When it comes to famous luxury watches, you can't help but take a close look at manufacturers from Switzerland. Switzerland is known worldwide as the home of renowned watch brands and is often referred to as the "cradle of watchmaking". In this article, we take a trip to the Alpine republic, making stops at the most successful Swiss watch brands and taking a close look at some of the most popular timepieces made by Swiss manufacturers.
Why are Swiss watches so famous?
Switzerland is directly associated with the watch world for a reason. Around 50% of the watches that are sold each year are "Swiss made". Well over 100 different watch manufacturers are headquartered in Switzerland and sell their movements from there to collectors and watch enthusiasts from all over the world.
Over the decades, Switzerland has thus developed into a real hotspot of the watch industry, although we will go into more detail about the historical background later in this article. Today, at any rate, Switzerland is the epitome of a location for watch lovers that stands for quality, innovation and tradition in watchmaking. Numerous watch models that have made history and manufacturers with great names originate from Switzerland and have consequently helped the Alpine republic to a shining image that cannot be found a second time in the watch industry.
Overall, several factors lead to the fact that Swiss watches enjoy an incomparably good reputation. In addition to the historical background, consistently high quality standards, a spirit of innovation, the variety of manufacturers located there with above-average prestige, and the long tradition of watchmaking craftsmanship play a particularly central role.
The tradition of Swiss watchmaking
Which brings us to the exciting history of watchmaking on Swiss soil, which we would like to depict in its initial outlines below:
The beginnings of Swiss watchmaking
The success story of watchmaking in Switzerland began in 1587 with Charles Cusin, a French immigrant who settled in Geneva. There he taught the local goldsmiths the art of watchmaking, thus making a decisive contribution to the further development of the location.
In the following two centuries, more and more watchmakers decided to set up their workshops in Switzerland, especially in Le Locle and La Chaux-de-Fonds. This was probably due not only to early role models such as Charles Cusin or, somewhat later, Daniel Jean-Richard, but also to the fact that no guild law existed there at the time, which made comparatively inexpensive production possible.
While today nearly 30 million wristwatches are sold each year by watch brands from Switzerland, back then the figure was a slim 60,000. But the beginning was made and the rest, as they say, is history.
Famous Swiss watchmakers
The centuries-long history of Switzerland as the "center of the watch world" is lined with numerous great watchmakers whose work has had considerable influence on the image of the location. To introduce them all, including their individual stories, would go far beyond the scope of this article. Nevertheless, we would like to mention a few of them who stood out for their innovative developments to a particularly high degree.
First, there is Louis-Abraham Perrelet, who produced the first automatic watches in Le Locle in 1770, followed by Louis-Frederic Perrelet, who developed the first perpetual calendar watch about 50 years later. These two innovations were still pocket watches.
The first mass-produced wristwatches came from Girard Perregaux and did not "roll off the production line" until the end of the 19th century - also in Switzerland.
While other industries suffered immensely from the First World War, the Swiss watch industry remained more or less unaffected. In 1926, Rolex released the Oyster, bringing the first waterproof wristwatches to the market. A little later, LeCoultre followed suit with the smallest sports watch of the time, the Reverso.
The list of notable innovations in the field of watches from Switzerland could be continued almost endlessly and once again illustrates the special place that the country has held in the watch industry for a long time.
The characteristics of Swiss watches
What exactly makes the brands from Switzerland stand out from other watch manufacturers? A question that is not so easy to answer. Because: In the meantime, there are definitely watch manufacturers in other parts of this world, whose watches experience a great popularity and meet high expectations in terms of quality, reliability and so on.
Probably, it is the extremely far-reaching history in connection with a whole series of features that make the Swiss timepieces special. Swiss watchmakers are known for their immense artistry, inventiveness and pursuit of perfection. Watches made in Switzerland are considered to be particularly precise and, at least according to their image, their quality cannot be surpassed.
In order for watches to receive the "Swiss made" label, they must meet certain requirements. This means that not just any manufacturer can claim to be "Swiss made". The recognized label is reserved for those who ensure that at least 60% of their production takes place in Switzerland, both in terms of the manufacturing steps and the costs incurred. Only brands that meet this requirement are allowed to adorn themselves with the "Swiss made" label.
