry. Whatever it lacked in elegance, it made up for in inventiveness.

Concord fully acknowledges that the movement was designed separately from the case, something common at the time, when both elements of the watch had distinct appeal to collectors. In mostly titanium and 18k white gold, the C1 Quantum Gravity Tourbillon watch even relied on vulcanised black rubber as a case material and design element. Only 10 pieces were ever produced.

No. 28. Hublot Ferrari



Price: $318,000

This is again on No. 28 because there is a tie between Hublot Ferrari and IWC – Grande Complication. Hublot has created a limited edition Ferrari watch that costs more than most of the actual cars. For the bargain price of $318,000, brand fans can wrap the MP-05 LaFerrari watch around their wrists. Compared to the million-dollar-plus LaFerrari supercar, the Hublot Ferrari watch seems like a bargain.

Hublot designed the MP-05 LaFerrari watch to show appreciation for its association with the Ferrari brand. The watch is quite complex, much like a Ferrari. It features 637 individual components, a tourbillon, and can function for 50 days with no power. The watch sort of resembles a supercar engine, which is pretty cool.

No. 28. IWC – Grande Complication



Price: $318,000

This watch features a perpetual calendar with a moon phase. It also has a minute repeater and chronograph with automatic movement. Only 50 pieces are produced each year. It boasts of 659 parts in a platinum case and bracelet. It also has a crown-activated rapid calendar advance.

No. 29. Breitling – Grande Complication



Price: $280,716

It is not the typical wrist-watch as it is a pocket watch with an eye-popping price of $280,700, thus the name: Grande. The owners of these one-of-a-kind timepieces can feel like they are living in the era where pocket watches were in fashion, only this time, with the best technology there is for luxury watches. This model is made up of 700 distinct parts and is fully functional. It has a minute striker, perpetual calendar, and moon phases. Its case is made of 18 carat yellow gold which features the engraving of one of Breitling’s partners and Bentley Motors founder, Walter Owen Bentley.

No. 30. Panerai – L’Astronomo Luminor Tourbillon 1950 Equation of Time



Price: $235,000

The Panerai Luminor 1950 Tourbillon Equation of Time Watch has a black dial and brown alligator bracelet strap. It has a tang clasp type and features manual-winding movement. The case is made of titanium and measures 50 millimeters in diameter and 17 millimeters in thickness. Power reserve can last up to four days. The watch is water-resistant up to a distance of 100 meters. Other features include a tourbillon, fully protected crown-lock mechanism and anti-glare sapphire crystal.

No. 31. Porsche Design – Indicator P’6910



Price: $225,000

Once again Porsche Design has set a new milestone in watchmaking: The Porsche Design P’6910 Indicator combines chronograph functions with a genuinely mechanical jumping digital display. Even at a quick glance the stop hours, minutes and seconds can be captured with absolute certainty up to a total stoppage time of 9:59 hours. This absolute innovation in the area of mechanical watches is made possible by the most complex commercial wristwatch movement in the world that does its work inside this extraordinary timepiece.