Wealthy collectors descended on Geneva, Switzerland, for the sale of the Henry Graves Supercomplication (pictured) The 'Holy Grail' of watches sold at auction today to a mystery buyer - for a world record £15.1million. Wealthy collectors descended on Geneva, Switzerland, for the sale of the Henry Graves Supercomplication. Made by Patek Philippe, it is the most complex watch ever assembled entirely by hand and was offered with an estimate of £10million. A bidding frenzy soon broke out in the Sotheby's auction room after an opening offer of 9m Swiss francs (£5.85m). There were tense moments in the auction house and bids became drawn out around the 18m mark (£11.7m).
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Sale of Henry Graves Supercomplication followed 15 minute bidding war
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Watchmaker Patek Philippe was commissioned to make the timepiece in 1925
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Features perpetual calendar, moon phases, sidereal time and power reserve
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Also has indications for time of sunset and sunrise and the night sky of New York City
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'The Graves' held title of the world's most complicated watch for 56 years
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With auction costs, final price paid by the 'man in a red tie' was £15.1 million
It took @placeholder horologists three years to research and a further five to make, completing it in 1933.