Luxury | Affordable | Swiss | German | Japanese
Looking to invest in a beautiful piece of history, craftsmanship, and personal style? Don’t waste any time – wear it on your wrist.
In examining timepieces, one must consider an array of characteristics amongst function and fashion. The cut, the color, the performance, the name. While many consumers know the name of the luxury items they have their eye on, there are many wristwatch components developed over hundreds of years that deserve consideration as well.
Top Luxury Watch Brands
#1. Rolex
The Brand: Rolex has been a world-renowned luxury watch brand for over a century, and consumers still view the timepiece as a major status symbol. Founded in 1902 in London, England, Rolex moved to Geneva, Switzerland in 1920, where it remains to be considered a Swiss brand. Among its many inventions was Founder Hans Wilsdorf’s invention of the waterproof wristwatch.
Need to Know: Rolex is owned by a private family trust and is not a publicly traded company. The brand was valued at $7.9 billion in 2020.
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#2. Patek Philippe
The Brand: Patek Philippe has been producing watches for nearly two centuries. Its expertise from so many years in the industry has allowed the company to produce some of the finest and most expensive watches in the world. Its “Supercompilation” watch is the most expensive auctioned watch in history at over $22 million US.
Need to Know: The scarcity of Patek Philippe watches adds to their intrigue at just over 60,000 units being produced each year. The company remains privately owned by the Stern family in Geneva, Switzerland.
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#3. Audemars Piguet
The Brand: Another Swiss legend comes from Audemar Piguet, a globally successful brand known for its exclusivity. Its best known product, the Royal Oak wristwatch, put the brand on the map in 1972. Today, its timepieces are known for subtle displays of luxury by watch connoisseurs.
Need to Know: A bit lesser known than its competitors, Audemars watches feature intricate craftsmanship and some of the thinnest models in the world. Their styles are adorned by many wealthy celebrities.
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#4. Blancpain
The Brand: The oldest Swiss watch company in operation, Blancpain was founded in 1735. Despite its long history, the company has remained an innovator in horology, even in recent years. Their watches are 100% mechanical and use unconventional materials from around the world.
Need to Know: In 1932, Betty Fiechter became the CEO of Blancpain and the first woman CEO of any major Swiss watch company. Blancpain joined the Swatch Group in 1992, and its yearly revenue surpasses 6 billion U.S. dollars.
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#5. Cartier
The Brand: The notorious Parisian brand Cartier began in 1847, when founder Louis-Francois Cartier bought his mentor’s small shop. Beginning as a lowly apprentice, Cartier built his shop to the massive 12.1 Billion dollar company it is today.
Need to Know: Known primarily for its jewelry and watchmaking, Cartier is also a fine crafter of leather goods and fragrances. It is now a part of the Richemont group. The Brand’s value is on the rise as well, climbing 14% in value over the last year.
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Top Affordable Watch Brands
#1. Seiko
The Brand: This Japanese brand is well known in the world of affordable yet fashionable watches. Known for their automatic timekeeping and GPS solar watches, Seiko has brought these innovations and more to the industry despite their modest price tag. They began a quartz movement in the 1960s, growing their own quartz to power technologies like the “Spring Dive” that creates an innovative sweeping second hand motion.
Need to Know: The brand’s understated style still boasts similarly beautiful components to those of their high-end counterparts, which makes them an attractive alternative to expensive watches for customers worldwide.
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#2. Citizen
The Brand: The Japanese brand Citizen, founded more recently than many of its competitors in 1918, is often compared to Seiko. The two brands are comparable by their quality and prices. Citizen tends to be lesser-known but offers incredible value for the price.
Need to Know: The brand is very eco-driven with the majority of its models being solar-powered. These models have gained popularity with the rising interest in sustainability by many consumers today. Citizen watches can last some 10 years and have eliminated the disposal of over 10 million batteries.
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#3. Casio
The Brand: Casio is well-known for their G-Shock line, a line that is so vast that some consider it to be its own brand. The company provides a rugged and reliable product to its customers for a reasonable price.
Need to Know: Founded in 1946, Casio has been an innovator in the calculator and digital camera spaces as well. It is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan and, unlike many watch companies, is publicly traded. It was valued at about $3.66 Billion in 2021.
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#4. Tissot
The Brand: Tissot is a Swiss brand – an attractive quality to watch lovers – while being much more accessible than many long-time Swiss watchmakers. They offer reliable and attractive timepieces for $200-$700.
Need to Know: Just like many of the luxury Swiss brands, Tissot has a long history of watchmaking, being founded in 1853. Many leading products have led to its success including the Le Locle featuring 80 hours of power reserve. Tissot is owned by the Swatch group and was one of its founding members.
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#5. Victorinox
The Brand: A Swiss company founded in 1884, Victorinox began by making swiss army knives then began making durable, rigorously tested wristwatches in 1989. They are known for their swiss army watches made for practical utility.
Need to Know: Victorinox is the largest supplier of pocket knives in the world. The Swiss army brand is so recognizable worldwide that Victorinox offers a wide range of products adorning the name from apparel to travel gear.
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Top Swiss Watch Brands
#1. Breguet
The Brand: Started by Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1775, the founder designed the very first wristwatch in the world. He also produced watches for many great historical figures like Queen Marie-Antoinette and Napoleon Bonaparte.
Need to Know: The company first showed its dedication to excellence when they spent 44 years making a custom timepiece for Queen Marie-Antoinette. She would die before seeing the completion of the piece, but it remains one of the most complicated timepieces ever created.
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#2. Jaeger-LeCoultre
The Brand: Jaeger-LeCoultre watches feature a simple and understated style but a rich and interesting history. The company started as a small watchmaking workshop in 1833. A decade later, Founder Antoine LeCoulture created the most precise timepiece in the world.
