A platinum Patek Philippe ref 5016 led Sotheby’s Important Watches sale in New York on June 7, realising $444,500.

Built circa 2004, the watch is among the most complicated Patek Philippes on the market.

Patek Philippe Ref 5016 is one of the company's most complicated watches

The reference was produced in a limited run between 1994 and 2010.

It features a tourbillon, Moon phases and a perpetual calendar with retrograde dates, among other functions.

The mechanism is mounted in the company’s iconic Calatrava case, which has long set the standard for dress watches.

Meanwhile, a Richard Mille RM008 pink gold tonneau form chronograph, built in 2010, realised $396,500.

The design is as eccentric as you would expect from this maverick watchmaker and features a painstakingly engineered tourbillon carriage.

The company describes it as “one of the most complex objects ever made”.

A prototype of Richard Mille’s incredible RM056, aka the “billionaire’s handshake”, will head to auction later this month.

Nate Borgelt, senior specialist for Sotheby’s Watches, said “With interest and participation from around the world – including South America, Asia, Europe and the United States – our sale was a truly global affair.

“We were delighted to see significant prices for beautiful and complicated timepieces by both established houses and independent watchmakers, like Richard Mille and Greubel Forsey…”

Please sign up to our free newsletter to receive exciting news about watch and jewellery auctions.