WHICH ARE THE TOP 10 LUXURY WATCH BRANDS?

There are so many ways to measure and rank luxury watches and it gets even harder to measure it when you factor in wealth. To a billionaire, a 100,000 dollar Rolex platinum Daytona is as costly as a Seiko GX007 for a typical student. Does that make them both luxury or does it make luxury relative? Regardless of whichever you feel, there definitely seems to be a common ground shared by the majority of watch enthusiasts over the world who would agree on what watches count as luxury. Today, we are going to cover the top 10 luxury watch brands and see if you guessed them all!

Tag Heuer Carrera

When it comes to starting out in your luxury watch collecting journey, many people turn to both TagHeuer and Tudor because they produce fantastic pieces at a reasonable price point. The new chronographs Tag Heuer has made are impressing the watch community and Tudor’s new divers with more refined clasps and METAS movements are making them difficult to ignore! Regardless of whether it’s your first watch or adding onto a large collection, these watchmakers are excellent at delivering high value and sit perfectly in any collector’s collection. They are both Swiss brands and have an excellent variety from dressy to sports watches in their catalogue, that’s why they make the list.

For those looking for a classy and timeless piece that does everything you need, Omega and Cartier are brands that can help you out. Omega have some legendary iconic pieces like the Moonwatch, Seamaster 300 Professional and the Aqua Terra, all built to high standard with beautiful cases and dials. Cartier offers that iconic rectangular case with their fantastic bracelet design that allows you to interchange bracelets in seconds and links! With both brands having a rich heritage in luxury, you cannot go wrong with either and their watches can work with a Tuxedo just as well as a pair of swim shorts.

Seamaster Diver 42mm

Source : Hodinkee 

Rolex Explorer on Green Rubber

Moving on to one of the most famous Swiss watchmakers of all times, Rolex, a brand that has pioneered so much within the watch world and has become a household name. To most, this is a watch people associate with success and accomplishment and it's not hard to see why. With a range of iconic classic and sports watches available, Rolex offers you some of the best swiss watch engineering money can buy. The refined mechanical movement and durable cases, any and all Rolex watches were built to last the test of time and be worn proudly on the wearer's wrist. They really have created a luxury watch brand designed to make watches that can be passed down for generations.

Venturing off from Switzerland, the Italian luxury watchmaker Panerai has its history firmly rooted in creating watches for the Navy, so quality assurance is a guarantee. Their iconic rounded-square cases make them easily recognisable, with added durability and legibility they make for a very refined dive watch.

Panerai Watch

Source : Monochrome

Chopard's rich heritage is deeply rooted in Swiss watchmaking tradition. From its early days in Sonvilier, Switzerland, the brand has been celebrated for its precision and reliability. Each Chopard watch is a masterpiece, meticulously crafted by skilled artisans who combine traditional techniques with modern innovations. This dedication to craftsmanship ensures that every timepiece is not only a functional instrument but also a work of art and you don’t have to look further than their famous Alpine Eagle to see why they are an ultimate luxury watch maker.

Chopard watch

Source : Monochrome Watches

Grand Seiko

Source : Monochrome Watches

At the heart of Grand Seiko's allure is its commitment to precision, the brand is famous for its high-accuracy movements, including the renowned Spring Drive and Hi-Beat calibres. The Spring Drive movement, in particular, is a revolutionary hybrid that combines the best of mechanical and electronic watchmaking, ensuring exceptional accuracy and smooth glide motion of the second hand. With such a smooth glide of the seconds hand, it makes for a luxurious wafting appearance as the seconds hand graces itself across the dial, which too is of incredible construction.

Zenith watches, a prestigious Swiss watchmaking brand, has been synonymous with precision, innovation, and luxury since its founding in 1865 by Georges Favre-Jacot in Le Locle, Switzerland. Becoming ever famous for their production of the movement that supplied the Rolex Daytona in the 1980s, Zenith offer some incredible pieces like their Defy Skyline which has a beautiful case and mesmerising dial to go with it.

Zenith Watch

Source : Fratello Watches

Jaeger Lecoultre

Source : Swisswatches Magazine

If you’re looking for a watch that has been finished to a high level and possesses a rich heritage, Jaeger LeCoultre (JLC) should definitely be a contender. Whilst being a quieter watch player, they take the time to craft all their watches and just like with Rolex, they have extremely high standards too. All the ingredients needed to become a luxury watch brand. The JLC Reverso might be one of their most famous pieces, one watch with two faces is certainly a unique feature and gives you more diversity within one watch. Their dress watches are instantly recognizable and their different movements and dials make them a real statement piece so if you want a watch that’s quite exclusive and going to turn heads, JLC is the way to go!

There you have it, a list of the top 10 most luxurious watch brands that dominate the luxury watch market. The next time you’re looking to buy a watch, you cannot go wrong with any of the watches from the watch brands mentioned here today and of course, there are many others as well. The fantastic thing about horology is, the more you learn and see, the more you discover just how many incredible brands there are out there for us to buy from! If you own any of the watches mentioned above, then make sure to check out our ZEALANDE straps. We make the best luxury rubber straps in the industry to help you give your bracelet a break from scratches and to give your watch a sporty look.

— James Talbot