Which is the best watch making company?

Swiss luxury watch and clock manufacturer

Patek Philippe SA (French: [pəˈtɛk fəˈlip]) is a Swiss luxury watch and clock manufacturer, located in the Canton of Geneva and the Vallée de Joux.[3] Established in 1839, it is named after two of its founders, Antoni Patek and Adrien Philippe. Since 1932, the company has been owned by the Stern family in Switzerland[4] and remains the last family-owned independent watch manufacturer in Geneva.[5] Patek Philippe is one of the oldest watch manufacturers in the world with an uninterrupted watchmaking history since its founding.[6][7][8] It designs and manufactures timepieces as well as movements, including some of the most complicated mechanical watches. The company maintains over 400 retail locations globally and over a dozen distribution centers across Asia, Europe, North America, and Oceania. In 2001, it opened the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva.[9][10][11]

Patek Philippe is widely considered to be one of the most prestigious watch manufacturers in the world.[12][13][14][15] As of July 2023, among the world's top ten most expensive watches ever sold at auctions, nine are Patek Philippe watches. In particular, Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A-010 currently holds the title of the most expensive watch (and wristwatch) ever sold at auction (US$31.19 million/31 million CHF), while Patek Philippe Henry Graves Supercomplication, the world's most complicated mechanical watch until 1989,[16] currently holds the title of the most expensive pocket watch ever sold at auction (US$24 million/23,237,000 CHF).[17]

History

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Early history

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The company traces its origins to the mid-19th century, when Polish watchmaker Antoni Patek and his Czech-born Polish business partner Franciszek Czapek formed Patek, Czapek & Cie in Geneva on 1 May 1839 and started manufacturing pocket watches.[18] The two eventually separated due to disagreements, and the company was liquidated on 18 April 1845.[19][20] At that point, Czapek founded Czapek & Cie on 1 May 1845 with a new partner, Juliusz Gruzewski.[21] Subsequently, Patek was joined by French watchmaker Adrien Philippe, the inventor of the keyless winding mechanism (although this had been discovered previously by Abraham Louis Breguet but not patented by him), and continued the watchmaking business with a new company, Patek & Cie, beginning on 15 May 1845.[20]

On 1 January 1851, the company's name was officially changed to Patek, Philippe & Cie.[18] In the same year, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom acquired a keyless pendant watch at the Great Exhibition in London.[18] The watch was embellished with rose-cut diamonds set in the pattern of a bouquet of flowers.[19] The Queen had another exclusive Patek Philippe timepiece, to be worn pinned to clothing. This watch was suspended from a diamond and enamel brooch.[22][23] In 1868, Patek Philippe created the first Swiss wristwatch for Countess Koscowicz of Hungary.[18]

The highly historic Patek Philippe known as “The Watchmaker’s Daughter”. It was first owned by the Patek Philippe founder, Adrien Philippe, and is the only wristwatch owned by one of the company’s founders. He later gifted it to his daughter on her wedding day in 1875. The current whereabouts of this watch is unknown, but rumored to have been purchased by the Patek Philippe Museum due to its historical importance and provenance.[a]

In 1875, Adrien Philippe commissioned a watch that he later gave to his daughter Louise as a wedding present, which is known as the only wristwatch dating back to be owned by either Patek or Philippe. This historical watch is known as “The Watchmaker’s Daughter” and was auctioned in 2023 by the descendants of Adrien Philippe. The watch was purchased most probably by the Patek Philippe Museum though this is not confirmed and may be owned by a private collector.[24] The wedding between Louise Philippe and Joseph Antoine Bénassy where the watch was presented is noted as the wedding that helped Patek Philippe survive the founding generation by providing the company with a successor to Antoni Patek.[25]

In March 1877, Antoni Patek died at the age of 65, but his only son, Léon Mecyslas Vincent Patek, did not join the business.[19][25] As a result, Joseph Antoine Bénassy-Philippe, one of Adrien Philippe's sons-in-law, succeeded to Antoni Patek's position.[25] In 1887, the cross of one of the four Military Orders of Spain, the Order of Calatrava, became the registered company logo of Patek Philippe as a sympathetic allusion to the still-extant order of Catholic knights that fought the Muslims in the Crusades.[26][27] In 1891, the 76-year-old Adrien Philippe handed over his position in the business to his youngest son, Joseph Emile Philippe, together with François Antoine Conty.[25][28] Adrien Philippe died in January 1894.[28]