Swiss watches and their pricing
Every experienced collector knows that watches bearing the "Swiss made" label are generally not bargains. Rather, the majority of these products are luxury watches, which are to be classified in the higher-priced segment.
Essentially, there are a few aspects that can be used to explain the pricing of Swiss watch brands quite understandably. On the one hand, there is the above-average quality that you can expect from a watch made in Switzerland. On the other hand, one pays to a certain extent, of course, for the impeccable image attached to Swiss watch brands.
In addition, high demand is a factor that drives up prices. Many of the well-known brands produce only a limited number of watches each year, which is not even remotely sufficient to meet the global demand for the models. This shortage, in turn, leads to the fact that interested parties are quite willing to pay vast sums of money to be able to call coveted models their own.
In addition, it should not be forgotten that some watch brands themselves are constantly spending a lot of money to further develop and constantly optimize their products. The result is perfected watches with sophisticated complications and innovative technologies, which just have their price.
The top Swiss watch brands
Due to the large number of watch manufacturers that are native to Switzerland, all of which have their own individual merits and peculiarities, it is difficult to establish a ranking of the "Top 10 Swiss Watch Brands". We do not want to presume to make such a ranking and thus decide which one is now the best of the watch manufacturers. Instead, we focus completely without judgment on a list that presents ten of the most famous and successful Swiss brands.
Rolex: The Icon
When talking about luxury watches from Switzerland, watch laymen and connoisseurs of the watch scene often immediately think of the same brand: Rolex. The Geneva-based manufacturer is the largest Swiss producer of luxury watches in terms of global market share and has been delighting its fans with top-quality timepieces for many decades. The exclusive watch brand, whose name is composed of the English "Rolling Export", is understood worldwide as a synonym for high-quality, absolutely reliable Swiss watches and is most likely represented in every single "Top 10 Swiss watch brands" ranking.
Founded in Biel by Hans Wilsdorf in 1913 and based in Geneva since 1920, the manufacture is the prime example of a watchmaker that has managed to establish itself internationally as an icon among watch brands. With a multi-faceted assortment composed of proven classics and innovative novelties, Rolex has always captivated watch fans and collectors and has achieved successes that many other manufacturers can only dream of. In short, Rolex is clearly one of the most famous luxury watch brands around and must unquestionably be high on any list of watch brands from Switzerland.
Patek Philippe: The aristocracy
Founded in 1939, Patek Philippe is now one of the most prestigious watch brands and is celebrated worldwide for timepieces of outstanding quality. The brand, which originally has aristocratic roots in Poland, is now based in Geneva and headed by Thierry Stern. He does not miss the opportunity to personally decide who may acquire a copy of the particularly rare models of the brand. If you want to buy a Sky Moon Tourbillon, for example, you have to go to the president of the brand himself.
Watches from Patek Philippe change hands at auctions time and again for record prices and are not infrequently sold for tens of millions of dollars. In 2014, for example, the Patek Philippe Henry Graves "Supercomplication" was auctioned off for almost 20 million euros - a gigantic sum. It's no wonder, then, that the name Patek Philippe is mentioned above all when it comes to particularly high-priced quality watches from the "made in Switzerland" luxury segment.
Omega: The space watch
Based in Biel, Omega is also one of the great watch brands that immediately come to mind in connection with Swiss watchmaking. The watch brand, which today belongs to the Swatch Group, was initially founded in 1848 under a different name by Louis Brandt, who began manufacturing watch parts in La Chaux-de-Fonds. With a turnover of 2.47 billion CHF in 2022, Omega undoubtedly rightly joins our list of top manufacturers of watches from Switzerland.
If you read up on watches from Omega, you'll notice that they include models that have literally made history. This is especially true of the Omega Speedmaster Professional, which was the first wristwatch to be worn on the moon. A real milestone for the brand, which brought it a lot of attention and certainly contributed to the fact that Omega can count itself among the most important watch brands in the world today.
