What are the top 10 luxury watch brands of the world?
Comparing the world’s most reputable, respected and prestigious luxury wristwatch brands fascinates quite many people, and indeed this global fascination for luxury watches, has produced this very article.
Since it is no coincidence that you have searched this topic and landed on this article, it means you are personally interested in knowing how the luxury wristwatch brands rank in the hierarchy, and how they compare to each other.
How would you personally place your favorite wristwatch brand in the luxury wristwatch brand hierarchy?
Does your favorite brand consistently rank among the world’s top 15 luxury watch brands? Is your favorite brand even included in this article?
And why is it that the habit of comparing the luxury watch brands is such a common practice on and off the Internet? Whence comes the passionate interest for luxury and prestige watches?
And what are the criteria for ranking the luxury watch brands? And based on those criteria, what are the top 10 luxury watch brands of the world?
Why this passion for luxury watches?
Isn’t it really about a sense of accomplishment in life, when you’re buying a luxury wristwatch? Isn’t it about getting a reward for one’s success in life? Isn’t it about getting a prize and knowing that the prize truly is unmatched in quality and splendour? Or is it simply a question of buying an excellent all-round consumer product that will last for years and possibly decades? Isn’t the lure of luxury watches similar to art collecting, and the appreciation for art, design and aesthetics? The most likely answer is that it’s a combination of all these factors.
I sincerely believe that the reason why so many people across the globe are interested in knowing where exactly “their†brand ranks in the luxury watch brand hierarchy, is having or getting a sense of accomplishment, an uplifting feeling, that the reward for one’s success in life couldn’t possibly be better than the watch they are wearing on their wrist.
Another reason could certainly be that the luxury watch is a loyal companion that most likely will stay with you all your life. Cars, computers, cell phones, tablets, laptops, clothes and shoes, come and go, but the luxury wristwatch remains, and might even become an heirloom, and pass from one generation to the next.
Isn’t it really about the illusion of conquering life itself, cheating death, and holding onto an “immortal†object that stays within the family for generations? Isn’t the luxury wristwatch the ultimate highly personalized and individualized luxury and quality object that transcends the daily life and all other personal material possessions?
Just like your clothes and shoes, your watch is personal – it probably reflects your personality and your taste. The difference is that clothes and shoes won’t last, but a luxury watch will.
Cars, computers, ipads, cell phones, laptops and tablets too are material possessions and consumer goods, but they aren’t as personal as the luxury watch. And furniture might be personal, but they cannot, for obvious reasons, be worn.
Isn’t it quite possible that the luxury wristwatch is the ultimate example, the ultimate epitome, of the highly personalized, individualized and “immortalized†personal material possession that will follow you through your life?
The luxury watch truly is significant and unusual, wouldn’t you agree?
The lure of luxury and the appeal of quality watches would probably explain why so many people across the globe are interested in how the luxury watch brands compare to each other. Many people and watch enthusiasts will have hearty discussions on which is the desirable or “ultimate†wristwatch brand, and which brand is “superior†and supercedes the others.
There are two main, and fundamentally different approaches to the ranking of luxury wristwatch brands:
- The Materialist Approach,
- The Watch Connoisseur’s and the Watch Enthusiast’s Point of View.
The Materialist Approach:
I have to admit that this isn’t my approach to horology and watchmaking. I guess in a sense, from a purely psychological point of view, it relates to material aspirations, and the sense of satisfaction of “conquering†the material world for one’s personal benefit. Some people are tempted to believe that amassing material wealth will increase their sense of self importance, and that could also explain, at least partially, the interest in the ranking of the luxury watch brands.
The Watch Connoisseur’s and the Watch Enthusiast’s Point of View:
But the ranking of the brands can also be made from a completely different perspective: examining which brand can offer you the best all-round quality consumer products, technical brilliance and wizardry, and aesthetical elegance and appeal. It’s indeed relevant that the product delivers what it promises and can offer you the embodiment of unmatched quality, aesthetics, and craftsmanship. Thisis my approach to watchmaking and horology.
