Time is a luxury for the rich and famous, who like to flaunt their timekeepers in style. It’s the dawn of a whole new era in timekeeping with elegant and outstanding timepieces, replete with beauty and accuracy. Some of these limited edition clocks that cost a fortune are true collectors’ items for connoisseurs who believe in fine living. Most of these are handcrafted, heirloom pieces with rare works of art that stand apart amongst today’s mass manufactured timepieces. Here are some of the most expensive clocks in the world that come with a jaw-dropping price tag. Well, what do we say. These are clearly every owner’s pride and every horologist’s envy!
Grandfather Clock built by Amazon CEO $42 million
Billionaire and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is building a clock that runs for 10,000 years, as he might be obsessed with the future. It’s not just the ultimate prestige timepiece, but a symbol of the power of long-term thinking. He has reportedly set aside $42 million of his fortune and the Smithsonian has agreed to let the Long Now Foundation install a 10,000-year clock in one of its Washington museums. Clearly, the time for millennium clocks has arrived. “The reason I’m doing it is that it is a symbol of long-term thinking, and the idea of long-term responsibility,” Bezos has said, justifying his multi-million dollar investment.
Whitehurst Luxury Timepieces £1,50,000
Lay your hands on one of these Whitehurst Luxury Timepieces from UK that create the most expensive and unusual clocks in the world from £1,50,000 upwards. These exquisite pieces of engineering are gilded and engraved entirely by hand and find place in palaces, museums and stately homes of the rich and famous. Some of them have exposed workings that add to the fascination of watching them rotate for hours. With polar projection, you can also see the time anywhere on the globe. Today’s version incorporates much of the original engineering found in the famous antiques. All the parts of the clock are made from metal from the same foundry. A few of the 18 wheels, which turn continuously, are hand filed, hand polished through an eight-stage process and finished in a protective 24 carat gold. Each clock takes about nine months to hand build.
Fine Victorian 18c gold, chronograph pocket watch £2,350
This English antique piece comes in an 18 carat gold case hallmarked with the case maker’s mark “HC”, the crown and 18 for 18 carat gold, the Chester town mark and date letter A for 1884/85. The inner cuvette has holes for the winding/setting of the watch, with engraved Wind Up and Set Hands. The case also has the serial number 21113, the number repeated on the movement and dial. The centre has a white enamel dial with hours in roman numerals, and a signed Centre Seconds Chronograph alongside the serial number, and weighs 131.3 grams.
Miniature Biedermeier Vienna Wall Regulator £4,850
This eight day duration Biedermeier Viennese Regulator, circa 1850 is a beautiful figured rosewood case inlaid throughout with boxwood stringing, surmounted with a carved cresting with matching carving to the base.
The one-piece enameled dial, with Roman numerals and a gilded piecrust bezel, has a hook on eight-day duration movement with deadbeat escapement and maintaining power. It has finely fretted blued steel hands, a polished brass cased weight with spoked pulley, a polished brass bob pendulum (front and back) and a polished steel rod.