Audemars Piguet: The royal one
Precious watches, fascinating complications and plenty of courage to innovate: the Audemars Piguet company combines valuable ingredients that a company needs to rise to the renowned greats in the watch industry. The company is headquartered in Le Brassus, but also has production sites in Le Locle and Meyrin, and belongs to the group of manufacturers of luxury watches in the top price range.
Over the past decades and centuries, the watch brand, which was launched in 1875, has become one of the most famous Swiss manufactures. This is likely due in part to the groundbreaking innovations that Audemars Piguet released over time. In 1891, for example, the watchmakers of the watch manufacture created the world's smallest minute repeater movement, which quickly evolved into the first wristwatch with minute repeater. Achievements that leave no doubt that the brand has more than earned its impeccable reputation.
Breguet: The elegance of tradition
Anyone who could count Napoleon Bonaparte and Marie Antoinette among his clientele has definitely come a long way in the watchmaking world. That's exactly what Breguet can claim. The founder of the successful watchmaking house - Abraham-Louis Breguet - is often referred to as the greatest genius in watchmaking history, as his work still has a great influence on watchmaking today. Want an example? Breguet invented the tourbillon and the Breguet hairspring, creating a foundation without which many a luxury watch of our time would not exist in this form.
In addition to the "inner values" and technologies that Breguet created, design elements that were already evident in the models of the brand's early history still have an impact today. It is not for nothing that people speak of "Breguet numerals" or "Breguet hands" when referring to certain designs. The baroque-looking watches from the Breguet collections, bursting with elegance, are extremely well received by customers in the international arena and help the company to secure a permanent place at the top of every "Top 10 Swiss Watch Brands" list.
Blancpain: the pioneers of diving watches
When asked about the oldest watch manufacturer still at work today, there can only be one answer: Blancpain. In business for an incredible 300 years, Blancpain is the pioneer of Swiss watchmaking par excellence, and is at least decades, often centuries, of experience ahead of any other manufacture.
The brand, which is best known for its Fifty Fathoms military diving watches and has been committed to marine conservation since the 1950s, is now part of the Swatch Group. And considering the brand's high reputation today, it's hard to believe that it had to briefly cease operations during the quartz crisis, only to get its movements up and running again in the early 1990s. So Blancpain's history has by no means been exclusively upward, but ultimately it has succeeded in getting the oldest of the Swiss watch manufactures back on track - lucky for any watch fan who wants luxury watches with that extra dose of tradition.
Zenith: The masters of precision
Once founded as the "Fabrique des Billodes," Zenith is now one of those brands that truly everyone who has ever been involved with luxury watches knows. The manufacturer of wristwatches is based in Le Locle and its brand name alludes to the highest point in the universe, Zenith.
If you talk about Zenith, you can't leave the El Primero unmentioned. This refers to the world's first automatic chronograph, which was developed by Zenith and boasts enormous accuracy. Incidentally, El Primero is also the movement that Rolex formerly relied on for the Daytona collection.
Breitling: The watches of aviation
Breitling offers customers a wide range of watches with sporty design and sophisticated functionality. The Swiss brand, which has been around since 1884, counts both quartz and automatic watches and hand-wound timepieces among its product range and has produced, among others, the legendary Navitimer model with rotating bezel.
Breitling's focus has always been on pilot's watches, combining traditional quality features with modern technologies. Based in Grenchen in the canton of Solothurn, Breitling claims about 2.6% of the global market, according to Morgan Stanley's "State of the Industry - Swiss Watchmaking in 2022" report.
IWC: The engineers of time
IWC - the "International Watch Company" - is dedicated to precise timekeeping and pursues this mission from its headquarters in Schaffhausen. If you take a look at the collections of the Swiss watch brand, you will notice a great wealth of facets. IWC provides the die-hard watch fan with technically sophisticated diver's watches, reliable pilot's watches and elegant dress watches that cut an excellent figure with any outfit.
For IWC Schaffhausen, the company's history, which began in 1868, led through many a deep valley. At the end of the 19th century, the company had to file for bankruptcy twice, but the combination of effort and a stroke of luck or two meant that the brand was already back on the "up and up" again at the beginning of the 20th century. Lucky, because today we get to enjoy the high-quality models of this Swiss watch brand.