Need to Know: The company has manufactured components for other brands such as Cartier and Patek Philippe. They have perhaps more patents than any other watch-making company at around 400 and constantly strive for perfection.
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#3. Omega
The Brand: Omega’s Speedmaster Professional was the first watch on the moon, and many of their timepieces have seen remote locations and deep sea floors. They cater to the sporty side of luxury watch space. Their watches have broken records and won several precision awards.
Need to know: Part of the Swatch group, it has been in operation since 1848. One of its first inventions was the minute-repeating watch introduced in 1892.
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#4. Piaget
The Brand: Piaget wanted to provide an alternative to the bulky, audacious watch styles on the market and so has designed some of the world’s thinnest models. The dials of these watches have historically been adorned with ornamental stones and bold patterns at the instruction of Valentin Piaget to “do what has never been done before.”
Need to Know: One of the most luxurious and elegant watch brands in the world, Piaget is also a jewelry maker and has just as much a commitment to aesthetic design as it does functional timekeeping.
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#5. IWC Schaffhausen
The Brand: Short for the International Watch Company, IWC was founded by American watchmaker Florentine Ariosto Jones in 1868. He founded the company in Schaffhausen, Switzerland and intended to produce watches for the American market.
Need to Know: The company has created watches for the British Army and also constructed what was then the most complicated watches ever produced – the Destriero Scafusia. The WWF ranked the brand #1 out of 15 companies for environmental efforts in 2018 and they continue to have a commitment to sustainability.
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Top German Watch Brands
#1. A. Lange & Sohne
The Brand: This unique brand offers a much different design than that of many other luxury Swiss brands. They are known for an asymmetrical dial and incorporating many subdials in their design. They are truly one of the most luxurious watch brands in the world with models sold for upwards of $2-3 million.
Need to Know: The brand was forced to shut down business due to WWII, but it was revived in 1990 by the founder’s great-grandson and is now part of the Richemont Group. A. Lange & Sohne is such a powerhouse that it competes with top luxury Swiss brands.
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#2. Damasko
The Brand: An aviation watch brand, the company was started by Konrad Damasko, an aerospace materials developer. He brought his expertise to the watchmaking industry where his watches are the only in the world to have passed NASA testing. German Eurofighter pilots have also used these watches for many years.
Need to Know: The design utilizes ice hardened steel to create an extremely durable exterior with almost unscratchable surfaces. Its utility is unmatched in the watch industry.
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#3. Glashutte
The Brand: Glashutte continues to blaze a trail today, registering several patents around their latest invention – the simultaneous adjustment of all calendar displays through different time zones. Only a few hundred pieces of many models are produced each year, making it an attractive item for collectors.
Need to Know: They revived their production alongside A. Lange & Sohne in the 90s after the WWII era shut down, and have since regained popularity.
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#4. Archimede
The Brand: This lesser-known brand crafts quality mechanical sport watches that feature strong designs. The dial displays large ticks and numbers in its simple yet bold design that is truly unique. Many of its cases are also made from solid blocks of metal.
Need to Know: It was founded by Karl Ikler in 1924 and is still owned by the Ikler family today. They continue to make impressive products for consumers looking for sturdy options without sacrificing aesthetically-pleasing craftsmanship.
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#5. Sinn Spezialuhren
The Brand: Sinn was founded by WWII Pilot Helmut Sinn in 1961 and began by producing navigation instruments. His watches today are robust and distinctive in aesthetic and carry on the essence of his career beginnings.
Need to Know: The watches created by Sinn are rigorously tested and built to function under harsh conditions. They are made for piloting, diving, missions, and many tough environments.
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Top Japanese Watch Brands
#1. Orient
The Brand: Orient produces quality watches that mimic the style of some higher end brands without the hefty price tag. Their craftsmanship is a bit higher quality than brands like Casio or Citizen. They manufacture all of their components in-house and offer a wide range of styles and functions for their customers to select from.
Need to Know: Founded in Tokyo in 1950, the company’s yearly revenues now surpass $10 million. Orient is simply a well-made, exclusively Japanese brand and is loved by many for this reason.
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#2. Minase
The Brand: Minase was originally a watch case making company and began creating watches of their own in the early 2000s. The brand is known for their cases, obviously, but also for their unique components like non-reflective sapphire glass. They are perfect for customers seeking a formal style.
Need to Know: Minase is definitely a higher-end Japanese watch brand. It is part of Kyowa Co. LTD, a Japanese drill manufacturer and metal cutter. This niche expertise channeled nicely into the world of watch-making.
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#3. Hajime Asaoka
The Brand: One of the top luxury Japanese watch brands, Hajime Asaoka stands out for their handmade, collector-worthy, expensive pieces. The company is rather new, being founded in 1992.
Need to Know: They have an element of exclusivity, as it’s hard to get your hands on new models. The founder of the company crafts many of the pieces himself and works directly with customers for that personal touch. Prices usually start at $50,000.
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#4. Credor (by Seiko)
The Brand: Incredibly unique craftsmanship is shown in the Credor timepieces. Although part of the Seiko brand, Credor offers extremely high-quality products sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Many models contain components that are hand-painted, diamond dusted, and artistically crafted.
Need to Know: Credor watches are thoroughly designed for the Japanese marketplace, and tend not to cater to the taste of a worldwide market. They are also known to be quite hard to find, which adds to their allure for many customers and collectors.
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#5. The Knot
The Brand: This up and coming brand is known for its minimalistic design. They offer custom orders and thousands of component combinations. Despite being a lesser-known brand, they offer trendy design for affordable prices and even include solar powered pieces.
Need to Know: The company was founded in 2014 and includes sustainability in its company goals. Knot watches are not necessarily a collectible or a high-end brand, but may very well be in future years.