Much has been written about the lavish pre-wedding bash of Anant Ambani – son of Asia’s richest person, Mukesh Ambani – and the incredibly rare and expensive watches he wore during the three-day event. While the video of his $4.6 million Richard Mille grabbing Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan’s attention went viral, the 29-year-old billionaire heir was also spotted wearing a Patek Philippe Grand Complication Sky Moon Tourbillon in 18k gold worth $6.5 million. However, you’ll be surprised to learn that it wasn’t the groom-to-be who wore the most expensive timepiece during the extravagant festivities but his elder brother, Akash Ambani, who was pictured wearing a $9 million Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime reference 6300G-010.
You might remember that Anant grabbed headlines last year when he was seen wearing the same timepiece, which is touted to be the most complicated watch ever to be made by Patek Philippe. Interestingly, he wasn’t spotted wearing the Grandmaster Chime during his pre-wedding celebrations. This makes us question whether Anant lent one of the most expensive watches in the world to his sibling. However, we won’t be surprised if both the Ambani scions own an example of the Grandmaster Chime, especially considering that Akash is a passionate collector of rare and incredible watches along with high-end cars. His personal collection features some of the most exclusive timepieces ever made, including several rare Richard Mille watches.
Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime – a horological masterpiece
To celebrate its 175th anniversary, Patek Philippe released the Grandmaster Chime Ref. 5175 in 2014, which was limited to just six examples. Priced at $2.5 million, the Swiss luxury watchmaker claimed it to be the most complicated timepiece it had ever created. Over the last decade, Patek Philippe has released several different iterations of the watch, including the ref. 6300G and the $31 million ref. 6300 A, which currently holds the record of the most expensive watch ever sold. Interestingly, the Grandmaster Chime Reference 6300G was originally launched with a price tag of $2.2 million. However, its price has sky-rocketed in the pre-owned market, with some examples available for close to $9 million.
Patek Phillipe spent eight years developing the Grandmaster Chime, which has two dials, a reversible case, and a grand total of 20 complications. It has four spring barrels driving 20 complications, including a grande and petite sonnerie, a minute repeater, an instantaneous perpetual calendar with a four-digit year display, second-time zone, day/night indicator, day/date (on both dials), month, leap-year cycle, four-digit year display, and 24-hour and minute subdial. In fact, two of the complications were actually the first of their kind. The Grandmaster Chime holds six patents, including one for the mechanism that allows you to swivel and lock the double-faced case easily.
Who is Akash Ambani?
Akash Ambani is the eldest son of Mukesh Ambani, the chairman and largest shareholder of Reliance Industries Limited, one of India’s largest conglomerates. The 32-year billionaire heir holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Brown University in the United States. He has made his mark as a dynamic business leader with his contributions to the growth and success of Reliance Industries, Jio Platforms, and other companies in the group. Akash is also known for his involvement in philanthropic activities through the Reliance Foundation, which works on various social and development projects in India.
