From $7,500 to $3.9 Million: The Most Expensive Watch I Ever Sold

by Matthew Bain

Patek Philippe Ref. 2458, Observatory, J.B. Champion - Image Courtesy of Christie's

The platinum Ref. 2458 made for Texas lawyer J.B. Champion, Jr. stands as one of the most important Patek Philippe wristwatches ever created.

At its heart is an observatory-grade movement built for the Geneva Observatory trials in 1952. Adjusted by master régleur Réne Dégoumois, the movement achieved exceptional results and received a Bulletin de Marche, certifying it among the most precise wristwatch calibers of its era.

Patek Philippe cased this movement in the large Ref. 2458 — but uniquely in platinum. Nearly all others were produced in yellow or pink gold, making the Champion piece the only known platinum 2458 and the only observatory-tested movement delivered as a wristwatch to a private client. The clean, scientific dial with baton markers and subsidiary seconds underscored its purpose as a precision instrument rather than a decorative luxury.

A Market Journey Like No Other

In the 1980s, this very watch sat in the window of a small jewelry store in Scranton, Pennsylvania, priced at $7,500. A friend of mine had the opportunity to buy it but passed, wanting to pay only $7,000. A year later, he returned, found it still in the window, and finally purchased it for $7,500.

This really shows how different the watch market was in the 1980s. With no internet, no cell phones, and very little global communication between collectors, even one of the most important watches in the world — the JB Champion Bulletin Patek Philippe — could sit in a small jewelry store window for over a year without being sold. In today’s collecting world, a watch of that caliber would be photographed, shared instantly, and sold in seconds

Image Courtesy of Christie's

The dealer brought the watch Back to New York, and it quickly changed hands, flipping three times and ultimately landing in an Italian collection for about $40,000. The collector held it for decades before consigning it to Christie’s Geneva in 2012, where it realized over $3.9 million.

My Encounter With the Champion Watch

Not long after the auction, I was visiting a friend’s apartment — the very friend who had purchased the watch at Christie’s. To my shock, the legendary Bulletin Patek Philippe was sitting on his dining table. Seeing it again in person was surreal.

At the time, I had a client who desperately wanted the watch, and I was able to sell it to him. That client eventually sold it on, but for me it remains the most expensive watch I have ever sold.

Legacy

The J.B. Champion Patek Philippe is more than just a wristwatch — it is the embodiment of precision, rarity, and horological mythology. From a $7,500 shop window in Scranton to a $3.9 million auction result, and eventually passing across my own hands, it remains one of the greatest stories in the watch world — and for me, an unforgettable milestone in my career.