Company restructuring

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1901 saw the transformation of Patek Philippe into a joint-stock company, Ancienne Manufacture d'horlogerie Patek, Philippe & Cie, Société Anonyme, initiated by J. A. Bénassy-Philippe and Joseph E. Philippe.[25][28][29] Still being run as a family business, Patek Philippe then had seven shareholders, five of whom formed the board of directors with J. A. Bénassy-Philippe being the chairman.[29] Joseph E. Philippe's son later joined the company, and he was the last offspring of the founders in the business.[25] In 1915, Albert Einstein ordered a gold pocket watch from Patek Philippe; in that year, he completed his Theory of General Relativity.[30][31]

The Stern family of Switzerland has owned Patek Philippe since 1932, when Charles Stern and Jean Stern acquired the company during the Great Depression.[4] The Stern brothers' company, Fabrique de Cadrans Sterns Frères, had been a business partner of Patek Philippe as its supplier of watch dials. In 1935, Patek Philippe was brought to American markets by New York-based Henri Stern Watch Agency, where it was sold as a sister brand alongside Universal Genève.[32]

In 1958, Henri Stern, the son of Charles Stern, became the president of Patek Philippe.[4][33] Alan Banbery, who previously designed Universal's "Compax" movements and worked as a horologist for London's Garrard & Co, would take on the position of Director of Sales in 1965 and later authored official reference books on vintage Patek Philippe pocket watches and chronographs.[34][35]

Recent developments

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In 1993, Philippe Stern, the son of Henry Stern, became the president of the company.[4][33] He initiated the publication of the twice-a-year Patek Philippe Magazine in 1996, which is reserved for the watch owners and has received contributions from various prominent writers including Nobel Laureates Gao Xingjian and José Saramago.[36] And in 2009, Philippe Stern's son, Thierry Stern, took over the reins from his father.[37] In 2010, the company produced 40,000 timepieces and, according to Thierry Stern, it produced 58,000 pieces in 2017.[38][39] In 2018, the number went up to 62,000, and in order to maintain quality and exclusivity, Patek Philippe would only slowly increase the number of timepieces produced each year (by 1-3 percent per year) but with a ceiling.[40][41] Currently, the company is an active member of the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH.[42]

Since the 2000s, Patek Philippe timepieces have repeatedly fetched high prices in auctions worldwide. As of 2023, among the world's top ten most expensive watches ever sold at auctions, nine are Patek Philippe watches. Among the top 58 most expensive watches sold at auction (over 2 million US dollars), 46 are Patek Philippe watches. A small part of the demand for auction pieces is driven by Patek Philippe themselves, as they are purchasing in the auction market to add to the collection of the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva.[43][44][45]

Motto and slogan

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One of Patek Philippe's company slogans is "You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation." The slogan was introduced when the company launched its "Generations" campaign in 1996.[46]

Watch manufacturing

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A pocket watch in the Patek Philippe collection of Tiffany & Co., an authorized retailer and close business partner of Patek Philippe[47][48] A Patek Philippe chronograph wristwatch

Patek Philippe manufactures its own watch components.[49] Like other Swiss manufacturers, the company produces mostly mechanical movements with automatic or manual winding mechanism, but has also been producing quartz watches.[50] In fact, Patek Philippe was one of the twenty Swiss watch companies that founded the Centre Electronique Horloger and collaboratively developed the first Swiss quartz movements, such as the Beta 21 movement (1969) which was used by several manufacturers in their watches.[51] In 1950s, the company even produced a prototype for a mechanical digital wristwatch, Ref. 3414.[52]

Patek Philippe popularized complications such as perpetual calendar, split-seconds hand, chronograph, and minute repeater in mechanical watches.[53][54][55] In 2009, the company announced that all of its future mechanical timepieces would be imprinted with the Patek Philippe Seal which requires a precision of -3/+2 seconds per day for diameters no less than 20 mm and -5/+4 seconds per day for diameters less than 20 mm, surpassing the highest industry standard of watch manufacturing and thus abandoning the Geneva Seal.[56][57][58]

In December 2018, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) released a report assigning environmental ratings for 15 major watch manufacturers and jewelers in Switzerland.[59][60] Patek Philippe was given the lowest environmental rating as "Latecomers/Non-transparent", suggesting the manufacturer has taken few actions addressing the impact of its manufacturing activities on the environment and climate change.[59][60]

Notable inventions and patents

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Patek Philippe has invented over 20 basic calibres and has received over 100 patents.[61] The following are some of the important contributions from Patek Philippe to the watchmaking industry.

