FLOAT

Patek Philippe Ref. 1518 (steel)

Maker
Patek Philippe
Year
1941-1954
Rank
27 of 100

Patek Philippe Ref. 1518 (steel)

Patek Philippe Ref. 1518 (steel) by Patek Philippe (1941-1954) is ranked 27 in the FLOAT 100 for Watches. It sold for $17,600,000 on 8 November 2025. The world's first serially-produced perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch; in steel it is the most valuable vintage Patek ever sold at auction.

What is it, and why is it in the FLOAT 100?

The world's first serially-produced perpetual calendar chronograph wristwatch; in steel it is the most valuable vintage Patek ever sold at auction.

Ref. 1518 (perpetual calendar chronograph; steel example, 4 known)

What is the best-sourced number for it?

Figure
$17,600,000
Kind
Realized at auction
Date
8 November 2025

Steel Ref. 1518 sold CHF 14.19M / ~$17.6M at Phillips Geneva, Nov 8 2025 — record for any Patek wristwatch. This is the ultra-rare STEEL example (4 known); common gold 1518s trade in the high six to low seven figures.

This is a realized sale. Somebody paid it. Source.

How this is made

The figure
One reference price, taken from a named public source and shown with its own kind. FLOAT does not average it with anything or adjust it for time.
Realized or not
A realized price is a completed sale. A market asking price and a price-guide value are not sales, and are labeled as such wherever they appear.
Why no grade ladder
Most FLOAT 100 entries are individual objects. There is one of this, so there is no population and no spread across grades to show.
Archive
2026-08-08