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10
Patek Philippe Ref. 1518 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph
Photo : Phillips
The Patek Philippe 1518 is the very first regular-production wristwatch to contain a perpetual calendar and chronograph at once, initiating a long-standing tradition of grand complications from Patek. First released in 1941 and ending production in 1954, it is estimated that only 281 were ever made. In other words, it’s not only important historically but also very rare.
But what really makes the 1518 such a revered piece of horology—a must-have for any high-end collector looking to stand at the top of that elite world—has as much to do with rarity and complication as with sheer beauty, elegance, and an uncannily adept informational hierarchy. The case is just 35 mm, and it still astounds some that so few brands currently make a truly complicated watch so small. The proportions of that case are classic and beautiful, but the dial is where we see what many would argue is the most perfect arrangement of information ever rendered in a wristwatch. It is legible yet classy, complicated but easy to derive information from, and genuinely iconic yet understated. And it was done long before CAD-assisted design software and modern fabrication techniques.
Patek Philippe Ref. 1518Phillips
Today, the 1518 remains a holy grail, really the holy grail. In 2016, a stainless-steel 1518 hammered for $11,136,642 at Phillips. There appear to be only four examples rendered in stainless steel, while most are in yellow gold and pink gold. It’s hard to think of a watch that represents the golden era of Swiss wristwatches as well as the 1518, and its value—both monetary and in terms of affection—among the world’s elite collectors is unequivocally as high as it gets.
Votes received: 14
Notable comment: “The Patek Philippe perpetual calendar chronograph reference 1518 in stainless steel is my grail and the greatest watch of all time. The incredible rare steel case combined with the highly complicated function is the perfect match.” – Matthew Bain
9
Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso
Photo : Phillips
As far as watchmaking legends go, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso might just be one of the most elegant in the cannon of tales. Representing the height of the Art Deco period, the Reverso was born during an era that also saw Chanel introduce easy-to-wear jersey fabrics for women and Lacoste invent a jersey-knit cotton piqué polo shirt that was breathable and stretchable for an active lifestyle. Likewise, the Reverso’s clever flip face came out of a need for polo players to protect the glass of their timekeepers while playing the high-octane sport.
The idea took hold when businessman César de Trey happened to be traveling for business in India, then under the rule of the British Empire. Some British colonial officers who were friends of de Trey took him for a front-row view of their favorite pastime, polo. The former purveryor of dental equipment had traded posts for greener pastures distributing watches in Switzerland circa 1930—a time when wristwatches accounted for half of all Swiss exports. He is said to have been obsessed with the protection of watch glass—he had been a distributor for Movado purse watches known for their protective casing. He was quick on his feet after his lightbulb moment on the field and quickly registered the name Reverso (Latin for “I turn) and by 1931 a patent for the sliding, turnable watch face had been registered. He soon connected with the firm, Edmond Jaeger—a company known for making instruments for cars and aircraft which had a close working relationship with the Swiss manufacture, Le Coultre. The union of Jaeger and LeCoultre for the project would ultimately lead to the company as we know it today.
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Tribute Duoface TourbillonJaeger-LeCoultre
The Reverso was a forward-thinking product of its time developed out of a sort of necessity in relation to a luxurious pastime sport, but today it’s a charming novelty with as much relevant style now as in its heyday. It’s proof that the greatest designs, can switch relevance and clients and yet maintain a singular, near mythological desirability.
Votes Received: 14
8
Patek Philippe Nautilus
Photo : The Keystone, Patek Philippe,, Tropical Watch
Designed by Gerald Genta, who sketched the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak a couple of years prior, the Nautilus was Patek Philippe’s reaction to drastic changes in the market for high-end watches—namely, that an exquisite steel sports watch could be a thing at all. The original Nautilus 3700/1A, released in 1976, was exquisite, indeed, with a remarkable 7.6 mm height, a lovely dark blue dial, and one of the most handsome bracelet-to-case integrations ever conceived. There have been many iterations over the years, but most of our experts mentioned the 3700 that started it all.
Patek Philippe Nautilus Reference 5711Courtesy of Patek Philippe
However, as well conceived as it was, the Nautilus wasn’t a big hit off the bat. It wasn’t until the renewed interest in 1970s steel integrated-bracelet watches kicked off sometime around 2017 that the Nautilus became an often unobtainable and very expensive proposition. It was the steel reference 5711 of 2006 that really fueled this renaissance of interest in the Nautilus, and that watch was the 21st-century tribute to the original 3700. And then, surprisingly, in 2021, Patek discontinued the 5711, just as prices for them were skyrocketing during the Covid-19 pandemic. As dramatic as the Nautilus story has been in recent years, the staying power of this watch, as well as its status as a true horological icon, is undeniable.
