When most people hear the words “luxury watch,” the image of a luxurious, stainless steel watch typically pops into their heads. But luxury watches come in all different shapes and sizes. Yes, there are many that follow the more traditional template, but you’ll also find tons that are unique and innovative.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the absolute best 12 luxury watch brands. Some of these you’ve probably heard of, like Rolex, and many of these are easily the best watch brands overall. However, others are a bit more unique and niche.
We scoured through Reddit, YouTube, luxury forums, and sales data to bring you the best luxury watch brands. If you’re in a rush, here are our key takeaways:
- There are many luxury watch brands to choose from, each with its own history, design philosophy, and popular models.
- Many luxury watch brands produce both more traditional watch designs and innovative pieces.
- Like dividend stocks, luxury watch can hold their value over time and even appreciate. However, they typically don’t produce the same return that good stocks do, making them a potentially subpar investment. For our favorite dividend stocks, take a look at our free report, “Dividend Legends.“
Why It Matters
Luxury watches are often considered investments in their own right. While most people today purchase stocks and bonds, there are still many who purchase luxury products like watches instead! Plus, this industry is only expected to grow in the future.
1. Patek Philippe
Patak Philippe is a Swiss watch manufacturer founded in 1839, making it one of the oldest watch brands in the world. It is considered one of the most prestigious watch brands out there. Its watches are considered to be the pinnacle of innovation and craftsmanship.
Patek Philippe watches are made with the finest materials and are often adorned with precious stones and metals. The company is also known for its complex watch movements, which are some of the most advanced in the world. Their watches can get very complicated!
Patek Philippe’s Popular Watches
- Nautilus: A luxury sports watch with a distinctive octagonal bezel.
- Calatrava: A classic dress watch with a simple, elegant design.
- Grand Complications: A series of watches with multiple complex functions, such as chronographs, perpetual calendars, and minute repeaters.
- Aquanaut: A sports watch with a modern design and a rubber strap.
2. Rolex
Just about everyone knows what a Rolex is, and that’s for a good reason. It’s easily one of the most recognizable and popular watch brands in the world. It’s a Swiss manufacturer that was founded in 1905. Rolex watches are very popular with celebrities and athletes, which is one reason they’ve become so well-known today.
This company also makes some pretty innovative watch movements, which have set a standard for the rest of the industry. Rolex is absolutely considered one of the pinnacle watchmakers.
Rolex’s Popular Watches
- Datejust: This classic watch has a date window at 3 o’clock.
- Submariner: A diving watch with a waterproof design and a rotating bezel.
- Day-Date: This luxury watch also has a day-and-date display
- GMT-Master II: A pilot’s watch with a second time zone.
3. Audemars Piguet
Audemars Piguet is another Swiss watch brand that was founded a couple of decades before Rolex. It is also one of the oldest watch brands in the world and is known for its watches complexity. Like many top watch brands, this one also uses the best materials you can find, and many of their watches come with precious stones and metals.
Like many companies, Audemars Piguet also innovates with its watch movements. This brand has pushed the boundaries more than once.
Audemars Puguet’s Popular Watches
- Royal Oak: A luxury sports watch with an octagonal bezel and a stainless steel bracelet.
- Jules Audemars: A classical dress watch with a simple design.
- Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet: A collection of watches with very innovative, modern designs.
- Millenary: A watch with a unique oval-shaped case and tourbillon movement.
4. Vacheron Constantin
Vacheron Constantin is the oldest watch maker in the world that has continuously operated. It’s another Swiss brand and was founded all the way back in 1755. As you might expect, its watches are best known for their history and craftsmanship. All of this brand’s watches use only the best materials and represent the hundreds of years of history the company has.
This company also makes some of the most complex watch movements.
Vacheron Constantin’s Popular Watches
- Traditionelle: A classic dress watch with a very simple design.
- Overseas: A luxury sports watch with a stainless steel bracelet. The whole watch is water-resistant, hence the name.
- Metiers d’Art: A collection of watches that are designed as pieces of artwork.
- Historiques: A collection of watches that represent parts of the brand’s history.
5. Omega
Omega is another very old Swiss brand. However, they aren’t as widely known as many of the other brands on this list. Still, this brand’s watches are known for their durability and style. Omega watches are made to work, and they have many purpose-built watches in their collection. (They even built a watch worn by astronauts.)
It isn’t odd to see this brand worn by celebrities and athletes, either.
Omega’s Popular Watches
- Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch: A chronograph watch worn by astronauts on the moon. Not many watch brands can say that!
- Seamaster Diver 300M: A diving watch that is completely waterproof and has a rotating bezel.
