The most expensive Breitling ever sold is a set of four gold pocket watches that made CHF 1.01 million (about $771,000) at Antiquorum in Geneva on 11 October 2003. The priciest single Breitling wristwatch we can document is a 1955 Duograph that fetched CHF 56,250 at Phillips in 2016, while the highest price tags in the brand’s own catalogue sit in the Breitling for Bentley range, topping out around $255,000 to $262,000. This list ranks ten of them, as of October 2026, and says clearly which prices are auction results and which are historical retail figures.
Breitling is a pilot’s brand, not a collector’s brand. It has never had the auction heat of Patek Philippe or Rolex, and a typical vintage Navitimer still changes hands for a few thousand dollars. That is exactly why the top of this list looks the way it does: the big numbers come from gold, platinum, diamonds and complications made in tiny runs, not from the usual steel chronographs.
| Rank | Watch | Price (USD) | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grande Complication pocket watches (set of four) | About $771,000 (CHF 1.01 million) | Auction, Antiquorum | 2003 |
| 2 | Bentley Mulliner Tourbillon | $175,000 to $262,000 | Retail, reported | From 2005 |
| 3 | Bentley Flying B J28362 | $255,000 | Retail, 50 made | Limited run |
| 4 | Bentley Motors Complications L18841Ta | $174,280 | Retail, platinum | Bentley range |
| 5 | Bentley Collection R4436563/A657 | $173,500 | Retail, rose gold | Bentley range |
| 6 | Mark VI Complications 29 | $65,200 to $155,000 | Retail, reported | Limited run |
| 7 | Duograph Ref. 791 (Jack Brabham) | About $57,000 (CHF 56,250) | Auction, Phillips | 2016 |
| 8 | Chronomat 41 | $34,950 | Retail, rose gold | Catalogue |
| 9 | Bentley Flying B No. 3 | $32,300 | Retail, red gold | Catalogue |
| 10 | Navitimer B03 Chronograph Rattrapante 45 | $27,480 | Retail | Catalogue |
1. Grande Complication pocket watches, set of four: about $771,000
This is the Breitling record, and it is a pocket watch story. To mark the centennial of powered flight in 2003, Breitling had four pocket watches built around century-old movement blanks from its own archive. Each went into an 18k gold case with a 22k medallion commemorating the Wright brothers’ first flight on 17 December 1903. They took three years to finish and came in a burled walnut and maplewood box inlaid with the Wrights’ biplane.
The four sold together at Antiquorum in Geneva on 11 October 2003 for CHF 1,010,000, about 26 percent above the estimate. Split evenly, that is roughly CHF 252,500 a watch, by our arithmetic. The price rests on a single auction result, converted at the rate of the day, so treat the dollar figure as approximate.
2. Bentley Mulliner Tourbillon: $175,000 to $262,000
Breitling’s most complicated wristwatch pairs a tourbillon with a chronograph in the hand-wound caliber 18B, chronometer-certified, with a date. It appeared around 2005 in 18k yellow gold (K18841) and white gold (L18841), with platinum versions too. Reported retail prices disagree: one source gives $175,000, another $262,000. We list the span rather than pick a winner, and the numbers come from published retail figures, not from a sale.
3. Bentley Flying B J28362: $255,000
Only 50 were made. The case is 18k white gold, set with diamonds on the case, bezel and strap, which is why a watch with no complication costs more than most tourbillons. Its reported retail price is $255,000. We rank it just under the Mulliner Tourbillon because the Mulliner’s top-end quote is higher, and because the Flying B is a jewellery watch first.
4. Bentley Motors Complications L18841Ta: $174,280
A platinum case carries the same tourbillon-chronograph idea in its most expensive metal. The $174,280 figure is the reported retail price, and it sits within a few hundred dollars of the rose gold watch below, so the order of ranks 4 and 5 could flip on a different price list.
5. Bentley Collection R4436563/A657: $173,500
Rose gold, diamonds and the winged-B Bentley branding. It is the same price tier as the platinum piece above and gets its cost from materials more than from mechanics. The $173,500 comes from a published retail price.