TAG Heuer: The Chronograph Champions
Founded in 1860, the TAG Heuer brand is now part of Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, making it part of an immensely valuable publicly traded corporation. However, TAG Heuer is known less for this prestigious affiliation than for the many innovations and pioneering achievements in the field of watchmaking that have been achieved by the company's gifted developers. For example, the first chronograph with hundredths of a second, the first quartz chronograph with analog display, and the first chronograph with world tide display and regatta dial all came from TAG Heuer's movements.
Even though these innovative launches date back several decades, TAG Heuer remains extremely forward-looking to this day, continually demonstrating the brand's willingness to adapt to new times. Accordingly, TAG Heuer was the first luxury watch brand to venture the release of its own smartwatch.
Famous Swiss watch models
Having talked in detail about the most famous Swiss watch brands, let's turn to some specific watch models that have taken the global watch market by storm starting from Switzerland:
Rolex Submariner
Originally introduced as a timepiece for professional divers, the Rolex Submariner quickly became a real crowd favorite and is probably worn mostly above the water surface today. Water resistant to a depth of 300 meters, the sporty triplock crown watch features a graduated bezel and luminescent indices, ensuring ideal readability even in suboptimal lighting conditions. Thanks to the straightforward look, which underlines the high functionality of the timepiece, the Rolex Submariner can be worn coherently not only with a diving suit, but also with a tuxedo.
Patek Philippe Calatrava
Timeless, classic and simple: the Patek Philippe Calatrava model, in its many different versions, is aimed at men and women who do not want to make any compromises when it comes to style. Filigree indices, a round case and discreetly designed dials lend these elegant watches an extremely appealing charm that expresses pure harmony. Whether very simple - in white or yellow gold with a cream dial - or wonderfully extravagant - in rose gold with a diamond-set bezel - the Calatrava from Patek Philippe always captivates with its unmistakably classic design that never goes out of fashion.
Omega Speedmaster
Conceived for space exploration, the Omega Speedmaster presents itself in a sporty, functional design that leaves no doubt about the craftsmanship behind this model. The different versions - from the Speedmaster '57 to the Professional Moonwatch to the Dark Side of the Moon models - optimally pick up every watch lover who is enthusiastic about functionally strong chronographs and accordingly register many fans all over the world.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak
Royal Oak collection is definitely one of the most popular collections of Audemars Piguet. The octagonal bezel of the special watches, with hexagonal screws, is considered the most characteristic feature of the Royal Oak timepieces and attracts all eyes. In the second moment, the eye is then drawn to the artistically designed dial with "tapestry" motif, before finally the hand-applied finishes catch the eye. In short, a Royal Oak is a feast for the eyes, with its many variations catering to a wide range of tastes.
Breguet Tradition GMT
Breguet's Tradition collection includes elegant-looking timepieces for men and women that are all about the history of this Swiss watch brand. The detailed timepieces are designed to create a link between the past stages of the company's history and the brand's vision of the future. The result is visually striking models with intricately skeletonized dials that impressively showcase the manufacturer's craftsmanship.
Breitling Top Time
Breitling's Top Time is a watch that has had fans of the brand raving since the 1960s. Optionally equipped with two or even three subdials, the Top Time has plenty of functions on board and immediately makes the viewer think of sporting feats and breathtaking top speeds. With a design inspired by famous racing cars, a Top Time takes its wearer directly to the race track, at least on an emotional level, and awakens the desire to experience fast-paced adventures.
Conclusion: The timeless elegance of Swiss watches
From Breitling to Rolex and Omega to Breguet, Blancpain and Patek Philippe, the Swiss watch world boasts more renowned brands than you can count in a hurry. The companies mentioned in our article represent only a fraction of the actual variety of Swiss watch brands, which, after all, include Vacheron Constantin, Jaeger LeCoultre and many more. So even though it is almost impossible to depict the wide range of watch brands from Switzerland in a single article, we hope we have succeeded in giving an insight into the great importance that Swiss watch brands have internationally. Because watches from Switzerland are preceded by the uniquely convincing reputation of being unsurpassed in terms of quality and precision - a reputation that the greats of the Swiss watchmaking scene more than live up to.