Notable models

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Most expensive pieces

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A Patek Philippe pocket watch

Calatrava wristwatch

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In 1932, Patek Philippe launched the first Calatrava model Ref. 96, which was designed by English horologist David Penney who was influenced by the Bauhaus art movement in Germany.[18][84][85] Originally, the Stern brothers, soon after they acquired Patek Philippe in 1932, introduced the Calatrava to help the company pass through the Great Depression smoothly.[84][86]

The original Calatrava Ref. 96 was in production for more than 40 years, and its successor models include Ref. 2526, Ref. 3520, Ref. 5196 and so on.[85][87] Known for its simple and elegant design, the Calatrava wristwatch has been a flagship model of Patek Philippe since its introduction.[86][87] Notably, the Calatrava Cross has been company's logo since 1887.[26]

Patek Philippe 5131R-011 World Time wristwatch

World Time wristwatch

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Patek Philippe World Time (Heures Universelles) collection was introduced in 1939, with Ref.1415 being the first model.[88] The "World Time" complication is able to show the time for all 24 time zones on the same watch and was invented by Swiss watchmaker Louis Cottier in 1931.[88][89] Cottier's invention attracted several watchmaking companies, while Patek Philippe was the first company to introduce a series of World Time wristwatches after forging a partnership with Mr. Cottier.[90] The successors to Ref. 1415 include Ref. 2523, Ref. 5230, Ref. 5531 (with minute repeater), and so on.[88]

As of 2018, Patek Philippe World Time collection (Ref. 1415, Ref. 2523) holds 6 spots among the 58 world's most expensive watches sold at auction (over 2 million US dollars), with the world record being 4.027 million US dollars (6,603,500 CHF) made at Antiquorum's Geneva auction on April 13, 2002.[91][92]

Diagram of the Nautilus

Nautilus wristwatch

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In 1976, Patek Philippe introduced the Nautilus collection after deciding it was time to produce an exclusive sport watch with finishes of the highest quality.[93][94] The first model was Ref. 3700 and was made of steel.[95] It was designed by Swiss watchmaker Gérald Genta, who previously designed the Royal Oak collection for Audemars Piguet, and was released by Patek Philippe during the quartz crisis in the hope that it would help re-attract people's attention to high-end Swiss mechanical watches.[94]

The Nautilus collection played a key role in Patek Philippe's overall marketing strategy as it had to refresh the brand image while perpetuating tradition. The target was represented by dynamic business managers of the new generations.[96] The Nautilus wristwatch has become one of the most popular collections from Patek Philippe, and the Ref. 5711 & 5712 models, which the company introduced in 2006 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the collection, are among the most popular models.[94][97]

Perpetual calendar chronograph

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Patek Philippe perpetual calendar chronograph was introduced in 1941, with Ref. 1518 being the first model.[98] On November 12, 2016, a Ref. 1518 in steel became the most expensive wristwatch ever sold at auction (until October 2017), fetching a record-breaking US$11.14 million (11,002,000 CHF) in Geneva (through Phillips' auction house).[79]

As the successor, Ref. 2499 is widely considered to be one of the greatest watch models in the world.[98][99][100][101][102] Historically, only 349 pieces of Ref. 2499 were made from 1950 to 1985 - around 9 pieces each year.[98][99] Over the course of 35 years, four series of Ref. 2499 were introduced, exerting a strong influence on the watch designs of many other renowned watchmakers.[98] As of June 2019, Ref. 2499 holds eleven spots among the 59 world's most expensive watches sold at auction (over 2 million US dollars) and at least 18 pieces of Ref. 2499 have been auctioned for more than 1.5 million US dollars, with the world record being 3.880 million US dollars (3,915,000 CHF) made at Sotheby's Geneva auction on November 13, 2018.[103] The successors to Ref. 2499 include, in chronological order, Ref. 3970, Ref. 5970 and Ref. 5270.[98]

Sky Moon Tourbillon

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Patek Philippe Ref. 5002 Sky Moon Tourbillon

Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon wristwatch was introduced in 2001, with Ref. 5002 being the first model.[104][105] The wristwatch has two dials and contains 12 complications including tourbillon, minute repeater, sky chart, and moon phase & orbit. In 2013, the company introduced the second model of Sky Moon Tourbillon, Ref. 6002, also with 12 complications.[104] The new model took 7 years of research and development, while the engraving on each piece alone took more than 100 hours.[106][107]

Sky Moon Tourbillon was the most complicated wristwatch from Patek Philippe until 2014.[104][105] It is estimated that only 3 - 5 pieces are made each year, and the price for each piece is over US$1.2 million.[105] However, every purchase of the piece requires an application from the buyer and has to be approved by Patek Philippe President Thierry Stern.[106][107] On October 2, 2018, a Sky Moon Tourbillon 6002G was auctioned by Poly Auction in Hong Kong, fetching US$2.707 million (HKD 21,240,000), making it one of the most expensive watches ever sold in auction.[108]

150th anniversary edition

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In 1989, Patek Philippe created Calibre 89, then the most complicated mechanical watch ever made, for its 150th anniversary.[109] Calibre 89 holds 33 complications, including the date of Easter, time of sunrise, equation of time, sidereal time, and many other indicators. 1,728 unique parts allow sidereal time, a 2,800 star chart, and more.[110][111] In addition, Calibre 89 is able to add a day to February for leap years while leaving out the extra day for every 100 year interval.[112][113]

Only four pieces of Calibre 89 were ever manufactured by Patek Philippe, with one in white gold, one in yellow gold, one in rose gold, and one in platinum.[109][114] The yellow-gold and the white-gold Calibre 89 were sold at auctions by Antiquorum in 2009 and 2004, respectively, and both watches currently rank among the top ten most expensive watches ever sold at auction, with final prices over 5 million US dollars.[110][111][115][116]

175th anniversary edition

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In 2014, Patek Philippe introduced the Grandmaster Chime Ref. 5175, the most complicated wristwatch ever built by the manufacturer (with 20 complications, but no tourbillon), to celebrate its 175th anniversary.[73][117] Only seven pieces of Ref. 5175 were created, with one permanently residing in the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva. The sale price for each of the other six pieces was 2.5 million CHF (2.6 million US dollars).[73][118]

In 2016, Patek Philippe introduced the Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300, succeeding the Grandmaster Chime Ref. 5175.[119][120] Ref. 6300 also has 20 complications, including grande sonnerie, minute repeater, and alarm with time strike (but without tourbillon), with the sale price over 2.2 million US dollars.[120][121] The purchase of each piece requires an application from the buyer and has to be approved by Patek Philippe President Thierry Stern.[118]

See also

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Notes

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1. ^[24]

   Originally the watch was ordered and owned by the founder, Adrien Philippe. Adrien gifted the watch to his daughter, Louise, as a gift for her wedding to Joseph Antoine Bénassy in 1875, which is noted as the marriage that saved Patek Philippe. A successor was desperately needed at the time for the company to survive the founding generation. Joseph would replace Antoni Patek running the company in 1877 upon his death. It is one of a kind as the only wristwatch owned by one of the founders of Patek Philippe. The watch is the earliest ancestor of the Calatrava possessing the profile and size that would become the standard for future wristwatches being slim with a round case, which would be later implemented in Reference 96. The watch was passed down internally by the descendants of Adrien Philippe for 148 years. Auctioned at Sotheby's in 2023.

References

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Further reading

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There are a lot of watch brands in the world. A lot. And it’s not getting any less, with more popping out of the woodwork with each passing year, month and week. Still, when the smoke clears every once in a while you’ll notice the same watchmakers are nicely settled at the peak of the industry, the grand maisons that have cemented their position over generations.

It’s impossible to keep track of every release from every watchmaker out there, but these are the names every collector, big or small, should know – along with the key models worth investing in.

A.Lange & Sohne

They may have originally been founded way back in 1845, but the present-day legacy of A. Lange & Sohne is the revival of Glashutte; they are largely responsible for bringing Saxon watchmaking back into the world. Aside from that, they are also one of the most sought-after names in watch collecting, producing low numbers of truly beautiful timepieces.

