Nowadays, a watch is not only a time counter but also an indicator of the owner’s status. A wristwatch performs several important functions. For the modern man, this is an accessory, which complements the business image and emphasizes punctuality, the responsibility of the owner. Their main function – a display of the current time – remains relevant even years after the appearance of gadgets. But people like watches not only for this. First of all, it’s a stylish accessory that complements the outfit and adds status. In addition, waterproof models will be a reliable companion in travel.
Often, to please the “masters” of the industry, watch experts and those close to them offer their “most objective ratings” of the best wristwatches. These can be ratings of the best brands or a single men’s or women’s watch. But are they fair? By what criteria do they rate the best watch brands?
Many brands produce wristwatches. Some offer inexpensive models, while others focus on a higher class. It is noteworthy that some brands disappear over time as quickly as they appear, whilereal leaders gain worldwide recognition.
Today we have gathered for you the most famous and interesting watch brands, without making any rankings, but dividing all the companies into several categories. The famous watch brands presented below have been producing luxury watches for many years, which combine high quality, perfect design, and watchmaking traditions.
All of the brands on the list are true leaders in the global watch industry. They are recognized for their excellence and their ability to surprise their customers with unusual novelties. You just need to decide which wristwatch to buy. Well, pay attention to the price segment.
Why can watches cost so much money? There are many factors:
The most expensive watches in the world are made mainly in Switzerland, and this is not even a production, but a national cult. If you see the inscription “Swiss Made” on the dial, it means that your watch is at least 60% Swiss-made, with Swiss movement and premium characteristics.
But let’s take a closer look at all of them. We’ll start with the most legendary and expensive watch brands.
Like in any other segment of art or fashion, there is a top level of masters or brands in Watches. In this part of our list, we have gathered the most reputable and chic brands with a long history and legendary models of watches.
Lange & Söhne is a German manufacturer of luxury watches that once invented and self-manufactured the spiral, the smallest part of a watch movement.
On December 7, 1990, exactly 145 years after A. Lange & Söhne was founded, Walter Lange revived the watch brand by re-establishing the company founded in Glaschütte by his great-grandfather Ferdinand-Adolf Lange. In the next decades, the company achieved the status of one of the leaders in the art of Haute Horlogerie. A. Lange & Sohne works only with manufacturing movements and attaches great importance to the final finishes of its products according to its own very strict standards. Finishing and assembly are done by hand, followed by adjustment of the movements.
The brand is also known among consumers for its sensational Lange 1 model with an asymmetric dial and a large date display. The legendary Lange Zeitwerk collection also deserves special attention, which is distinguished by the dial without hands. In all the samples, the time can be seen on separate windows, in which readings are shown by toggling Arabic numerals.
Audemars Piguet is one of the oldest watch manufacturers in the world. It is an independent family enterprise, the history of which began in 1875 in Switzerland. During the long way of its development, the manufactory Audemars Piguet perfects the skill, creatingrefined watch movements. Audemars Piguet watches are chosen by James Corden, Tom Cruise, LeBron James, and Usher.
Audemars Piguet is a Unique brand that is not part of any watch holding company, staying at the top of the industry through itsachievements and efforts. Like most prestigious brands, the company assembles all its pieces by hand, so it produces no more than 15 thousand pieces a year. Moreover, each model differs from the previous one by the number and signature of its author.
Another highlight of Audemars Piguet is an ultra-flat movement that allows you to create the most compact and elegant works. A legendary model is the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, an octagon-shaped watch with hexagonal white gold screws on the bezel.
Almost all the famous watch manufacturers are proud of their long and glorious history, but they are all mere infants compared to Breguet. The history of this company began in 1775, when a young master Abraham-Louis Breguet opened the first watch store in Paris and began to serve members of the noblest families, including the royal one.
The founder of the company has many epoch-making inventions: automatic winding, shockproof pare-chuté system, tourbillion, minimizing the impact of the gravitational field on the watch movement. Abraham Bergé has been called the da Vinci of watchmaking, and for good reason.
Among the maestro’s clients were Marie Antoinette, for whom special watches were created for four decades (unfortunately, she did not live to see the result, ending her life on the scaffold), Napoleon Bonaparte, Sultan Selim of the Ottoman Empire, and other famous persons.
