Audemars Piguet Grande Complication

Audemars Piguet Grande Complication for US$ 526,000 (395,000 EUR) is the most expensive timepiece by the Swiss manufacturer. Tradition, excellence, daring: it is based on these three fundamental values that Manufacture Audemars Piguet perpetuates the art of Haute Horlogerie. At each stage of its history, it has proved capable of adopting the latest avant-garde technologies and of placing them in the service of hand craftsmanship, thereby creating exceptional timepieces.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Grande Complication is a selfwinding watch that features perpetual calendar indicationg the day, the week, the moon phases, the month and the leap years.

It also features minute repeater, split-seconds chronograph and small seconds at 9 o'clock. 18-carat white gold case and bracelet, transparent sapphire caseback. Water-resistant to 20 metres. Limited production.

Breguet pocket watch 1907BA/12

For US$ 734,000 (540,000 EUR), Breguet 1907BA/12 is the most expensive pocket watch. Breguet is one of the oldest and most respected names in the watchmaking industry, the company being around for more than 225 years and being credited for the invention of one of the most famous watch complication, the tourbillon.

Although it's now a part of the Swatch group of companies, the Swiss watchmaker keeps coming up with all sorts of extremely special timepieces, some of them instantly becoming a collector's item, due both to their high (sometimes enormous) price tags, as well as their one-of-a-kind features.

Breguet Classique "Grande Complication" pocket-watch in 18-carat yellow gold features grand strike and tourbillon, hand-engraved and hand-wound movement with 2-way rotating crown, off-centred chapter ring, centre minute hand, silvered gold dial, hand-engraved on a rose-engine and sapphire caseback.

Breguet's Grand Complications pay tribute to the two-century-old equivalence between Breguet watchmaking and advanced mechanical science. Building a grand complication confronts watchmakers with a maze of technical difficulties that challenge not only their skills but also their powers of invention. Thinking and working in four dimensions, generations of Breguet watchmakers have demonstrated the summit of their art in repeaters, perpetual calendars and tourbillon watches. Breguet protects its latest developments in perpetual calendars with two patents.

Blancpain 1735, Grande Complication

For a price of US$ 800,000 (582,000 EUR) only 6 masterpieces merged in a single construction.

Blancpain Grande Complication 1735Blancpain's expert watchmakers devised a daunting challenge: merging their six earlier masterpieces into a single construction. For no other reason than the secret pleasure of outdoing themselves. Despite countless doubts and dead ends, talent and preservance ultimately got them there. After six years, against all odds, fulfillment was at finally hand. In homage to the year of foundation of the House of Blancpain, they called the new watch 1735. Almost magical in its intricacy, its movement's original design comprises an impressive 740 parts and components.

A truly inspired achievement, the Blancpain 1735's horological wizardry provides a rare and altogether convincing demonstration that, at least for the best watchmakers, impossibility is only relative.

The 1735 is the fruit of a year of loving labor by a single watchmaker. With its 740 individual hand-finished components, the 1735 remains the world's most complicated automatic winding wristwatch produced in a series. The platinum case measures 42 mm, the strap is croco leather. Movement is the automatic Caliber 1735, with 950 platinum rotor and a power reserve of 80 hours.

Louis Moinet Magistralis for US$ 868,000

One of a kind watch with real pieces of the Moon for US$ 868,000 (or 631,000 EUR)

Louis Moinet MagistralisSwiss watchmaker Louis Moinet has recently presented a watch with real pieces of the Moon! These pieces are from a lunar meteorite that was ejected from the Moon 2,000 years ago. The meteorite has been authenticated by the University of California. Moonstone is an extremely rare material that is even more expensive than gold and platinum combined.

The movement of Magistralis was created a hundred years ago. Designed in the Vallée de Joux, it was made in Geneva and bears the Poinçon de Genève quality hallmark. It beats at 18,000 vibrations per hour and features a (double-bladed) self-compensating balance and a flame-blued Breguet balance spring.