Their signature model is the Lange 1 in its various guises (such as the Grand Lange 1) but they have plenty of off-kilter models too, like the intensely modern Zeitwork and stunning Lumen watches with their glow-in-the-dark sapphire dials. There’s a good reason A. Lange & Sohne is considered the pinnacle of German watchmaking – and a good reason they have price tags to match.

Audemars Piguet

The Royal Oak is really all you need to know about Audemars Piguet. Back in the 1970s, it was the first luxury sports watch, a big old chunk of steel that cost as much as most gold pieces at the time. It was a bold move that worked incredibly well. Almost too well in fact, as the modern AP is all but devoted to it. Even the recent Code 11.59 pieces, the brand’s first major follow-up to the Royal Oak, has been faltering – not because it’s not a cool watch, but because it’s just not the Royal Oak, or it’s more extreme sibling the Royal Oak Offshore.

Audemars Piguet does produce more classical pieces in the form of the Millenary and Jules Audamars collections – both of which hark back to the brand’s 1875 foundation – but talk to collectors and there will always be one watch on their lips.

Blancpain

If there’s one watch that’s had as great an impact on diving watches as the Rolex Submariner, it’s Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms. Developed for the French Navy, it’s one of the original diving watches and, in our opinion, the more handsome, with it’s curved bezel and distinct, militaristic look.

Recently Blancpain has been raiding their archives for Fifty Fathoms inspiration, bringing back some of the weirder and wackier versions from the past. The Villeret collection on the other hand is along the same lines as Swatch Group stablemate Bregeuet: purely classical, with plenty of ornate embellishment and complications. Blancpain straddles two very different types of watches and does both extremely well.

Breitling

The Breitling Navitimer was the original smartwatch, at least when it comes to pilots in the golden age of aviation. Its usefulness and style put Breitling on the map and it has been the watchmaker’s flagship model ever since. Recently though, Breitling has been changing and is still in flux, with a diverse portfolio of pieces ranging from reissues to Norton motorbikes tie-ins to the Emergency II (a transponder watch designed to be used in case of a Castaway, Tom Hanks kind of situation).

For me, the focus should always be the Navitimer, but their latest new collection, the Premier, is superb all the same. Time will tell where Breitling end up at this point, but it’ll be pretty damn interesting to find out.

Breguet

One of the most famous names in watchmaking, Abraham Louis Breguet is the man credited for building the first wristwatch, first tourbillon and a host of other horological innovations which were channelled into watches for Marie Antoinette, amongst others.

However, that was back in the late 1700s. The modern Breguet is a slightly different entity, having disappeared in the quartz crisis of the 1970s before being revived in 1999. It still retains its classicism though, and the watches produced in Vallée de Joux are some of the most beautiful in Switzerland, ranging from the simple, dressy Classique to the military-inspired Type XX and nautical, titanium-clad Marine. These are not entry-level pieces and it shows.

Bremont

Bremont has been leading the charge in British watchmaking across the world ever since brothers Nick & Giles English crashed their vintage plane in a French farmer’s field. That alone should give you some indication of what Bremont is all about. Their first watch, the MB1, was a chunky pilot’s timepiece that paid homage to Martin Baker ejector seats and to this day you can only get the red-barrelled version if you’ve actually used one.

The brand’s contemporary models maintain the same rugged, masculine aesthetic and their signature TripTick case encapsulate their tagline nicely: “tested beyond endurance”. They’re no longer as well-priced as once they were, making them ideal for picking up on the pre-owned market, but they’ll definitely stand the test of time – literally.

Cartier

They may have started life as a jeweller but today Cartier is as much a watchmaker as it is home of La Panthere. They are credited with the first pilot’s watch in the form of the Santos – a timepiece that has been given a refresh over the past year or so.

The Tank, a personal favourite of Ape, is an equally iconic piece, built back in 1917 with a rectangular silhouette inspired by its namesake military vehicle. For a more delicate shape, there’s also the Ballon Bleu with its lovely recessed crown and tactile case or the masculine Drive de Cartier with its classical motoring inspirations. No matter what grabs you, Cartier’s Parisian elegance is capped with their trademark sapphire cabochon.

Hublot

Big, bold and unashamedly ostentatious, you either love Hublot or loathe them. On the one hand they are undeniably impressive watches and, while that’s generally due to their dimensions, the materials and horology behind them are no less impactful. On the other hand, it takes a certain kind of hubris to pull them off.