Blancpain is a manufacturer of exclusively mechanical watches. All offers are made in the luxurious classical style that never goes out of fashion. The unique movements of the company, which never stops improving them, deserve special attention.
From 2006 to 2014 alone, 32 new Blancpain calibers saw the light. The watches have the same perfect and thoroughly considered designs that always highlight the status and individuality of their owner.
Let’s pay attention to the Le Brassus collection that combines some of the most sophisticated creations of the manufacturer. All proposals are made of precious metals and equipped with watch complications of the grandes complications category. The core of the series is the famous 1735 model with an ultra-flat movement, tourbillon, minute repeater, perpetual calendar, and split-seconds function.
Jaeger-LeCoultre is a brand known worldwide for its finest movements. Created by the company in 1929, Cal.101 is still considered to be the world’s smallest mechanical caliber. The company also invented the millimeter, the first watch without a crown, and developed 1,242 different calibers.
It is worth noting that the company uses a special program of control – 1000 Hours Control – which means that all pieces of the brand are subjected to six tests for a total of 100 hours to guarantee the quality of each model produced.
One of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s most unique offerings is a piece called the Reverso, a rectangular piece with pivot points, better known as a “rotating watch”. The back of the model can be seen without even taking it off your hand.
Patek Philippe can rightfully compete with the equally famous Vacheron Constantin, Breguet, or Longines. The company was founded in 1839 in Geneva by Polish immigrants Antoine Norbert de Patek and François Chapek. At that time the small workshop was called “Patek, Czapek & Cie”. However, the second co-owner soon left the fledgling firm, and his place was taken by the French watchmaker Jean Andrian Philippe.
The symbolic and historic pride of the brand is the first Swiss wristwatch – a gold watch, created in 1868 by a special order for the Hungarian countess Kossovich. With time such dignitaries as Pope Pius IX, Queen Victoria, and even the Austrian emperor became admirers of the already famous manufactory.
The signature feature of Patek Philippe is the ability to create watches that combine innovative technology with classic design. The Calibre 89 pocket watch with a tourbillon, assembled for the 150th anniversary of the manufactory, is a case in point. The unique chronometer is made up of 1,728 parts and has 33 mechanical complications.
In the top ten most expensive watches in the world, there are invariably 3-4 Patek Philippe references. Only jewelry off-the-shelf models with lots of diamonds are more expensive than them. For example, a double-sided Patek Philippe in 2019 left the Geneva auction of Only Watch for a fantastic $33.5 million.
Vacheron Constantin, the oldest Swiss House of Haute Horlogerie, has been making luxury watches since 1755. Over the years, the brand has preserved the techniques of ancient watchmaking, which it combines with modern technology. Napoleon Bonaparte, Pope Pius XI, and the Duke of Windsor appreciated the high quality of performance and daring watch design. Today Vacheron Constantin admirers include Marlon Brando, Donald Trump, Kate Bosworth, and Rick Ross.
Vacheron Constantin is one of the most expensive brands. Owning any Vacheron Constantin model is an indicator of a person’s status and wealth. This company does not produce affordable offerings. The cheapest versions cost at least 9 thousand dollars. In addition, the brand often creates movements specifically for the customer – with individual designs and the most expensive materials.
A distinctive feature of all models is the Maltese cross on the dial and crown. One of the most striking samples is Metiers d’Art, a skeleton that stands out with its dial plate decorated with Turkish ornaments, pearls, and diamonds. A crocodile leather strap completes the exquisite look.
In addition to the brands described in the previous section of our list, we would like to highlight one particular category of affectionate watches – the most famous and desirable. The watches of these brands are known all over the world and are considered to be the standard of style.
The history of the Swiss watchmaker Rolex began in 1905 with a small company selling Swiss watches in London. It was founded by the Swiss watchmaker Hansa Wilsdorf. Today Rolex watches are recognized worldwide as the standard of status and luxury. All Rolex watches are still made by hand. The most recognized Rolex Daytona, Rolex Day-Date, and Rolex Submariner watch. Among the famous admirers of Rolex watches are Justin Timberlake, Mark Wahlberg, Orlando Bloom, David Beckham, and Kanye West.