- De Ville: This classical watch has a simple design.
- Constellation: This unique watch has a star-shaped case.
6. Breitling
Like many watchmakers on this list, Breitling is Swiss. It was founded in 1884 and produces some unusual watches. Many of its pieces are aviation-inspired. Breitling watches are often worn by pilots and aviators for this reason. The company has also innovated some unique watch movements to go with its very unique watches.
Breitling’s Popular Watches
- Navitimer: A pilot’s watch with a slide rule bezel.
- Chronomat: A chronograph watch with a distinctive bezel.
- Superocean: A diving watch with a waterproof design and a rotating bezel.
- Transocean: A classic dress watch with a simple, elegant design.
7. Cartier
Cartier is the first French brand on this list. Similarly to other watch brands, it is very old, founded in 1847. It is one of the most prestigious watch brands in the world and is specifically known for its elegance. This brand’s watches are regularly worn by celebrities and royalty. Innovative watch designs are very common, too.
This brand is very European. Most of their watches are European-style and even based on European events.
Cartier’s Popular Watches
- Tank: A classical watch that’s uniquely inspired by World War I tanks.
- Santos de Cartier: A pilot’s watch with a square case.
- Panthere de Cartier: A women’s watch with a panther motif.
- Baignoire Allongee: A watch with an elevated oval case.
8. Jaeger-LeCoultre
Jaeger-LeCoultre is yet another Swiss brand that was founded way back in the 1830s. It’s one of the oldest watch brands in the world, though not the oldest. Most of their watches are made with more traditional designs. Their watch movement is extremely advanced, and this brand is often said to have the most accurate watches.
While they may not have the most interesting-looking watches, much of their innovation occurs on the inside.
Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Popular Watches
- Master Control: A classic watch with very accurate movements.
- Reverso: A reversible watch with a rectangular case.
- Geophysic True Second: One of the most accurate watches in the world.
- Atmos: A clock that runs on air pressure changes.
9. IWC Schaffhausen
IWC Schaffhausen is best known for its larger-sized timepieces and pilot’s watches. As you might guess, this company is most popular with pilots and older gentlemen who may need their watches made just a bit bigger. This company also focuses on very traditional designs, though they do produce something interesting from time to time.
IWC Schaffhausen’s Popular Watches
- Pilot’s Watch Chronograph: A chronograph watch with a pilot-inspired design.
- Portugieser Chronograph: A chronograph watch with a classic design.
- Aquatimer: A diving watch with a waterproof design and a rotating bezel.
- Big Pilot’s Watch: A large-sized watch with a pilot-inspired design.
10. Lange & Söhne
Lange & Söhne is a German watch manufacturer founded in 1845. This company is one of the few outside of Switzerland and Italy that is considered a very prestigious watch brand. As you might guess, this brand is particularly popular in Germany and the rest of Europe. However, their watches aren’t hard to find in the United States.
Like most high-end watches, this company uses very high-quality materials. Some of their watches even have precious metals in them.
Lange & Söhne’s Popular Watches
- Lange: A watch with a unique off-centered dial and a big date display.
- Saxonia: A classic dress watch with a simple, elegant design.
- Datograph: A chronograph watch with a split-second complication.
- Tourbillon: A watch with a rotating cage that counteracts the effects of gravity.
11. Hublot
Hublot is another Swiss watch manufacturer. This company is much newer than many of the others on this list, though, as it was founded in 1980. It’s best known for being innovative and fusing luxury and sports watches together. Often, this company uses unusual materials in its watches, like ceramic, carbon fiber, and titanium.
This company also collaborates with other big brands regularly, such as Ferrari and Big Bang.
Hublot’s Popular Watches
- Big Bang: A chronograph watch with a very eye-catching design.
- Classic Fusion: One of the brand’s simpler watches.
- Spirit of the Big Bang: A watch with a tonneau-shaped case and complicated design.
- Tec-Frame: A watch with a transparent case, allowing wearers to see the internal mechanism.
12. Panerai
Panerai is a very old Italian watchmaker. It’s best known for crafting simple, bold watches. This brand has a military history, which they tend to lean into heavily. Often, their watches are made with titanium and have a distinctive “cushion-shaped” case. Most of their watches also feature luminous dials, which are perfect for reading in low-light conditions.
Panerai’s Popular Watches
- Luminor Marina: This diving watch has a large case and a luminous dial for easy reading.
- Radiomir: One of the company’s more classical watches.
- Luminor Submersible: Another diving watch that is even more waterproof.
- Luminor Due: A thin watch with a more modern design.
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