Still, Hublot has had some great collaborations in recent years, including their faceted, arty pieces with Richard Orlinski and their ongoing partnership with Ferrari. The latter has made Hublot one of the few watchmakers to actually make some great car-inspired timepieces, first with the insane LaFerrari and more recently the Classic Fusion Ferrari GT. Don’t let their penchant for ridiculous names (Big Bang, King Gold, etc.) put you off investing.

IWC Schaffhausen

The International Watch Company (featured image, top) might not have the most inspired of names, but the Swiss-German horologist doesn’t need one; their aviation history speaks for itself. They were one of the watchmakers who pinned down the functional, tool aesthetic of a modern pilot’s watch – particularly with their legendary Mark XI, a grail timepiece for any military-leaning collector.

They’ve expanded since of course, with the classical Portugieser and Portofino, automotive-inspired Ingenieur and the aptly-named Aquatimer. Still, as the Big Pilot – with its pleasingly chunky, oversized crown – and the Spitfire Chronograph – the modern equivalent of the Mark XI – show, aviation is still very much the core of what IWC really stands for.

Jaeger-LeCoultre

One of the stalwarts of the Vallée de Joux, Jaeger-LeCoultre is most closely associated with the art deco icon that is the Reverso – the reversible watch developed for polo players that insisted on wearing their timepieces on the field. It’s still one of their most popular pieces, with “tribute” releases most years.

If you’re not a fan of rectangular watches (a lot of collectors aren’t) there’s always the Master Collection or, for women, the Rendez-Vous, both timeless options. At the higher end there’s the Hybris Mechanica, a collection of serious haute horology watches, including the extraordinary Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel.

Montblanc

Montblanc came relatively late to watchmaking but have done it the right way. Rather than simply outsourcing their horology, they decided to buy a ready-built manufacture – the late Minerva, one of the greatest chronograph producers in history. The result has been a string of incredibly well-priced, beautifully classical timepieces that often fly under the radar a little too much.

Sure the Summit Smartwatch might be a bit of a blip, but pieces like the 1858 Geosphere – one of the best ways to spend just over £5,000 – illustrate just what Montblanc can do. And hey, you can always match your watch with some nifty leatherwork. Or a pen. Or one of the countless other things Montblanc crafts alongside their watches.

Nomos Glashutte

There are a number of brands that play on the Bauhaus school of design, but none have paired it with fine watchmaking as successfully as Nomos Glashutte. Their “less is more” approach is obvious from the simple, typographic designs created at their Berlin-based studio, while their in-house Neomatik movements are made in the same horological haven as A. Lange & Sohne.

There are a couple of pieces that venture a little more outside of the strict tenets of Bauhaus, such as the Autobahn with its graphically-embellished dial, but for the most part the teachings of the Dessau School are alive and well at Nomos. They also happen to be phenomenally well-priced for what they are, great for a first-time buyer.

Omega

Omega would like to think of themselves as a contender to the Rolex crown, and they’re not too distant a second place. They are the flagship of Swatch Group and for good reason: the Seamaster 300m Professional is famous for being the Bond Watch, and (you may have heard once or twice) they were the first watch on the moon with the Speedmaster on Buzz Aldrin’s wrist.

Omega also has one of the finest movements in the industry with the Co-Axial – based off the work of the late, great British watchmaker George Daniels and utilising a silicon balance spring. Most recently they beat out Rolex’s record-breaking dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench in not just depth but time, too, as part of the Five Depths challenge.

Patek Philippe

The only watchmaker to make collectors weep as much as Rolex, Patek are arguably the most prestigious watch brand in the world. Founded in 1839, the watchmaker’s modern collection can be split pretty much down the middle, with their exquisite range of dress watches and high complications on one side and the 1970s steel Nautilus on the other, which has a waiting list every bit as daunting as that of a Daytona.

That list isn’t about to get any shorter either; as one of the last, independently-owned manufactures around, they’re in full control of their production and aren’t planning to up Nautilus numbers any time soon. Well, it’s not just their obvious quality that makes a Patek Philippe so sought after.

Parmigiani Fleurier

One of the youngest prestige watchmakers in Switzerland – and one of the few independent ones at that – Parmigiani was founded back in 1996 in the eponymous watchmaking haven of Fleurier. The man behind it, Michel Parmigiani is one of the most respected watch and clock restorers in the world, a classical background that comes to the fore in his diligent use of the golden ratio in his designs.