Contrary to popular belief, Rolex does not make the most expensive watches in the world: the basic Patek Philippe Calatrava is almost twice as expensive as the cheapest Rolex (Oyster Perpetual). This is logical: if Patek Philippe has produced 600 thousand watches during its existence, Rolex makes almost as many copies every year.
Nevertheless, Rolex has the palm of the creation of legendary watches: Explorer, Submariner, and, of course, the world bestseller Cosmograph Daytona. And there’s more: its creations are really watches for all occasions, not just for representation purposes: unmatched accuracy, shockproof,excellent water protection, a solid power reserve, and self-winding.
Hublot – Another representative of the luxury watch brands. The minimalist style of each piece and the original porthole case is one of the obvious reasons for the brand’s popularity.
The talented Italian Carlo Crocco1975 researched the properties of rubber, including its effect on human skin and its ability to recover from daily contact. This activity turned out to be the foundation of the Swiss company later on.
Already in 1980 in Geneva, he launched his first gold wristwatch with a strap of natural rubber. Such an atypical combination of materials caused the first surge of interest in the new brand. And in the future, the accessories of the brand stuck to the image of the unusual. For example, the branded external differences – are metal screws on the dial, bezel, bracelet attachment, and other places. And the peculiar calling card of Hublot design is the case in the form of a porthole. Most of the collections are made in this style.
Omega Speedmaster is the only watch in the world certified for use in space. This watch was worn by astronaut Buzz Aldrin while he was on the moon.
Omega has produced the world’s first watch withdecent water resistance: the Marine, presented in 1932, can withstand a dive of 135 meters. The Seamaster watches that followed set diving records with the champions, whether scuba diving, in a bathyscaphe, or without equipment. They were worn by Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Jacques Maillot, and the world’s greatest performers as James Bond.
Now Omega is one of the most prestigious brands of the Swiss giant The Swatch Group AG. Now the corporation makes about a quarter of the world sales of watches. Along with Omega, it owns many brands, including Breguet, Harry Winston, Blancpain, Longines, Rado, Tissot, and others.
Grand Seiko is a Japanese watch giant, which is unfailingly kept among the world’s”top” watch brands. It is no coincidence that the names of the families of the Grand Seiko brand movements, which in 2017 officially became separate, begin with the number 9: the words “nine” and “maximum”, if you pronounce them in Japanese, are very consonant. This philosophy is reflected in Grand Seiko’s standards for mechanical calibers.
Grand Seiko’s impressive achievements have been models that are exceptional in terms of their aesthetic content and the quality of their implementation. The dials of the Elegance watches, for example, are coated with endemic urushi lacquer, and the markings are made by applying multiple layers of lacquer, which gives the dial a three-dimensional appearance.
Of course, there are a huge number of luxury watch brands in the world and it is quite difficult to cover everything in one article, but in this section of our list, we have tried to collect the most famous world manufacturers in the luxury segment.
Breitling is a Swiss manufacturer of the so-called “commanding” watches. All the brand’s proposals have the highest accuracy, which is confirmed by certificates of quality C.O.S.C., issued by the Swiss Chronometer Institute. The distinctive features of the models are original bracelets, high shock resistance, and water protection. With these watches, you can safely take to the skies or plunge to the bottom of the ocean.
One of the most sensational collections of the brand is Professional. All models of this series are equipped with an emergency radio transmitter that works on an emergency frequency. With such a mechanism on his arm in case of force majeure, the pilot can transmit an alarm to rescue workers and orientate his location.
Most people associate the name Cartier primarily with luxury jewelry. However, the company has been making fine watches, including jewelry, for over a century.
Cartier’s specialty is refined design realized in precious metals and stones. Here the manufacturer reveals itself 100%, especially when applied to women’s collections.
Today the world receives jewel-decorated wristwatches under this brand. The main admirers of the company’s luxury products are kings and queens, sheiks, and maharajas. The peculiarity of the company’s policy is a very wide range of prices for its products – from $ 700 to cloudy values.
Ulysse Nardin is a Swiss company that has received more than 4 thousand certificates for the accuracy of its watches. Thanks to this feature, Ulysse Nardin marine chronometers are the trademark of the company, and the stylized anchor is a recognizable emblem of the brand.
