Heuer Crowns/Pushers

The best for $24,000: Chrono24 is kicking off a new series, as each of our contributors takes you on a journey through their perfect watch collection. These are their personal favorites, and who knows? Maybe your next favorite is on the list too!

More than $200,000 for a stainless steel Patek Philippe Nautilus, $17 million for Paul Newman’s old Rolex Daytona, thousands for rare vintage watches from manufacturers no one had even heard of up until recently: Prices for coveted modern luxury watches and rare vintage models skyrocketed over the past few years. In some cases, this has led to almost absurd prices that are far from rational and really hard to wrap your head around.