The case is made of 5N and 3N 18-carat rose gold. Its brand-signature design stands out especially for its crown guard (patent pending) and its chronograph button guard at 12 o’clock. The perpetual calendar function displays the day, date and month over four years.

Magistralis is an extraordinary watch representing the expert craftsmanship of the time-honoured art of Haute Horlogerie. It is one of a kind, unlike any other, and will never be repeated.

Hublot One Million $ Black Caviar Bang

Price: $1 million (727,000 EUR)

The quintessence of “invisible visibility” in a uniform range of black tones

Hublot One Million $ Black Caviar BangSwiss manufacturer of luxury watches Hublot has recently introduced one million dollar watch Black Caviar Bang. This watch's setting is very complex. The difficulty resides in the unusual lines of the Big Bang case – round but with sharp angles. The white gold, one-piece construction of the case does not reveal one grain of gold, and the diamonds, cut in mysterious ways, seem to hold together as if by magic. The only visible feature is the black and deep tones of the diamonds, shining in their harmonious alignment.

This unique piece, which houses a Tourbillon, symbolises the fusion between watchmaking and jewellery, tradition and technology, glittering and invisibility. The vibration which emanates from it gives rise to an emotion tinged with fascination.

Creating this exceptional watch demanded over 2000 hours of meticulous work, from design to final adjustment, without forgetting the research and development, programming of the machines, choice of tools, diamond cutting, optical checking of each part, and setting and casing.

The case, in 18kt white gold, is covered with 322 black diamonds (25 carats). The crystal is an AR-coated sapphire, as is the display back. The bezel, done in 18kt white gold, is covered with 179 black diamonds (6 carats). Movement is the Hublot caliber HUB Solo T, a 1 minute Tourbillon Volant, manual-wind with special black finishing. The watch has 24 jewels, beats at 21,600 bph and has a power reserve of 120 hours. The bracelet is rubber with an 18kt white gold closure covered with 30 black diamonds (3.5 carats). The watch is manufactured in limited edition of just one piece.

A B-2 Spirit fighter plane for $2.4 billion

The B-2 bomber was so costly that Congress cut its initial 1987 purchase order from 132 to 21. (A 2008 crash leaves the current number at 20.) The B-2 is hard to detect via infrared, acoustic, electromagnetic, visual or radar signals. This stealth capability makes it able to attack enemy targets with less fear of retaliation. In use since 1993, the B-2 has been deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan.

C17A Globemaster III: $328 million

The Air Force military-transport plane is used to move troops into war zones, perform medical evacuations and conduct airdrop missions. There are 190 C17As in service; the aircraft is propelled by four turbofan engines (of the same type used on the twin-engine Boeing 757) and can drop 102 paratroopers at once. In operation since 1993, it has been used to deliver troops and humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and Iraq.

P-8A Poseidon for $290 million

Boeing's spruced-up military version of its 737 jet will be used by the Navy to conduct anti-submarine warfare and gather intelligence. It can carry torpedoes, missiles, depth charges and other weapons. The P-8A is expected to go into service in 2013.

VH-71 Kestrel: $241 million

This high-tech & expensive helicopter project, intended to replace the President's aging chopper fleet, was running more than 50% over budget by the time Barack Obama took office. Soon after his Inauguration, the President announced plans to scrap the helicopters because of cost overruns. On July 22, however, the House Appropriations Committee unanimously approved restoring $485 million to fund the Kestrels.

E-2D Advanced Hawkeye for some $232 million

A major step forward for surveillance and reconnaissance, the Advanced Hawkeye's powerful new radar system will increase the range of territory an aircraft can monitor by 300%. "It can probably watch the pistachios pop in Iran," an analyst for the think tank Lexington Institute told National Defense in July. Though development of the plane is on track and two test versions have been delivered to the Navy, budget cuts may keep the planes grounded for at least a year longer than planned.