Votes received: 15
7
Patek Philippe Calatrava
Photo : Phillips
So ubiquitous is the greatest innovation of the Patek Philippe Calatrava that even students of horology often miss it: The lugs are formed from the same piece of metal as the case rather than welded on. That’s what made this watch utterly modern in 1932 when it brought luxury timekeeping down a notch or two toward the emerging professional upper middle classes of Europe and America. They sold well, putting Patek’s main competitors, Audemars Piguet and Vacheron Constantin, on notice. Until then, the only other watch brand that had sorted out how to get the lugs integrated gracefully was Cartier with the Santos and then the Tank—though those were not round watches.
The lugs are not the only reason the Patek Philippe Calatrava holds such an exalted place on this list. The watch is also a study in balanced, harmonious design rendered with a minimalism so exquisitely legible that it’s fair to say that Patek Philippe effectively invented the modern round wrist-worn dress watch (not to mention creating the template for just about every other kind of wristwatch).
Patek Philippe Calatrava 3796R with salmon dial from the 1990s recreates the original reference 96.Phillips
Initially, the watch wasn’t called the Calatrava, however. That came in the 1980s when Swiss watch brands began to celebrate their histories more overtly. The first watch of this style was just the “reference 96,” a watch still coveted today, though our voters also mentioned references 565, 570, 2526, 2552, 3444, and so on. All of these references, however, collapse into a unified watch design now known ubiquitously as the Calatrava. In fact, more than a few sellers of vintage watches today will talk of a Vacheron Constantin Calatrava, an Omega Calatrava, or an Audemars Piguet Calatrava; these designations are dead wrong (and likely an attempt to up SEO on the web), but the generic broadening of the term shows how impactful the watch is to this day. Go up and down this list, and with very few exceptions, the other watches derive their basic form from the Patek Philippe Reference 96 and its younger siblings.
Votes received: 20
Notable comment: “The Ref 96 is the mother of all wristwatch, it defines what a high quality watch should be, but also its aesthetic. Its influence after nearly 100 years is still far reaching, and it is still copied by all the watch brands.” – William Massena
6
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona Ref. 6263 “Paul Newman”
Photo : Phillips
While the Rolex Daytona received a whopping 21 votes overall, the so-called “Paul Newman” Daytona was specifically mentioned 10 times in those nominations. And while separating those two categories—one broad, one specific—might slide the Daytona down the list, the incredibly influential reference 6263 certainly deserves its own spot.
Back in the day, a reliable way to determine a product’s popularity was by counting the number of column inches of coverage it inspired in newspapers. In today’s digital age, it’s next to impossible to measure the precise extent to which a product has been covered. Still, it’s safe to say that the Rolex Daytona Ref. 6263, an iteration of the original 1963 Cosmograph Daytona produced from 1971 to the late 1980s, has received more than its fair share of praise, both in print and online.
The actual Paul Newman Daytona fetched $17.8 million at auction in 2017, becoming the most expensive wristwatch ever at the time.Photo: Justin Mastine-Frost
The vintage hand-wound model is a classic of watchmaking. Its most distinct feature is a fixed black acrylic, as opposed to steel, bezel with a tachymeter scale. There are numerous versions of Ref. 6263 in various metal and dial configurations, and collectors often disagree on which is best. Three of the most popular and coveted versions include the “Big Red,” so-called for its red Daytona logo; the Paul Newman, fitted with an exotic dial; and models featuring a “sigma” dial, which lacks the Daytona moniker entirely (the nickname alludes to the small sigma symbols located on either side of the “Swiss” signature). Almost every Rolex fan, however, can agree on this: The 6263 is as pure an example of a “true” Daytona as you can get.