One of the brightest models of this company is 263-90-7M/72. The first thing that attracts attention is the dial plate made in imitation of sea waves, which immediately tunes to the accuracy, reliability, and high water resistance – 200m. The diver’s model is made of titanium, equipped with a sapphire crystal, and has a transparent back cover so that the owner can always observe the work of the ultra-precise mechanism.
For some time Chopard remained a family company, but in the middle of the last century, it was purchased by hereditary German watchmaker Friedrich Scheufele, to whom the company owes its present worldwide fame.
Under Scheufele, the Chopard watches got their main feature – the precious stones tumbling around inside a transparent cover. And now the company is known primarily for its gorgeous jewelry watches, as well as ultra-precise chronometers for brutal men who love high speed. They are worth tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Nowadays, high-end jewelry is also produced under the Chopard brand. The company’s jewelers produce the Palme d’Or, the main award at the Cannes Film Festival. The company’s official representatives are many famous people, such as Julia Roberts.
Piaget is a renowned watchmaker that producesultra-thin movements and premium watches. The models are expensive because they are hand-assembled by hand and because they feature exclusive elements of ultra-thin movements such as the flattest tourbillon and the ultra-thin repeater.
The company’s most noteworthy creation is the Extremely Piaget cuff-shaped watch. It is an 18K white gold piece set with 236 brilliant-cut diamonds. Its perfection is enhanced by a lapis lazuli dial and bracelet in the same white gold.
The history of the Swiss brand Zenith began in 1865 when a young and ambitious watchmaker Georges Fevre-Jacot opened his workshop in the town of Le Locle. Over the years, Zenith wristwatches became popular not only for their original and recognizable design but also for their super precision and reliability.
This Swiss company has always strived and aspired to create the most accurate and reliable watches for its contemporaries. Such achievements are confirmed by professional recognition – for a century and a half the company has received more than 2000 different awards for quality and accuracy.
The distinctive feature of the brand is the fact that the firm is one of the few manufacturers that produce its mechanical calibers.
Nowadays Zenith watches are presented both in the classical style with strict design, and in original interpretations, encrusted with precious stones and other refinements. All of these can be found in the El Primero, Pilot, Captain, Chronomaster, Defy, and Elite collections.
IWC is another luxury Swiss watch manufacturer. Also, IWC is the center of technological development in the Richemont Group and the inventor of the caliber 5000, equipped with the Pellaton winding system, which provides a power reserve of 204 hours.
All models of the brand look prestigious and spectacular. The Grande Complication wristwatch is considered a legendary piece, the most sophisticated model with 9 hands and 659 details.
The history of one of the leading modern Swiss watch brands started in the North American city of Boston where the founder of the company and talented watchmaker Florentin Ariosto Jones lived. In 1868 in Schaffhausen, the first factory of the future manufacturer of luxury watches was opened under the name of International Watch Company.
But that’s not all. The luxury brands don’t end, but merely highlight another category – one that is slightly more affordable, but not much inferior to its “higher echelons” counterparts.
The history of Longines began in 1832, expectedly in Switzerland. Three like-minded men organized a small workshop, but the future premium brand was not named after them. It was in Les Longines that the first factory of the future star watchmaker was set up.
The company’s name is inextricably linked to sport: it all started with horse racing and show jumping tournaments, followed by world championships, Grand Slam tournaments, Olympics, and Formula 1 races. Longines was the official timekeeper for the first transatlantic flight.
The brand still makes great watches today that are thin, light, reliable, and accurate.
High-end sports watch company Tag Heuer was founded in Switzerland in 1860 by Édouard Heuer. The company became known for its high-precision chronographs that were popular among racers. The brand repeatedly became the official timekeeper of sports competitions (cycling, car racing, motorcycle racing, soccer, and skiing). Tag Heuer watches are chosen by Patrick Demsey, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Barack Obama.
All pieces of the brand are subjected to 60 mechanical and atmospheric tests. The TAG Heuer creations are characterized by water resistance to 200 meters, a screw-down watch crown, a unidirectional rotating bezel, sapphire crystal, luminous hands and markers, and a double buckle on a steel bracelet.
It is also worth noting that it was the company that produced the world’s first mechanical chronograph with a time accuracy of 0.01 seconds.
