World’s Top 10 Most Expensive Watches

1. Baume & Mercier

William Baume Flying Tourbillion
Price: $75,000*

This new edition of the William Baume Tourbillion has a “flying tourbillion,”—a tourbillion held in place on only one side rather than on the top and bottom—black dial, and black alligator strap. The tourbillion escapement is in the 9 o’clock position and a small seconds display at 6 o’clock. It has a 52-hour power reserve. This timepiece is limited to 10 editions worldwide. Baume & Mercier is owned by Swiss luxury goods giant Compagnie Financière Richemont.

2. Tag Heuer

Monaco V4
Price: $80,000

Tag Heuer, which is owned by French luxury conglomerate Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, used cars as a model for rethinking watches’ mechanical movement and engineered the world’s first and only belt-driven timepiece. This design is more shock-resistant and requires less maintenance because of the belts and micro ball bearings, according to the company. The Monaco V4 has a platinum case and alligator leather strap. Only 150 pieces were manufactured.

3. JeanRichard

Paramount Tourbillion Linear Power Reserve
Price: $128,000

This unique tourbillion watch from independent Swiss watchmaker JeanRichard uses a linear indicator for the 72-hour power reserve. It has an 18 carat white gold case and rubber covered alligator strap.

4. Glashütte Original

Julius Assmann 4 in white gold
Price: $161,000

Glashütte Original introduced this piece for the Assmann edition in 2007. It can be worn as a wristwatch or pocket watch and features a unique retrograde hour display and tourbillion. The watch is also offered in red gold and rose gold ($145,000). More information is available through Tourbillion Boutiques in New York, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. Based in the former East Germany, Glashütte Original is one of the few watchmakers that uses its own proprietary movements. It is owned by Switzerland’s Swatch Group.

5. Porsche Design

Indicator P´6910 in rose gold
Price: $225,000

Made of about 800 individual parts and developed by 12 engineers and watchmakers, the Porsche Design Indicator P´6910 is the world’s first chronograph with a mechanical-digital stopwatch function display. It can record up to 9 hours and 59 minutes. In 2008 the Indicator, available in three design variants, was presented in rose gold with PVD coated titanium.

6. Panerai

L’Astronomo Luminor Tourbillion 1950 Equation of Time in rose gold
Price: $235,000

Recently presented at the 2010 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie in Geneva as a tribute to Galileo Galilei, the L’Astronomo will be made in a limited number of about 30. While ordering the piece, clients must specify their hometown, which is engraved on the back near a rotating sky chart of the city. The dial also displays the sunrise and sunset times of the chosen city. Panerai is owned by Richemont.

7. Breitling

Grande Complication
Price: $280,716

Unveiled at Baselworld 2010, this pocket watch has a perpetual calendar that displays the date, day, month, leap years, and moon phases and a minute repeater that strikes the hours, quarters, and minutes on demand. It comprises almost 700 parts. The case, made of 18 carat yellow gold, features an engraving of Walter Owen Bentley, founder of Bentley Motors, one of Breitling’s partners.

8. IWC

Grande Complication
Price: $318,000

IWC first launched the Grande Complication about 20 years ago. It combines a perpetual calendar with moon phase, minute repeater, and chronograph with an automatic movement. This version has a platinum case and bracelet. The Richemont-owned IWC recently redesigned it in a Portuguese-style case ($220,567). A total of 50 pieces are produced annually.

9. Concord

C1 Tourbillion Gravity
Price: $320,000

One of the unique features of this watch, which has an 18 carat white gold case, is the seconds display on the side of the tourbillion carriage. The C1 Tourbillion Gravity also features a flyback chronograph and 84-hour power reserve and is water resistant to 30 meters. Although founded in Biel, Switzerland, in 1908, Concord today is owned by Movado Group, which is based in Paramus, N.J.

10. Montblanc

Grand Tourbillion Heures Mysterieuses in platinum
Price: $365,750

Although once known primarily for its signature fountain pens, Richemont-owned Montblanc in recent years has transformed its brand into that of a jeweler and watchmaker. Its most expensive watch is the Grand Tourbillion Heures Mysterieuses in platinum, of which only one has been made so far. This tourbillion is also available in 18 carat white gold (in photo), limited to eight pieces at $319,000 each. The 18 carat red gold version, also limited to eight pieces, is $302,500.

Impressive Malibu Retreat for Sale

Impressive Malibu Retreat for Sale — An iconic celebrity needs an equally impressive home, and that is exactly what television legend Dick Clarke has had. The 82-year-old is selling his Malibu retreat and the house looks just like the Flintstones' home in the famous cartoon. Sitting on top of a very steep hill, the specially designed home is on the market for $3.5million but it's appearance from the outside is not the biggest selling point it has to offer.

16 Most Expensive Materials in the World

Most Expensive Materials in the World — There are several extremely expensive substances in the world, and all of them have to do with exotic physics. Historical contenders for the most expensive substance such as saffron, plutonium, gold, and diamond are like dirt in comparison to these. Three categories of material that compete for the most expensive substance are antimatter (especially anti atoms like anti hydrogen), at $1,750 trillion US Dollars (USD) per ounce, followed by hafnium and tantalum isomers, at about $480 million USD per ounce, and assorted exotic particles such as bottom quarks, which are in the same league as antimatter.

Top 15 Richest Countries in the World

Qatar has been ranked as the world's richest country per capita in a new list compiled by US-based Forbes magazine. Blessed with the third-largest natural gas reserves in the world, the Arab Gulf emirate of 1.7 million people is benefitting from a rebound in oil prices. Adjusted for purchasing power (PPP), Qatar has an estimated gross domestic product per capita of $88,222.

Luxembourg (Ranked No.2) In second place on the list is Luxembourg, with a per capita GDP on a purchasing-power parity (PPP) basis of $81,466.

Technology, manufacturing and finance hub Singapore is ranked third on the list. The country’s GDP (PPP) per capita is $56,694 (estimated from 2009).

To rank the world’s wealthiest countries, Forbes looked at GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power for 182 nations. At No.4, with a GDP (PPP) per capita of $51,959 (estimated from 2009) is Norway.

Oil-rich Brunei (ranked at No.5) has a GDP (PPP) per capita of $48,333. Forbes used International Monetary Fund data from 2010, the most recent available, while GDP figures for some countries were projections.

UAE oil reserves are ranked as the world's sixth-largest[ and it possesses one of the most developed economies in West Asia. The country’s GDP (PPP) per capita is $47,439 (estimated from 2009).

With a GDP (PPP) per capita of $46,860, US is ranked at No.7 on the Forbes list. According to Forbes, the PPP-adjusted GDP—preferred by economists when making international comparisons—takes into account the relative cost of living and inflation rates, rather than just exchange rates, which may distort real differences in worth.

Hong Kong is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour. As one of the world's leading international financial centres, Hong Kong has a major capitalist service economy characterised by low taxation and free trade, and the currency, Hong Kong dollar, is the eighth most traded currency in the world. Hong Kong has a GDP (PPP) per capita of $45,944.

Switzerland is one of the richest countries in the world by per capita gross domestic product [GDP (PPP) per capita: $41,950]. It also has one of the world's largest account balances as a percentage of GDP.