Votes received: 10 (total for Daytona generally was 21)
Notable comment: “While my Paul Newman Daytona would probably be the last watch I’d ever sell, it’s fair to say the main sport pieces from Patek and classic references from F. P. Journe are a close second.” – Alex Lubin
5
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona
Photo : Rolex
During World War II, Rolex famously allowed Allied prisoners of war to write to the company and request a watch, which the firm would send directly to the POW camp. (One signed letter from Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf incredibly requested that the recipient “not even think of settlement until after the war.”) These chronographs would evolve into the famed “pre-Daytona” references of the 1950s and 1960s, the 6234 and 6238. When, in 1963, the Rolex launched what it once referred to in advertisement as the “Rolex Le Mans”—soon to be officially christened the “Rolex Cosmograph Daytona”—it sparked a collection that would revolutionize its business decades later. Named for the famed raceway in Daytona, Florida, this humble, hand-wound, stainless steel chronograph is now one of the world’s most desirable watches.
Phillips
During its 60-plus-year lifetime, the Daytona has been offered in myriad executions: Stainless steel and precious metal; hand-wound and automatic; “panda” dial and “exotic” dial; specially stamped dials made for Middle Eastern monarchs; and more. At its heart, however, this is a tool watch meant for racing: Featuring a round case, dual chronograph pushers, a tachymeter-scale bezel, a dial with a triple-register chronograph, a mechanical movement, and an Oyster bracelet, it’s always recognizable from across the room no matter its livery. Want one? You’ll have to be patient—like the Submariner, Royal Oak, and Nautilus, the Daytona is so popular that it’s nigh impossible to buy at retail. That doesn’t stop millions of people around the world from trying, however!
Votes received: 11 (or 21 counting Newman-dial versions)
4
Cartier Tank
Photo : Phillips, Cartier
During WWI, Louis Cartier was a young soldier confined to auxiliary service due to ongoing health complications, but during a tour to the Front in 1916 he is said to have come up with the idea for Cartier’s most enduringly recognized timepiece, the Tank. In the spring of 1917, he was from service (because he was unable to drive a car) and it was then that he was able to realize the creation of the aptly named Tank. It was said to be inspired by the fearsome machines that both terrorized and protected soldiers, the vertical sidebars were meant to mimic the treads on the side of the cockpit of a tank. Today it may simply look like a classically refined rectangular watch, but then it had significance for truly capturing a momentous moment in time. And, as author Francesca Cartier Brickell points out in her tome The Cartiers, the name could have also been just a genius stroke of marketing. Adding to its lore, Louis Cartier gifted the original prototype to General John J. Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Forces, for being instrumental in helping the allies when the war.
Cartier Tank NormalePhillips
All the exciting tales aside, the Tank was also particularly demonstrative of the aesthetics of the impending Art Deco period, which exemplified an entirely new design language in the post-war period. With clean lines, a strap integrated into the case, radiating Roman numerals, and a winder accented with a cabochon sapphire, the elements of its elegance were firmly solidified and continued to carry this watch’s enduring appeal well into the 21st century and, we imagine, well beyond. It’s no surprised it’s been a companion of everyone from Duke Ellington to John F. Kennedy and Jackie Onassis to George Clooney.
Votes received: 21
Notable comment: “The Tank Normale forever changed the notion of what shape a watch should be.”
3
Rolex Submariner
Photo : Tropical Watch, Matthew Bain, HQ Milton
It was largely during the World War II that the foundations were laid for recreational, open-circuit SCUBA diving. As civilians around the world began taking up this new leisure activity following the cessation of hostilities, watch companies realized that they needed to offer a robust, legible, highly water-resistant timepiece to calculate bottom time and decompression stops. In 1953, several companies issued experimental new pieces in an effort to answer this call—but it was the Rolex Submariner whose handsome, simple design has made it perhaps the most recognizable watch in the world. Indeed, between 1953 and 2020 the brand produced nearly four million of them, and today, they’re all but impossible to buy at retail. What’s shocking is how closely the original reference 6204 resembles a modern-day reference 124060LN: The round stainless-steel case, black dial with luminous indices, rotating timing bezel, and matching Oyster bracelet are all there.
Rolex Submariner 1680 RedAngle City Time
While the Submariner was born as a true “tool watch”—soldiers, sailors, and airmen stationed overseas during the Vietnam War could, in certain cases, walk into a Post Exchange (PX) and buy one — it began to take on luxurious tones during the 1970s, when two-tone gold-and-steel and fully gold references were added to the catalog. While Rolex still produces both standard time-only and time-and-date references in stainless steel, very few customers actually use them for their intended purpose, the dive computer having long replaced the dive watch as the standard underwater timing device. This has done nothing, however, to diminish the Submariner’s appeal. On the contrary, it seems like every other pedestrian on the street in a major American, European, or Asian city has one on their wrist, content with the knowledge that this is a watch that can take a licking and keep on ticking.