That said, there’s a distinctly contemporary side to the watchmaker too, particularly in their phenomenal collaborative timepieces with Bugatti. If there’s any watch that can really match a Chiron, it’s a Parmigiani. Throw in a few unusual dials on their Tonda pieces and the occasional Grecian column-inspired bezel and you have a watchmaker with far more horological heft than their age might suggest.

Rolex

If you’re reading this article you already know who Rolex are. They are the undisputed heavyweight champion of watchmaking, producing upwards of 800,00 watches a year. Some, like the Day Date, are classics but still relatively easy to get hold of. Others, like the Daytona Cosmograph or pretty much any of their steel sports watches, will have you waiting like a kid for Christmas unless you scour the preowned market.

If there’s one downside in what Rolex do it’s the lack of experimentation – they rarely bring out anything completely “new” – but given their reliability, cutting-edge materials and general horological confidence, that’s no problem. And there’s always the Paul Newman association, keeping vintage collectors frothing at the mouth.

Seiko/Grand Seiko

Japanese watchmaking is Seiko and Seiko is Japanese watchmaking. Founded in 1881, the creator of the quartz movement has constantly been producing great watches for a fraction of the price of Swiss manufacturers. At the bottom end you have things like the Presage and Prospex pieces, then you have Grand Seiko, essentially Japan’s Rolex and a collector’s darling.

Finally, you have Credor, who epitomise the image of a Japanese artisan in a little mountain workshop. Prices obviously vary wildly between the sub-brands – a few hundred to a few hundred thousand – but you’ll find value for money at every level.

Seiko are particularly proud of their proprietary Spring Drive movement, a hybrid of sorts that originally was restricted to Grand Seiko and is now being filtered into other collections. Throw in a few cool collaborations with Bape, Square Enix and plenty of Anime and there’s no watchmaker quite like Seiko.

TAG Heuer

The creators of the original racing watch, TAG Heuer is intimately linked to motor sports. There’s the legendary Carrera with its signature tachymeter, but also the Monaco made famous by Steve McQueen in Le Mans. Both are still core aspects of the brand, but perhaps the biggest recent strides TAG Heuer have made are in smartwatches. The Connected Modular is one of the coolest concepts in wearables, with the digital module able to be swapped out for a mechanical one, giving you both a smartwatch and serious, mechanical timepiece. Sure it’s gimmicky, but if smartwatches have to be a thing, they should be done this well.

Tudor

To call Tudor the little brother of Rolex is to do them a huge disservice. Granted there’s some truth in it – they’re the younger, more accessible brand after all – but Tudor is their own beast. Aside from a few models in the Glamour range, the focus is almost entirely on rugged sports pieces, from the flagship Black Bay to the North Flag, designed for polar explorers. Something, incidentally, Tudor has some expertise in – back in 1952, they went into the arctic with the British North Greenland expedition. Back up that heritage with some seriously good in-house movements and a surprisingly accessible price tag and the Rolex comparison just doesn’t cut it any more.

Vacheron Constantin

The oldest of the old school, Vacheron is the longest-running watchmaker in history, having never closed their doors since 1755. Understandably, Vacheron leans on their archive quite often, particularly in the reissue Historiques pieces. That said, there are also the sports-elegant Overseas and the surprisingly accessible Fifty-Six, neither exactly historical.

The Vacheron collection as a whole is rife with the kind of traditional complications you’d expect from a prestige watchmaker, with plenty of tourbillons and perpetual calendars under their signature Maltese cross. If you’re after a serious vintage piece however, Vacheron offers original, museum-quality options under the name “Les Collectionneurs”. Just don’t expect a deal.

Zenith

For decades, Zenith has been inextricably linked with the El Primero chronograph, and for good reason. As one of the most highly regarded movements ever built, it’s been in plenty of watches, not all of which bear the Zenith star. Still, the modern brand has gone beyond its signature sports chronographs and the cool, vintage Type-20 pilots pieces and is one of the few marques genuinely trying to innovate what a watch movement is. They’ve done so with the Defy Inventor and it’s unique balance, a single-piece oscillator that vibrates at an extraordinarily high frequency. For now, it’s only in the overtly contemporary Defy models but, if it catches on, could well be the company’s next incredible contribution to watchmaking.

In partnership with Watchfinder & Co. – words and opinion Ape’s own.