Unlike many watch brands that usually had young and talented masters at their origins, the founder of the Swiss company Maurice Lacroix was the whole corporation called “Desco von Schulthess”. Since 1946 the firm was engaged in the production of elite watches in cooperation withfamous brands. In 1961 the company bought itsproduction facilities in the province of Senelegie, Swiss canton Jura, and already in 1975, the first wristwatches of the new brand Maurice Lacroix were presented.
Since that time the young company began to rapidly conquer the world market, combining itsinnovative ideas with the developments of older and more famous colleagues on the shop floor. For the first 25 years, the branches of the ambitious manufacturer were opened in the majority of Western European countries, in the Far East, Asia, and the United States.
The Italian company Bvlgari S.p.A., founded in 1884 by the Greek jeweler Sotirios Bulgaris, specializes in the manufacture of luxury goods.
The famous label can be found on leather accessories, perfume bottles, and, of course, jewelry. Bvlgari, which also owns luxury hotels, is at the bottom of the world’s three largest jewelry companies – after Tiffany & Co. and Cartier. The company’s watch industry corresponds to this image as well.
The legendary women’s ornament created in 1962 was a Serpenti watch in the shape of a snake coiled around the wrist in a gold case decorated with rubies, emeralds, and diamonds. Subsequently, the “snake” theme became one of the most popular in the company’s history.
The path from a small watch store to a global luxury chronometer brand began in 1860 in Florence, where the workshop was both a store and even a training school for specialists. The founder of the business, with which the history of Officine Panerai began, is a native Italian, Giovanni Panerai.
Hard work, striving for absolute quality and a constant search for non-standard technical solutions brought the expected results. During the First World War, the company became a supplier of wristwatches to the Royal Italian Navy, which subsequently affected all the firm’s activities, including the design of the products themselves.
A key design element of the Florentine brand was the crescent-shaped crown protector. An unusual solution ensures the preservation of the seal of the rotating part, and thus the sealing of the case, which, again, improves the water resistance of the wristwatch in deep water.
The history of this young brand is closely intertwined with two countries – France and Switzerland. The first of them officially registered the company in 1992, while the second is the homeland of two friends and founders of the firm – designer Bruno Bellamish and banker-marketologist Carlos Rosillo. From the last names of the companions came the name Bell & Ross.
The activity of the company began with a simple idea to create a wristwatch in a laconic style, but withrich functionality in the image and likeness of the instrument panel of an airplane. It was a life-changing decision by two pals, and the design with a square case and round dial became the basis of brand recognition. And only relatively recently have appeared more “domestic” watches in the traditional style.
We can say that Bell & Ross is the best firm of wristwatches for military professionals. Winning the trust of professionals, today it is the official watch brand of the French Air Force, the elite military units, and even the U.S. SpaceLab.
In this section of our list, we have collected more affordable brands, but the watches made by these companies are also considered legendary and are of the highest quality and exclusive design.
This Swiss company is deservedly among the best watch brands. Its founders were the first to introduce the idea of a self-locking mechanism and manufacturemodels that do not get knocked off even if there is a magnet nearby. The manufacturer pays attention to the respectability of products, turning them into jewelry.
Tissot wristwatches use innovative solutions. The line also includes stone and wooden watches. Tissot sports series with limited editions devoted to different sports. There are accessories with a “female” design and even pocket products.
Among the prestigious watch brands, this one stands out with its famous name and original approach to design development. Some women’s watches use elegant Arabic pattern that gives them a special flavor.
The Balmain watches are also attractive with their variety of prices. The line consists of the medium-price segment with good characteristics that will satisfy the undemanding customer for prestige. Celebrities and public figures will be interested in expensive versions with diamonds.
The brand name was first registered in 1926 by the Swiss firm Veuve de Philippe Hüther, acting on behalf of Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf. But it wasn’t until 20 years later that the company began full-fledged operations in Geneva under the Montres Tudor SA logo.
Initially, the newly founded brand was positioned as an affordable alternative to Rolex, already famous then and expensive by definition. The close connection between the two companies was displayed even on Tudor’s advertising posters with the words “Sponsored by Rolex”. Such a marketing ploy ensured the then-young company’s rapid rise in popularity.
