Diwali Buying Guide: Top 10 Grail Worthy Watches Above 10 Lakhs

If you believe that a “grail watch” exists and is actually an attainable entity, then a tangible realization of the same would set you back some bucks. In the absolute mythical spirit of such a commodity, the requisite bucks would have to exceed a certain threshold. I set it at 10 lakhs and above.

Why? That’s because anything below that, despite its valid merits, would make every list of a reasonably attainable wristwatch. Now that’s something which grails don’t entail.

So, in the territory above 10 lakhs, you find the horological crème de la crème, attached with equal attributes of quality, heritage, craftsmanship, and complication. That’s definitely a domain of infinite tempt and typifies where watchmaking thrives without hold.

Now, if you’ve been saving for what’s a grail watch to you and are motivated by a “treat yourself” mindset - courtesy of the Diwali festive season spending (which according to a report by the Bank of Baroda is expected to exceed ₹ 14 lakh crore), then the following list of the top ten wristwatches above 10 lakhs will ease the yearning for a tangible grail timepiece.

Breguet Classique Chronométrie 7727

When a watch is a hybrid of the best there exists in classic design and modern technical wizardry, it’s an overwhelming proposition of a possible grail recipe. One such opus is the Breguet Classique Chronométrie 7727 where even the 18-carat gold dial cut out in no fewer than six different hand-laid guilloché patterns is a feature of tertiary tempt.

Here, the primary triumphs are reserved for what exists and occurs mechanically. The watch achieves a 10Hz or 72,000 vibrations/hour frequency. Its balance beats 20 times per second, making it twice as fast as the Zenith El Primero or even Grand Seiko. To overcome friction at such high frequency, the Classique Chronométrie 7727 uses “magnetic pivots” for the balance staff. Two micro-magnets of varying power stabilize the balance wheel and hold its staff in place in such a way that one end pivots against its endstone jewel while the other, suspended in a magnetic field, simply floats free. This renders the balance to be exceptionally precise, efficient and shock resistant.

Priced at ₹ 48,19,000, the GPHG 2014 Aiguille d’Or winner Breguet Classique Chronométrie 7727 condenses ample technological wizardry within a 41mm space to justify its worth.

Blancpain Villeret Quantième Complet Demi-Savonnette

If you focus on elements that go beyond the Fifty Fathoms, you’ll find what makes Blancpain truly special. In the time-transcending and trend-breaking Villeret Quantième Complet Demi-Savonnette, you’ll find a wristwatch that’s broadly satisfying. At 40mm, the watch is an exact opposite of the overbearing Fifty Fathoms form, and despite not being oversized, does have contemporary footing and wrist presence.

The watch is a triple calendar displaying day and month in apertures and a pointer date function. It has also got a lunette style moon phase at 6 o’clock. All the primary calendar indications are adjusted by a very discreet and slick indexing system. Four under-lug correctors hidden beneath the case’s hunter back offer instant changing of the indications. The movement powering this watch is the 72-hour power reserve caliber 6654.4 with unidirectional automatic winding. It features elaborate decoration with a handsome rose engine lathe pattern on its rotor and mirrored anglage on the edges of the rotor as well as the bridges.

The Villeret Quantième Complet Demi-Savonnette will set you back ₹ 33,33,000.

Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Monobalancier Huracán

Pure avant-garde hyper horology is a speciality at Roger Dubuis and if you foster an inclination towards that, then the Excalibur Spider Monobalancier Huracán is a treat. A very contemporary translation of the brand’s bold and futuristic design philosophy, the watch incorporates cutting-edge materials and complex mechanics.

The watch is a collaboration with the Italian super car manufacturer Lamborghini and realizes a unique creative approach packed with automotive-grade tech. Its rubber inlaid titanium case acts as the supporting chassis for its caliber RD630 constructed with a twin barrel power supply featuring automotive engine inspired strut-bars.

The Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Monobalancier Huracán is listed at ₹ 53,04,500.

Piaget Polo Skeleton

In any collection of watches, the Piaget Polo Skeleton with all of its blue could be a much-needed breath of fresh air. Here, almost the entire watch is the blue-hued caliber 1200S1 where material redundancy yields a wonderful sight of mechanics as the chief highlight. At just 6.5 mm thick, the watch lives up to its maker’s reputation. Being a Piaget, it effortlessly fulfils the definition of a thin watch.

The very noticeable caliber is autonomous for 44 hours and draws winding power from a dense tungsten micro rotor. The watch paired with a stainless-steel bracelet gets an additional alligator leather strap which can be easily swapped thanks to a tool-less interchangeable system.