How to define the criteria for ranking the most prestigious luxury watch brands of the world:
Before I start ranking the brands, I just want to emphasize that the ranking obviously is highly subjective, and isn’t written in stone. The ranking will differ depending on who you ask. Some people will agree and some people won’t agree with my ranking – and that’s okay – that’s perfectly fine. The ranking indeed reflects my personal opinion, and my personal opinion is by no means any formal or official decision or judgment taken by any institute or organization.
There is no formally or officially accepted “truth†on how to rank the watch brands. The ranking isn’t any objective fact, taken from the “Holy Book of watchmaking and horologyâ€. There is no formal or official book, organization or institute that deals with the ranking of luxury watch brands. In short: you shouldn’t take my personal ranking too seriously nor should you consider it to be “the Gospels†or the “absolute truthâ€. What’s important is what you think of your personal favorite brand. You should pick a brand that you love independently of how I and others rank the brands.
If the ranking should be relevant, we need to set some criteria or conceptual yardsticks in order to make sense of the ranking.
So let’s set the criteria:
- Long and respected history
- Limited supply – large demand
- Reputation/status/prestige
- Whether or not the brand is a fully independent watchmaker
- Pioneering spirit and innovations
- Impact on watchmaking history and modern culture
- General in-house production (meaning every aspect of the manufacture is in-house)
- In-house made movements
- Movement complications
- Steel grade
- Build quality
- Price range
- Good resale value
- Market presence
10.Omega
Established in 1848 by Louis Brandt. Nowadays Omega is owned by Swatch Group.
I’m very proud to include Omega in the top 15 list, since Omega is without question, and without hesitation, my favorite watch brand of all time!
Even though I love Omega with all my heart, I really can’t include this brand among say the top 3 or the top 5 brands. The reasons would be the ranking criteria which I listed above in this article. However I absolutely think Omega deserves to be ranked among the top 10 brands.
Omega has travelled farther and deeper than any other brand – to the Moon and to the bottom of the ocean! During the 20th century, Omega has won several accuracy and precision prizes, and Omega is universally known for making highly accurate and reliable movements that are in many ways comparable to Rolex’s movements.
9.Blancpain
Founded in 1735 by Jehan-Jacques Blancpain in Villet Switzerland, today, Blancpain is owned by the Swatch Group and has its headquarters situated in Biel Switzerland. Placing emphasis on quality rather than quantity, Blancpain produces fewer than 30 watches per day with each timepiece being crafted by a single watchmaker. Although it encountered financial difficulties throughout the ages, the company has retained its “supreme qualityâ€Â brand identity by committing itself to the production of “grande complication†wristwatches and today, according to its commercial slogans, the company has never produced quartz watches in the past nor does it intend to in the future.
8.Ulysse Nardin
Founded in 1846 by Ulysse Nardin, an accomplished Swiss watchmaker, the brand, over the past 165 years, has become widely respected for its highly accurate marine chronometers. Businessman Rolf Schnyder, acquired the brand in 1983 and went on to relaunch it with a design and technical makeover. Under Schnyder’s management, the company started to produce pioneering timepieces by utilising innovative materials and manufacturing techniques. To date, the company has attained 18 international gold medals and 4,300 first prizes in chronometrics.
7.Rolex
Founded in 1915, the Swiss company has become the most commercially powerful watch brand in the world. While watch connoisseurs like to snob it, there is no denying that this company demands respect in terms of its iconic culture, marketing prowess and turnover. While the brand is not known for having particularly complex movements, Rolex watchmakers, however, focus on crafting a comfortable design that is easy to fix as well as being very reliable. Indeed, Rolex watches are so reliable that each timepiece is COSC certified by the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute. Also, Rolex timepieces are renowned for their excellent investment value and well preserved vintage models can easily achieve 6 figures at auction.
