Top 10 watch brands

« Each in itself unique and great »

There are plenty of expensive watch brands around the world. In top 10 rankings, the order changes depending on the comparison criterion. However, the top ranks are often occupied by the same manufacturers with many similarities: They love visionary ideas as much as traditional watchmaking craftsmanship and are mostly based in Switzerland.

Rolex – popular status symbol

When it comes to prestigious luxury, Rolex is intuitively accorded the top position in the list of watch brands. This is true even for people who neither know nor can identify with exclusive timepieces. This unparalleled popularity is based on the mix of tasteful aesthetics and practical added value to which the Geneva-based luxury brand has been committed since its entry in the commercial register in 1913.

Sometimes it took a Rolex newcomer to win hearts – for example, the stainless steel Daytona chronograph. It aroused little enthusiasm when it debuted in 1963 and was sold rather cheaply. Nowadays, it is among the models of the top 10 watch brands that are enormously popular. This was helped by an original by Paul Newman, which they auctioned off for around 16 million euros in 2017.

Avant-garde bestsellers from Le Brassus – Audemars Piguet

Soon after its foundation in 1875, Audemars Piguet was among the best watch brands, appreciated for masterpieces with precious decorations made of precious metals and stones. But the breakthrough came with the opposite: in 1972, the Royal Oak was among the first luxury watches with a decidedly sporty design: as revolutionary as the stainless steel manufacturing was the octagonal bezel with the same number of screws saucily seeking the limelight.

When it comes to expensive watch brands, Audemars Piguet is represented in the top 10 because the casual Royal Oak made design history. The company founded by Jules-Louis Audemars and Edward August Piguet is one of those watch labels whose luxury character is not obvious to many laymen. It is precisely this underlying exclusivity that appeals to many watch lovers.

Omega – the heavenly star among the top 10 watch labels

When adventurous people are asked to name expensive watch brands for the top 10 ranking, Omega lands far in front. Since the registration of the brand name in 1894, the timepieces have been appreciated for their technical sophistication. Early on, the manufacturer impressed with records related to precision. These advances gave the Masterpieces starring roles in expeditions that do not forgive any inaccuracies or material weaknesses.

For the Speedmaster Professional alone, selected by NASA for the first lunar expeditions, Omega has earned a regular place among the top 10 watch brands. Although other brand collections are just as noteworthy, the Moonwatch’s fan base is particularly large.

First choice of the French Emperor – Breguet

Napoleon Bonaparte treated himself to three pocket watches from the repertoire of the Breguet manufacture. Other expensive watch brands in the top 10 charts are green with envy at this vita. More significant than the celebrity clientele for watch lovers are the groundbreaking ideas with which Abraham Louis Breguet paved the way to the first functional wristwatch between 1780 and 1810.

Breguet hairspring, pare-chute shock protection or filigree hand with a circle at the tip: the inventions of the talented watchmaker still characterize handmade masterpieces from Breguet and other luxury brands. The sympathetic philosophy of the watch manufacture: it wants to preserve the time and be ahead of it – for example, with the Tradition collection, which invites the study of the movement on both sides.

Zenith – Top 10 timepieces with pioneering movements

If the focus is on the incessant pursuit of innovation, Zenith has to be counted among the top 10 watch brands. Ultra-flat, high-frequency, or accurate to a hundredth of a second: the timepieces from Le Locle contain movements that amaze experts.

Zenith achieved an international breakthrough in 1969 with a world first: the first automatic chronograph movement. In the meantime, high-frequency movements are a matter of course at the Swiss chronograph professional, which generally ranks among the best watch labels.

Top 10 jewelry watch design company – Chopard

Expensive watch brands in the top 10 league with jewelry aesthetics to fall in love with: If that’s what you’re looking for, Chopard is the place to go. Founded in 1860, the brand offers high-quality men’s watches, but is on top form when it comes to creating enchanting women’s watches.

The Happy Diamonds collection lives up to its name: from discreet to expressive, sparkling diamonds characterize the playfully designed timepieces. Chopard is one of the watch brands that interpret luxury in a passionate and diverse way. Necklaces or rings to match the cocktail watch? The noble brand fulfills such wishes with its multifaceted jewelry assortment.

Blancpain – underestimated top ten pioneer

Founded in 1735 by Jehan-Jacques Blancpain, the manufacture should actually be one of the universally known top 10 watch brands. First self-winding wristwatch (1926), diving watch pioneer Fifty Fathoms (1953) or the smallest automatic movement for ladies’ dress watches Ladybird (1956): Often, the ambitious manufacturer passed the finish line at the same time or just ahead of its competitors in terms of groundbreaking innovations. Thus, when it comes to major watch labels, Blancpain cannot be missing from the list. This was the view not only of oceanographer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, but also of Marilyn Monroe.

 

 

Horological extravaganza from Lake Geneva – Hublot

If you prefer fancy accessories and expensive watch brands, a top 10 rank is reserved for Hublot. Since its debut in 1980, the bold mix of materials has characterized the brand’s signature design, as has the watch shape, which resembles a porthole. In 2005, the manufacturer debuted the Big Bang chronograph, whose look pops – literally. That goes for the material contrast richness and the extroverted decor, which sometimes seems a touch over the top. Does your heart beat for purist timepieces? Then Hublot is probably not one of your personal top watch brands.

Breitling – high-flyer from the Bernese Jura

Léon Breitling was interested in measuring instruments that performed professional tasks in scientific, sporting and industrial scenarios. His manufacture, founded in 1884, served up swift advances in watchmaking technology that impressed a major pilots’ association. It recommended the Navitimer as a pilot’s watch. On land, underwater, or in the air, Breitling is among the top 10 watch brands valued for brilliant engineering and sophisticated functionality.

 

Patek Philippe – masterfully complicated or simply beautiful

Patek Philippe’s passion for complicated timepieces ensures that it regularly takes first place in top watch brand rankings. Handcrafted decorations, refined reversible cases and 20 complications, some of which can be enjoyed acoustically: One look at the watchmaking sensation, auctioned in 2019 for more than 30 million Swiss francs, is enough to understand its reputation. In the meantime, the Grandmaster Chime ennobles the brand assortment in a strictly limited edition.

As desirable as the complicated watches are uncomplicated evergreens – for example, the ultra-flat Ellipse. The elegant evening watches only display hours and minutes, because more information seems superfluous in the evening savoir-vivre. Since its founding in 1839, the manufacture has created fewer watches than other luxury brands market each year. That’s why Patek Philippe is irresistibly beautiful, but hard to come by.