6. Mark VI Complications 29: $65,200 to $155,000
This perpetual calendar chronograph came in 250 rose gold pieces and 100 in platinum, according to the sources we checked, and it borrows its name from the Bentley Mark VI. Prices differ by list: $65,200 in one, $155,000 in another, likely reflecting different metals or dates. We place it between the diamond-set Bentleys and the cheaper catalogue pieces and flag the wide range as our estimate.
7. Duograph Ref. 791, Jack Brabham: about $57,000
Here is the best single-wristwatch auction result we found. This 1955 stainless steel split-seconds chronograph, a 38.5mm manual-wind watch, belonged to Sir Jack Brabham, the three-time Formula One champion. According to the lot’s provenance, it was presented to his father after the 1960 title. A signed poster and a letter from his son came with it. Estimated at CHF 30,000 to 60,000, it sold for CHF 56,250 at Phillips in Geneva’s Start-Stop-Reset sale in May 2016. A racing champion’s name did what no diamond could: it turned a steel watch into a watch worth more than most new Breitling gold ones.
8. Chronomat 41: $34,950
The rose gold Chronomat is the entry point to precious-metal Breitling, and the figure of $34,950 is a published retail price. It reads as the brand’s core sports chronograph dressed in gold, with the self-winding Breitling 01 movement inside. Steel versions cost a fraction of that.
9. Bentley Flying B No. 3: $32,300
A red gold case, amber dial and the Breitling caliber 16B with a large calendar, priced around $32,300 when listed. Trade prices for used examples were reported anywhere from about $15,000 to $40,000, which tells you how much a Breitling gold watch loses the moment it leaves the shop.
10. Navitimer B03 Chronograph Rattrapante 45: $27,480
The cheapest entry on our list is also the most collectible kind of Breitling: a Navitimer with a split-seconds chronograph, the complication that made the Duograph valuable seventy years ago. The $27,480 is a published retail price. The slide-rule bezel is the classic pilot’s tool, which most owners never use for flight planning.
Records set in 2025 and 2026
We found no verified Breitling auction that beat the 2003 pocket watch set. Ordinary vintage Navitimers still sell for low four-figure sums: one B01 Navitimer full set made $5,500 at Heritage in February 2026, and vintage Cosmonaute chronographs have hammered around 2,300 to 3,800 euros at German sales since 2021. The brand’s own news was corporate: it bought the Universal Genève name in 2023 and the Gallet name in 2025.
What drives these prices
- Metal and stones, not mechanics. Most of the retail list is gold, platinum or diamonds around an ordinary movement.
- Small editions. A run of 50 or 100 watches beats any catalogue piece.
- Owner stories at auction. The Brabham Duograph made close to its high estimate on name alone.
- Depreciation. Retail prices on this list are not what the watches resell for, and used Breitling gold sells well below catalogue.
Where to buy
- Breitling Bentley Flying B No. 3: on Amazon
- Breitling Chronomat 41: on Amazon
- Grande Complication: on Amazon
FAQ
What is the most expensive Breitling watch ever sold?
Four aviation-centennial pocket watches sold together for CHF 1.01 million, about $771,000, at Antiquorum in Geneva in October 2003.
What is the most expensive Breitling wristwatch?
At auction, the 1955 Duograph owned by Jack Brabham, at CHF 56,250 in 2016. By catalogue price, the Bentley Mulliner Tourbillon and the Bentley Flying B, at roughly $255,000 to $262,000.
Why is Breitling cheaper than other Swiss brands at auction?
It made large numbers of watches and has rarely produced the ultra-rare, hand-finished pieces that collectors chase. Vintage Navitimers and Cosmonautes mostly sell for a few thousand dollars.
How much does a new Breitling cost?
The brand has steel models from the low thousands up to gold and complicated pieces near $30,000 and beyond. Check an authorized dealer for current pricing, since the list prices above are historical.
Are the Bentley watches still sold?
Most of the high-end Breitling for Bentley pieces on this list came from limited runs and are now found on the secondhand market, so expect dealer prices rather than a boutique price.
How we put this list together
We ranked Breitling watches by verified auction results and published retail prices, compiled in an internal valuation model. Prices are approximate and change over time.
Keep reading
Last updated: October 2026.