6.Audemars Piguet
Founded in 1875 in Le Brassus, a village in the Joux valley region in the heart of the Swiss Jura, Audemars Piguet has become renowned for its legendary spirit of innovation. The firm is the oldest Manufacture of Haute Horlogerie never to have left the hands of the founding families. From the first Grande Complication pocket watch presented in 1882, to more recent models such as the Jules Audemars and the Royal Oak, the company continues to produce some of the world’s finest timepieces.
5.Jaeger LeCoultre
Established as LeCoultre in 1833 by Antoine LeCoultre. LeCoultre was renamed Jaeger LeCoultre in 1937. Nowadays Jaeger LeCoultre is owned by Richemont Group.
Jaeger LeCoultre has been early on an expert on a scientific approach to watchmaking, which would entail highly accurate equipment and tools that were revolutionary back in the mid 19th century. With those tools, Jaeger LeCoultre could back then, manufacture their watches with an unprecedented scientific accuracy.
Jaeger LeCoultre became early on an expert on accurate and reliable movements, and was early on an expert on movement complications (haute horlogerie – that is higher watchmaking)- especiallymovement repeaters. Jaeger LeCoultre is famous for its dress watches – Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso andJaeger LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin and its divers watches – Jaeger LeCoultre Master Compressor Diving.
In the past, several other luxury watch brands such as Audemars Piguet, Breguet, Cartier, Vacheron Constantin and Patek Phillipe, have purchased their movements from Jaeger LeCoultre.
4.A. Lange & Söhne
The German high-end watch brand has been crafting meticulously precise timepieces since 1845. Based in Glashutte Germany, all Lange movements are developed, producedand assembled by the brand itself. Known for its Glashütte design which includes three-quarter plates, hand-graved balance cocks and screwed gold chatons, all its movements are made from “German silver,†a metal composed of copper and nickel. Each A. Lange & Söhne timepiece is highly refined, highly complex and perfectly assembled.
3.Breguet
With an incredible past history that includes Marie Antoinette and Napoleon, Breguet has an historical legacy that would make any high-end watch company proud. Founded in Paris in 1775 by Abraham-Louis Breguet, a watchmaker and student of mathematics; the company, since 1976, has been run by The Swatch Group. Today, each timepiece is crafted in the Vallèe de Joux in Switzerland. The brand has pioneered numerous watch making technologies such as the tourbillon (invented by Abraham-Louis Breguet) the gong spring for the minute repeater, the pare-chute (timepiece shock absorbers) and the single hand watch know as the “subscription watch.â€
2.VacheronConstantin
Established in 1755 by Jean-Marc Vacheron. Vacheron Constantin is a member of “The Holy Trinity†of Watch brands and manufacturers. Nowadays Vacheron Constantin is owned by Richemont Group.
Just like Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin too is a member of the “Holy Trinity†of watches – the three most luxurious, and prestigious luxury watch brands offered on the watch market today.
Vacheron Constantin bears the Hallmark of Geneva, which is the highest quality certification a watchmaker can get. Vacheron Constantin is also a master of movement complication, movement decorations and artistic design. Out of the three members of the “Holy Trinityâ€, Vacheron Constantin is probably the most artistic one. Vacheron Constantin is legendary for their relief images applied on their dials, and their highly decorated watch cases, that are turned into an exquisite piece of art.
1.PATEK PHILLIPE
The family run firm is as renowned for its precision and craftsmanship as it is for its rare and exclusive timepieces. Co-founded in 1851 by Antoni Patek, a Polish watchmaker and Adrien Philippe, a French watchmaker, the duo went on to pioneer the perpetual calendar, split-seconds hand, chronograph and minute repeater. Today, the company develops and manufactures its movements in-house to its own quality criteria. Old world artisans who have perfectly mastered micromechanical engineering craft each watch by hand. Since 1839, 100% of its movements are awarded the official Hallmark of the Geneva Seal. Also, investing in a Patek Philippe (in particular rare vintage models) is always a smart move as their high market value means that timepieces can easily run into the six figure bracket at auction.
