We’re finally on the home stretch of what’s been a truly ridiculous year.
But while it’s certainly been stressful avoiding The Bat Kiss for the last few months, another big stress factor looms on the horizon: finding Christmas gifts for your friends and family. It doesn’t help that some of the most popular options are off the table, too – plane, movie or concert tickets; it’s near-impossible getting a booking at a nice restaurant or finding a pet to adopt; they probably already have enough OnlyFans subscriptions…
Never fear: we’ve found the perfect gift for you. It’s the ultimate present for any watch lover in your life, and is sure to secure your place at the top of the Yuletide heap… Alternatively, it’s the best festive gift you can ever give yourself.
CHRONEXT, a Switzerland-based online watch marketplace that bills itself as having Europe’s largest selection of luxury watches, has come up with the world’s most luxurious advent calendar. An almost 2m tall, piano black behemoth of a thing, it simply beggars belief. Behind its 24 illuminated doors hides a selection of luxury watches worth 1.25 million euros (~2.04 million AUD / 1.51 million USD), curated by the company.
That’s a bit nicer than a square of Swiss chocolate.
CHRONEXT’s CEO and co-founder, German-born businessman Philipp Mann, took to Instagram to show off “the world’s most expensive advent calendar”, revealing some of the pricey goodies inside.
So far, 3 of the 24 watches inside have been revealed: an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked (ref. 15407ST.OO.1220ST.01), a Patek Philippe Nautilus ‘Four Dot’ (ref. 3712/1A-001) and an A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange Jumping Seconds (ref. 252.025) – a very strong start. If the other watches contained within are just as luxurious and desirable as these three, then it’s sure to be an exciting December for whoever buys this advent calendar par excellence.
The Royal Oak is one of the world’s most coveted watch models. The brainchild of legendary watch designer Gérald Genta, the Royal Oak is available in a wide variety of sizes, complications and materials. This example, a 41mm model in stainless steel, stands out with its skeletonised dial which shows off the intricate automatic movement, the jewels that keep its moving parts in check clearly visible. This reference normally retails for around 170,000 AUD.
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The Patek Philippe Nautilus was also designed by Gérald Genta and boasts a huge number of different models. It too is highly desirable. This 42mm reference’s stainless steel construction and blue dial are a classic combination, this Nautilus ‘Four Dot’ also features a built-in moon phase, plus small seconds and power reserve indicators. This bad boy tips the scales at around 175,000 AUD.
Finally, the A. Lange & Söhne Richard Lange Jumping Seconds is a limited-edition piece from Germany’s most famous luxury watchmaker. A manual-winding, 40mm platinum beauty, there’s only 100 of these in existence, and originally retailed for around 127,000 AUD – but with a piece this rare, the retail price is a moot point. We wonder if all the advent calendars will come with one of these…
Indeed, we’re not sure if this is a one-off, or if CHRONEXT has made multiple of these advent calendars. It’s quite possible that if they’ve made multiple, they might also contain different watches inside.
We wonder what else is in there. A Rolex Submariner ‘Hulk’? A rare Omega Speedmaster (or two)? Maybe something a bit flashy, like a Franck Muller? Or have CHRONEXT gone the Australia Post route and decided to gift people some Cartiers?
Let’s not spoil the surprise by speculating too much.
If you’re interested in getting one of these lavish advent calendars for yourself – maybe you’ve made a motza investing in Tesla shares this year – you can find out more and inquire on the CHRONEXT website here.