F-35 Lightning II: $122 million

Lockheed Martin's 2001 deal to build these stealth, supersonic fighter jets was at the time the largest military contract ever. The F-35s, intended to replace an aging aircraft arsenal, were developed as part of a Joint Strike Fighter program between the U.S. and its allies and were criticized as underpowered and overweight — and therefore easy targets. Making matters worse, from 2007 to 2008, cyberspies infiltrated the 7.5 million lines of computer code that powered the Joint Strike Fighter, raising concerns that enemies could copy the F-35's design and exploit its weaknesses. In April 2009, Lockheed Martin said it did not believe the program had been compromised.

V-22 Osprey

V-22 Osprey is a tiltrotor aircraft comes for around $118 million and takes off and lands like a helicopter but can fly faster and farther like a fixed-wing plane, was first used in combat in Iraq in 2007. The Osprey's production has been bedeviled by design and construction problems: the craft claimed the lives of at least 30 Marines and civilians during its development alone (former Vice President Dick Cheney tried repeatedly to ground the plane). Still, because of its range and versatility, the Marine Corps plans to deploy a squadron of V-22s to Afghanistan by the end of the year.

EA-18G Growler

Hot off the presses, the Growler is a lightly armed version of the F/A-18 fighter that has been updated for electronic warfare (it is currently being delivered to the Navy). Growlers are capable of not only finding and disrupting anti-aircraft radar, but also jamming enemy communications and they come for a hefty $102 million per plane.

F/A 18 Hornet

First entering service in the 1980s, the twin-engine fighter plane F/A 18 Hornet was the US's first strike fighter — an aircraft capable of attacking both ground and aerial targets. It has seen action in Operation Desert Storm and as the aircraft of the Navy's Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Squadron. The F/A-18 is also used by Canada, Australia, Finland, Kuwait, Malaysia, Spain & Switzerland and comes for US$94 million.

Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon

A platinum Patek Philippe tourbillon watch became the most expensive modern wristwatch to be sold at auction when it fetched HK$11.75 million ($1.49 million) in Hong Kong on April 10, 2008.

The "Ref. 5002 P Sky Moon Tourbillon" wristwatch with a double dial is considered the most complicated wristwatch ever produced by the renowned Swiss watchmaker. Only two such watches are made every year, one in platinum and one in rose gold. The watch, made in 2003, was bought by an Asian private buyer at the Sotheby's auction.

The previous auction record for a modern wristwatch was a Vacheron Constantin Tour de l'Ile, ranked 2nd on this list, which was sold by the auction house Antiquorum for $1.4 million in Geneva in 2005.

The Sky Moon Tourbillon Ref. 5002 is the most complicated wristwatch ever produced by Patek Philippe and also the workshop's first double-face wristwatch. Its movement consists of 686 parts, some of which are microscopically small. This rare and exceptional timepiece features mechanical movement that must be manually wound, a minute repeater with tourbillon escapement, chime with two “cathedral“ gongs activated by a slide piece in the case, perpetual calendar with retrograde date hand, hours and minutes of mean solar time, day, month, leap year by hands and moon age. The platinum case measures 42.8 mm.

Dunellan Hall: America's most expensive homes

Dunnellen Hall in Greenwich, Connecticut, is a $75 million (down from $125 million) home on 40 acres of rolling hills, with lawns and meadows broken up by tree lines that provide privacy, this Jacobean manor has 21,897 square feet, 14 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms. Vaulted ceilings, travertine marble floors, bay windows, limestone walls and wood paneling are notable interior features, as is a 52-foot-long indoor swimming pool.

The Most Expensive Wine

Christie's, the famous auction house in London, sold a 18th century Chateau Lafite (1787) in 1985 for $160,000 and according to Guinness Book of World Records it's still the Most Expensive Wine In The World. It's great age alone has ensured it a great price. The bottle was basically a Bordeaux and bears Thomas Jefferson's inituals etched into the glass, a practice not that unusual in the 18th century when large purchases were made directly from the Chateau.

