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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Patek Philippe’s Henry Graves Jr. Supercomplication sold at Sotheby’s in Geneva on 11 November 2014 for CHF 23,237,000—approximately US$24 million. Sotheby’s called it a world record at the time; Guinness World Records lists it as the most expensive pocket watch sold at auction. That record category matters: it does not establish the watch as the highest-priced timepiece of every kind.
What was the Henry Graves Jr. Supercomplication?
It is a unique Patek Philippe pocket watch commissioned by American banker and collector Henry Graves Jr., not a model offered for retail sale. Sotheby’s says Graves commissioned it more than five years before taking delivery in 1933. The watch has 24 complications and was designed and made without computer assistance, according to Sotheby’s retrospective.
The auction catalog describes a double dial and records the inscription: “Made for Henry Graves Jr, New York 1932 by Patek, Philippe & Co.” The inscription’s 1932 date and the reported 1933 delivery refer to different events, so they are not contradictory. Sotheby’s 2014 lot description
How much did it sell for?
The precise reported result was CHF 23,237,000 at Sotheby’s Geneva on 11 November 2014. Sotheby’s gave the equivalent as approximately US$24 million. The Swiss-franc amount is the clearest figure for the auction result; dollar conversions reported at the time may vary slightly. These are historical sale figures, not a current valuation. Sotheby’s sale result
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How the 2014 result followed the 1999 sale
Sotheby’s recounts that the watch sold for $11 million in 1999, also at Sotheby’s. That sale made it the most expensive watch sold at auction at the time. Its 2014 result surpassed the earlier price and set a new record then. Sotheby’s has also described the Graves watch as the second most expensive Patek Philippe sold; that is a separate brand-specific ranking and should be understood as time-sensitive, rather than a permanent position.
What record does it hold now?
Guinness World Records’ listing identifies the Graves Supercomplication as the most expensive pocket watch sold at auction. The evidence supports that specific category, not a broader claim that it remains the most expensive watch or timepiece of any type. Pocket watches and wristwatches are distinct categories, and record claims should preserve that distinction. Guinness World Records listing
Rank #2
A Sotheby’s executive recalls the sale
Daryn Schnipper, Sotheby’s Senior Vice President and Chairman, later recalled: “When the hammer fell and it was sold for $24 million, I believe I was moved to tears.” Sotheby’s interview with Daryn Schnipper
Quick Recap
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