10 Fascinating Facts About Watches You Probably Didn't Know

**1. The Most Expensive Watch Ever Sold** The Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime ref. 6300A sold for $31 million at auction in 2019, making it the most expensive watch ever sold. This unique steel piece was created for charity and features 20 complications.

**2. Watches in Space** The Omega Speedmaster wasn't the first watch in space—that honor goes to a Breitling Navitimer worn by Scott Carpenter in 1962. However, the Speedmaster was the first watch worn on the moon and remains NASA's official watch.

**3. The Deepest Dive** In 2012, a Rolex Deepsea Challenge was attached to the outside of James Cameron's submarine during his dive to the Mariana Trench (10,908 meters). The watch survived the immense pressure and continued functioning perfectly.

**4. The Smallest Movement** The Jaeger-LeCoultre Caliber 101, measuring just 14mm x 4.8mm x 3.4mm. It was created in 1929 and is still in production today.

**5. The Longest Power Reserve** The Hublot MP-05 LaFerrari holds the record for longest power reserve in a wristwatch at 50 days. It achieves this through 11 series-coupled barrels.

**6. Magnetic Resistance** The Omega Aqua Terra >15,000 Gauss can withstand magnetic fields of over 15,000 gauss, making it virtually immune to magnetization. Most watches are affected by fields as low as 60 gauss.

**7. The First Wristwatch** While the Cartier Santos (1904) is often credited as the first men's wristwatch, wristwatches existed earlier as women's jewelry. The first true wristwatch was created by Patek Philippe in 1868 for Countess Koscowicz of Hungary.

**8. Tourbillon Rotation** A tourbillon typically completes one rotation per minute, but some modern tourbillons rotate much faster. The Jaeger-LeCoultre Gyrotourbillon rotates on multiple axes simultaneously.

**9. Watch Production Numbers** Rolex produces approximately 1 million watches per year, while Patek Philippe makes around 60,000. In contrast, Swatch Group produces over 20 million watches annually across all brands.

**10. The Thinnest Watch** The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Ultra holds the record for the world's thinnest mechanical watch at just 1.80mm thick. The entire watch, including the case, is thinner than a US quarter.