Watch Brands and Manufacturers

Switzerland is undoubtedly the epicenter of the watchmaking industry. Be it mechanical automatic watches or quartz-driven timepieces, nowhere else in the world has a greater density of watch manufacturers. The western part of the country has a particularly high population of luxury watch brands, and numerous industry suppliers and movement manufacturers, such as ETA and Sellita, are also based there. The oldest Swiss luxury watchmakers include Breguet, Vacheron Constantin, Patek Philippe, and Audemars Piguet. These manufacturers are synonymous with traditional methods, premium quality, and superior craftsmanship. The timepieces from these industry greats often contain elaborate calibers with complications such as perpetual calendars, tourbillons, and chiming mechanisms. Their portfolios are chock full of watches crafted from precious metals such as gold and platinum, and are regularly decorated with ornate engravings or gemstones. Rolex, Breitling, and Omega offer watches with sportier designs. Rolex in particular has shaped the sporty luxury watch segment with models like the Submariner, Daytona, and GMT-Master. Omega, on the other hand, sent the first wristwatch to the Moon with the Speedmaster Professional. When it comes to pilot's watches, Breitling, IWC Schaffhausen, and Fortis are the first choice for many watch enthusiasts. Racing LuxWatchMarketgraphs, on the other hand, are right at home at TAG Heuer and Zenith. In addition to the wealth of time-honored brands, Switzerland is also home to a number of young watch manufacturers that are breathing fresh air into

Germany has been manufacturing watches since the mid-18th century, with notable watchmaking hubs located in Pforzheim, the Black Forest region, and Glashütte in Saxony. Ferdinand Adolf Lange and Karl Moritz Großmann transformed the Ore Mountains' struggling mining settlement into a renowned watchmaking center. Their efforts have had a long-lasting effect, as Glashütte is still known as a seat of exceptional watchmaking craftsmanship to this day. The town's best-known brands include A. Lange & Söhne, Nomos, Glashütte Original, Union Glashütte, and Mühle Glashütte. While A. Lange and Glashütte Original specialize mainly in complicated and richly decorated timepieces, the Union and Mühle catalogs include sportier watches and tool watches. Nomos, on the other hand, is known for their Bauhaus-inspired watches. The Black Forest region is where well-known brands such as Laco and Stowa hail from, both of which are widely acknowledged for their pilot's and marine watches. Another important name is Junghans, which has several particularly successful Bauhaus collections, the Max Bill and Form. Junghans is one of the world's leading manufacturers of radio-controlled watches. Discover German watches on LuxWatchMarket24!

Japan is another important location in the watchmaking sphere. Kintaro Hattori, a young watchmaker, set up a small shop in Tokyo, which eventually grew into the celebrated watch company Seiko. Manufacturers like Orient Watches and Citizen can likewise trace their origins back to the early 20th century. Citizen, in particular, has achieved great success by offering watches with automatic and quartz movements under the Miyota name. Another prominent player since the 1970s is Casio, an electronics company renowned for its quartz sports watches, notably the popular G-Shock series. Seiko has by far the widest selection of all the Japanese manufacturers. Their portfolio ranges from affordable automatic watches in the Seiko 5 series to professional tool watches in the Prospex collection. Under the Grand Seiko and Credor brands, the manufacturer sells watches that rub shoulders with the best the watch industry has to offer in terms of workmanship and precision. Seiko also has a reputation as an innovator; they are credited with creating the world's first quartz watch. The Spring Drive is another invention that put the company, and Japanese watchmaking as a whole, on the map. Seiko is one of the few watch manufacturers to produce all their watch parts independently, putting the Japanese company on a par with industry leader Rolex. Discover Japanese watches on LuxWatchMarket24!