The World’s Most Expensive Clocks

We may have many modern ways of telling the time, but it’s difficult to ignore the beauty of timepieces past and all those clocks that deliver a clear statement as well as telling the time.  Although expensive wall clocks don’t feature too highly on this list, there is a very good reason for this: most of the most expensive clocks are unique showcase specimens, designed to be displayed on a table or shelf.  So, to sample the crème de la crème of clock excellence, here are the most expensive clocks ever sold at auction. 

Cartier’s Flamingo & Lotus Clock

When you’re looking at the world’s most expensive clocks, it’s unsurprising that a clock made by Cartier in the 1980s would make the list. It might not appeal aesthetically to all of us, but it incorporates 190 carats worth of diamonds which accounts for that $1.2m price tag when it sold at auction in Hong Kong back in 2013. If it was worth that amount after less than forty years in circulation, what will it be worth by the end of this century?

Thomas Tompion Clock

Another one of the most expensive clocks in the world is the rare gilt brass and tortoiseshell timepiece produced by renowned clockmaker Thomas Tompion in England around the turn of the 18th century. This is less ostentatious than Cartier’s offering, but it garners its value from its rarity – only 3 clocks in this style were created by Tompion and it sold at auction for $2m in 1999. If it comes back on to the market again, it might well jump further up this list.

Rothschild Faberge Egg

Again, this is a clock you couldn’t miss and it’s often referred to as one of the most beautiful clocks in the world as well as rightly holding the title of one of the most expensive clocks ever sold at auction thanks to changing hands for a jaw-dropping $13.5m in 2007.

This egg timepiece was designed for the Rothschild family and contains precious metals and rare gemstones. Faberge designed eggs for the Tsar’s family prior to their abdication in 1917, so it’s unsurprising that these timepieces exude luxury with every tick.

Chinese Ormolu Clock

As far as impressively luxurious clocks go, it’s difficult to beat this beautiful timepiece that sold for $4m when it came to auction in Hong Kong in 2008. It’s a complicated clock dating from between 1736 and 1795 that features leaping fish and birds alongside with intricate flowers and bannisters crapped from copper and ormolu. This gorgeous clock would look stunning on any mantlepiece, if it wasn’t for that pesky price tag.

Duc d’Orleans Breguet Sympathique Clock

If you had a spare $6m lying around in 2012, you could’ve snapped up one of the world’s most expensive clocks in an auction at Sotheby’s. This clock dates from 1795 and, like the Thomas Tompion mentioned above, it’s prized for its rarity. Only ten clocks with the Sympathique mechanism remaining functional, so it’s no surprise that these clocks are popular when they come onto the market.

As a guide to how the value of the most expensive clocks in the world can increase over the years, consider this. When the very same clock appeared at the very same auction rooms back in 1999, it sold for a record $5.25. Wouldn’t it be incredible to see how much it changes hands for next time around?

We’ve got a clock style for everyone!