There have been a number of records set, broken, and broken yet again over the last few years, but this one is obviously the granddaddy of them all. It's interesting that the watch that's held the crown for a long time was a pocket watch from the 1920 and it was finally unseated by a modern, unique complication, also from Patek Philippe. This is the first time the record is held by a modern watch, at least in recent memory. However, when it comes to the record for being the most expensive wristwatch, it's a little more nuanced. As noted above, the record was held by a different unique Patek, which was unseated by a rare vintage Patek and a unique, provenance-driven vintage Rolex in turn. That the title has been retaken by a modern watch – and a unique version of Patek's most complicated piece – isn't all that surprising. The pendulum has just swung back the other way.