Updown court

It's so huge that you will have to shed 1 million pounds a year to just run this damn thing. Located 25 miles outside of London, the estate’s neighbours are the Duchess of York, Elton John and at nearby Windsor Castle, the Queen. So, what exactly would you get for your money? Well, you know, just the basic:

• 103 rooms
• five swimming pools
• 50-seat screening room
• 24-carat-gold leafing flooring
• squash court
• bowling alley
• all-weather, floodlit tennis courts
• 58-acre estate
• 22 bedroom and bathroom suites
• Gate lodge
• estate manager’s office
• Private cinema
• Stables
• Heated marble driveway
• Underground garaging for eight limousines
• a shooting gallery
• 30 self-contained luxury apartments
  

The master bedroom has its own swimming pool accessed by a private glass lift. The roof has an infinity pool and hot tub encased by a glass barrier that allowed sky and water to meet. The reception hall occupies a footprint larger than most five-bedroom houses. It is dominated by marble columns and a sweeping double staircase modelled on one owned by fashion designer Versace. The owner of Updown Court is multi-billionaire crown prince of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The racehorse owner, who already owns a property in Chertsey in Surrey, is expected to entertain official guests at the mansion.

Vacherin Constantin

Swiss watchmaker Vacherin Constantin marked its 250th anniversary in 2005 by creating some 7 pieces of the Most Complicated Watch In The World - Tour de l’Ile, which costs around U$1.5 million. It took around 10,000 hours of research to create the watch with features like double face, minute repeater, sunset time, perpetual calendar, second time zone, a tourbillon device, the equation of time and a representation of the night sky.

Most Expensive Ferrari

James Coburn’s 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spyder which was sold in May 2008 for $10,894,900 at the RM Auctions/Sotheby’s Ferrari Legend and Passion auction, the Ferrari 250 GT owned by the former Magnificent Seven star was, like Glickenhaus’ P4/5, designed by Pininfarina. In fact, the latest line of Ferraris, also designed by Pininfarina, has been named “California” in honor of Coburn’s car.

Bugatti Veyron: One of the most expensive cars

Priced at US$ 1,700,000 Bugatti Veyron is most expensive car available in the market today in the world. Veyron has the fastest acceleration in the world reaching 0-60 in in just 2.6 secs. The company claims it to be the fastest car with a top speed of 253 mph. However, the title for the fastest car has gone to the SSC Ultimate Aero which exceeded 253 mph pushing Bugatti Veyron to the 2nd place.

World's Most Expensive Restaurant

For US$ 277 per person, or Euro 231, Aragawa gets its famous, hand-fed Kobe beef from a single nearby farm, and it really does melt in your mouth. The restaurant is acknowledged as the best place in town to treat yourself to Kobe beef, and the meat is served with pepper and mustard only; any other relishes are considered blasphemous. For more information, call 011 81 782 218 547.

The Most Expensive Jewel Embellished Jeans

For US$ 4,000 what makes these dungarees so expensive is the hardware used. Designer APO uses diamonds on the front clasps and back pockets instead of metal. No wonder these jeans are some of the most expensive in the world. For more information go to www.apojeans.net.

The Most Expensive Vintage Jeans

The Most Expensive Vintage Jeans sold so far has been for US$ 60,000 through eBay.com. In 2005, a pair of 115-year-old Levis similar to the Nevada jeans were sold on eBay to a Japanese collector who paid what some spend on a luxury automobile.

'The Most Expensive' blog

Welcome to 'The Most Expensive' blog! You will find here the most expensive things in the world be it cosmetics, clothes, watches, mobiles, laptops, homes or just anything. Be ready to find 'em here. I was just wandering through the www when I came across the World's Most Expensive jeans on Forbes and the idea of making a blog which will list such things came to my mind. Related searches revealed that such blogs exist but I found them haphazard and they all were money minded. I am preparing this blog to serve you as much information on the topic.

Watch out!!!