In its blue-hued aesthetic, the ₹ 30,40,000 Piaget Polo Skeleton feels absolutely alive.

Ulysse Nardin Diver [AIR]

A record-breaking watch is on many levels a legitimate entrée in a list of possible grails. In former regards, Ulysse Nardin has exercised an overkill tactic with its Diver [AIR] - record holder of the world’s lightest mechanical dive watch. Weighing in at a scanty 46 grams, the watch bears adequate markers of high horology refinement.

What allows the near air-like weight of this watch is an extreme exercise in redundancy realized through radical innovation in materials and movement skeletonization. Even from nothing, the Diver [AIR] attains the absolute apogee in diving competence at 200 meters, shock resistance of 5,000 G and a hefty 90-hours of power reserve from its caliber UN-374.

The almost impossible Ulysse Nardin Diver [AIR] costs ₹ 41,70,000.

Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic

While not the thinnest, the Octo Finissimo Automatic of 2017 is the mass-market pudding of the abundantly impressive Octo Finissimo collection. This 5.15 mm slim-cased timepiece marries an iconic eight-edged design with an impressive execution of proportional redundancy. The strictly lean spirit of the Octo Finissimo Automatic harbors a broader desirability sentiment despite not being the outright apex in technical novelty amongst its peers.

The iconic Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic is listed at ₹ 15,51,000.

Jaeger-LeColutre Master Control Geographic

Sat on the complicated end of the spectrum, the Master Control Geographic from the “Grande Maison” legitimizes Jaeger-LeCoultre’s acclaim as the watchmaker’s watchmaker. This is an effortlessly competent timepiece with a sporty yet clinical aesthetic blanketed within a very well-proportioned case.

This watch is a sort of hybrid between a word time and a dual time complication, and whatever you choose to call it (although Jaeger-LeCoultre would prefer simply ‘Geographic’), it offers a very desirable and practical feature with its ability to simultaneously track two time zones.

Very vintage in its appeal and modern in terms of travel practicality, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Geographic could be yours at ₹ 14,90,000.

Van Cleef & Arpels Midnight Planétarium

For a watch that is the entire solar system on your wrist, it’s a surprise that the Van Cleef & Arpels Midnight Planétarium is a modest 44mm in diameter. What it achieves mechanically (rather poetically) is the accurate representation of the movements of six planets around the sun. That includes Mercury’s 88-day orbit as well as Saturn’s orbit duration of 29 years. Quite remarkable!

Even for collectors who have traversed the absolute extremities possible with the hobby, the Van Cleef & Arpels Midnight Planétarium is a piece of genuine astonishment. It costs an equally astonishing ₹ 2,25,90,730.

A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1

Within the revered portfolio at A. Lange & Söhne, the Lange 1 is probably the product with the biggest impact and the most staying power. It has been a permanent member of the collection since 1994 and is the one that represents a true classic A. Lange & Söhne Lange.

In platinum and paired with a black onyx dial, the 30th Anniversary release of the Lange 1 is a product of top-tier Saxon watchmaking tradition. In the standard 38.5 mm Lange 1 sizing, the timepiece offers a versatile fit and appeals as quite possibly the most perfect conventional dress watch aesthetic available to date.

While the pricing is available upon request, a very similar pink gold 30th anniversary reference retails at ₹ 51,08,683.

Patek Philippe 5316/50P-001

In the hobby of collecting watches, a retrograde perpetual calendar chiming tourbillon Patek Philippe suffices the definition of an absolute grail. Such a watch is so rare that even on its launch at Watches and Wonders 2023, it wasn't available to the press! With only a handful made each year and quite possibly in total, the Patek Philippe 5316/50P-001 resides amongst the brand’s true heavy-hitters.

The Ref. 5316/50P-001 condenses Patek Philippe’s history and legacy in complications and design in a very wearable package measuring just 40.2 mm and standing an acceptable 13.23 mm tall. Its manually wound R TO 27 PS QR caliber comprising 506 parts is given the absolute best of high horology decoration.

As a rare realization of watchmaking of the highest grade, the Patek Philippe 5316/50P-001 is a watch that deserves to be praised and prayed to. This watch is literally where a million aspirations coalesce into a single, breathtaking reality.

Let’s not put a price tag to this watch as I believe the divine is beyond mere commerce.

A Passion Reached Peak

Above 10 lakhs is a fretfully expensive watch but one that’s broadly satisfying. As proven by the examples above, such a watch fulfills every need of the owner while providing long-term pleasure commensurate to its quality and appeal.

It also makes the ideal realization of an enduring devotion to horology, and I hope it’s you that gets to achieve the said in time for Diwali.