Today the Tudor wristwatches are as imposing and, of course, of high quality as the uncrowned king Rolex.
This Swiss company has existed for more than 100 years. It follows the military style in manufacturing, emphasizing the quality of parts. Watches are tested for certification before they are shipped to stores. As a result, only the best products go on sale, which is covered by a three-year warranty.
The lineup is constantly updated with new samples that use innovative technologies. Victorinox Swiss Army wristwatches are available for men and women.
And finally, let’s talk about the most affordable and still incredibly high-quality watch brands that are known throughout the world.
This American brand is a must on the list of popular watch brands. Its products are recognized as the best in the U.S., it is one of the top five best-selling manufacturers in the world. The history of the company began more than 100 years ago. And to this day it creates products of universal orientation, which will suit people demanding status and functionality.
Originally Timex wristwatches were designed for the working class, for ordinary people who do not care about prestige. But today they are actively worn by celebrities. Moreover, even American politicians like them.
Swatch is a legendary watch company. Its plastic watches cover the basic price segment and are designed for the most diverse audience.
All the models of the Brand are notable for their unusual dial design and are executed in cool colors. Almost all of the company’s watches have a date display, some are equipped with mineral glass, and others with durable, high-quality plastic. These models are sure to please bright personalities.
The Japanese company Casio was established immediately after the Second World War in Tokyo. At first, it specialized in the production of calculators, then its range included musical instruments, and then – and watches with quartz movements.
A new era in the company’s development began in 1983 with the landmark G-Shock timepiece. It revolutionized watchmaking: not only was it more accurate than the Swiss mechanical chronometers, but it could withstand incredible stress, was water-resistant, and had a battery life of at least 10 years!
This Japanese company has gained credibility among buyers around the world. In the ranking of watch brands, this company deserves an honorable place.
Casio watches today can be called real functional gadgets: they have enough useful options to make the life of the owner easier, which will appreciate the innovative technology in action.
The name Seiko is well known to connoisseurs of cool watches. But the Japanese company, founded as far back as 1881, produces not only watches but also other consumer goods, including jewelry.
Seiko’s glorious watch history goes back to 1924. In 1969 the company made a real revolution in the world industry when it presented to the world the first quartz watch Astron. The first quartz chronograph was designed by Seiko.
Founded in Tokyo in 1901 and half a century later the company got its present name, together with Seiko and Citizen was part of Japan’s “Big Three”. The brand is justly proud of several innovations in the field of micromechanics, as well as of the fact that it met the “quartz tsunami” with dignity, having created several excellent electronic chronometers.
However, even today the main direction of the company, which is now a subsidiary of Seiko Epson Corporation, remains mechanical watches produced in mass quantities (the total production volume exceeds 2 million copies) and at affordable prices. Among Orient products, the watches of sports characters have a noticeable share.
The company, established in 1918 as the Institute of Watchmaking, but it got its present name in 1930, insists: the world’s first electronic watch – Citizen X8, was produced in the mid-1960s.
Citizen has many achievements to its credit, including solar-powered, a built-in radio antenna, and synchronization with satellites. And the proprietary Eco-Drive technology provides the watch with energy from virtually any source of light, both natural and artificial.
One example of Citizen’s top-level technology is the Eco-Drive CC1075-05E with calendar, world time, and battery indication. This is very telling – even in total darkness, this charge lasts for 2 years.
Of course, our list describes only some of the world’s watch manufacturers. In addition to companies that specialize exclusively in the production of watches, many fashion brands also produce this status accessory, including premium labels such as Chanel, Hermes, and Louis Vuitton, as well as more democratic ones such as Armani, Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss, Pierre Cardin, and many others.
Watches are gradually losing their utilitarian purpose: why do we need them when we can always see the exact time on the smartphone screen? Nevertheless, they continue to be produced and bought in millions of copies, even though the watches of good brands are not worth a penny.
Some people buy watches for practical reasons: they are needed where it is inconvenient or even impossible to use a gadget (during training, hiking, mountain climbing, or scuba diving). And someone buys it as a sign of belonging to the cream of society: a true connoisseur can get an idea of the wealth and solidity of the interlocutor with a single glance at his watch.
We hope our review has helped you decide on your choice if you were hesitant.