Votes received: 22
2
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak
Photo : Audemars Piguet
In the early 1970s, three executives from the SSIH, or Société Suisse pour l’Industrie Horlogère, asked Audemars Piguet managing director George Golay for a type of timepiece that had never been made before—namely, a luxurious take on a stainless steel sports watch. Golay called up a young Swiss watch designer, Gérald Genta, on the eve of the Swiss Watch Fair (later “Baselworld”) and conveyed his request for an initial design. The resulting sketch, launched in Basel in 1972, would change the very nature of Swiss watchmaking, manifesting the request from the SSIH and making stainless steel as expensive as gold. The reference 5402ST—the very first Royal Oak—featured an octagonal bezel inspired, so the story goes, by a diving helmet (some say it was a ship’s window), plus a unique integrated bracelet and a textured dial. Inside beat a thin, automatic movement powering a time-and-date display. At the time of its debut, the 5402ST cost several times the price of a contemporary Rolex Submariner—today, its modern equivalent still does.
Royal Oak gifted by Bruno Mars to his band members.Allen Farmelo
Though it was joined by the Girard-Perregaux Laureato in 1975, the Patek Philippe Nautilus in 1976, and the Chopard St. Moritz in 1980, the Royal Oak was at the forefront of the luxury sports watch evolution by virtue of timing. That, of course, and its inspired, masculine design, which was joined in 1993 by the Royal Oak Offshore, a massive, thick take on the R.O. designed by Emmanuel Gueit. Today, much of Audemars Piguet’s catalog is still based upon the Royal Oak platform: There are ultra-thin time-and-date versions, ultra-complicated iterations in futuristic materials, ladies’ versions—even a perpetual calendar version designed by star guitarist and songwriter John Mayer. Notoriously difficult to buy at retail and held in esteem by virtually the entire watch industry, the Royal Oak’s star is one that seems to continuously rise.
Votes received: 35
Notable comment: “While the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak may seem like the obvious choice today, at the time of its debut in 1972 it would’ve been seen as anything but. The flailing Swiss watch industry was in dire need of a hail-Mary pass in light of the debut and subsequent transformative success of quartz watches—courtesy of Seiko and their Astron 35SQ—and at first glance, the boldly styled Royal Oak didn’t seem to be what the doctor ordered. Not only was it made out of steel—hardly a luxury material—but it was almost irresponsibly expensive. Indeed, it would take three years to sell the first 1000 pieces.” – Adam Craniotes
1
Omega Speedmaster Professional
Photo : Omega
In the middle of the 20th century, in 1957, an auspicious year for Omega began: In one fell swoop, the Biel/Bienne-based brand launched its famed Seamaster dive watch, Railmaster field watch, and, most famously, its Speedmaster chronograph. It was called “Speedmaster” for strictly non-space-going reasons—precisely because it was meant to time speed and distance at the track. That’s right, the beloved “Speedy” is really, like most chronographs, an automotive timepiece. But its design foreshadowed bigger things to come: It was the first watch to feature a tachymeter scale on its bezel rather than on the dial, thus making the chronograph more legible. And its case, though it featured straight lugs in 1957, fairly quickly sprouted the “twisted” lugs that would make its profile so recognizable over the decades. Its hand-wound movement, meanwhile, based on a Lemania caliber, was robust and accurate.
Speedmaster reference 145.012, which was the last vintage Speedmaster to receive the caliber 321 before transitioning to the 861 (also a Lemania base) with the 145.022 in 1969.
But the Speedy’s legend was truly born when, in the mid-1960s, it beat chronographs from Rolex and Longines-Wittnauer in a series of punishing torture tests by none other than NASA. Thus qualified for manned space flight, the Speedy accompanied astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, and Neil Armstrong on the Apollo 11 mission, where Aldrin wore his ref. ST 105.012 on the lunar surface. Since then, the Speedy’s NASA ties have made it an object of desire for watch collectors the world over, while a constant stream of (largely incremental) changes — and many, many limited editions — have kept it top of mind in the horological sphere. Though automatic versions, complicated versions, and bio-sourced plastic versions exist, it’s the hand-wound, black-dialed, Hesalite crystal “Professional” model that most embodies the “Speedy” spirit—without it, the watch world would be a very different place.
Votes received: 37
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