Watch Brands

The actual relationships and who exactly is better than whom is highly debated among wristwatch aficionados. This table is intended only to show very broad, general groupings of brands based on what each of these brands are most known for and what the bulk of their product lines represent. Many brands have a few special higher-end collections and some have lower-end models.
 
 

High-End Luxury There are always superb options when money is no object.  Expect To Get: A particularly refined watch recognized only by people "in the know." Very exclusive in design and craftsmanship, produced in small numbers, available through only very specialized dealers. In short, these are the Rolls Royce class of timepieces.  Examples of Brands in this Range: Expect Retail Prices To Be: A Lange and Sohne, Audemars Piguet, Blancpain, Breguet, Franck Muller, IWC, JLC, Parmigiani, Patek Phillipe, Ulysse Nardin, Vacheron Constantin  starting at $5,000 for Steel models starting at $10,000 for Gold on a leather strap starting at $20,000 for Gold on a Gold bracelet with the sky as the limit. Some watches can exceed $2,000,000.  Design/Style: On The Outside: On The Inside: Either highly distinctive or ultra-conservative.  Very to extremely limited production. Partially to completely handcrafted.  Hand finished mechanical movements either developed and produced by the same company ('in-house') or bought from specialty movement houses and highly customized. Additional mechanical complications--from obvious ones like moon phases and power reserve indicators to very subtle ones like correctly handling all the obscure conditions of the Gregorian calendar.  As NEW watches: As USED watches: As VINTAGE watches: Sold mainly through very exclusive and high-end jewelry dealers. While some modest discounts are customary, larger discounts are rare. Some of these are available through gray market dealers. But on such exclusive and expensive products, it is not usually a good idea to buy through unauthorized sources.  Because of high new watch prices and limited production, used models are in notable demand and still command quite decent prices.  Always collectible, always valuable.  Summary: If you have the kind of money necessary to play in this field, then you likely do understand what the true merits and values of world-class luxury items have to offer. These are the products that impress those in the know, not the average Joe on the street. Exclusivity and extremes of refinement and jewelry value are king here.

Luxury The largest, most widely known class of luxury timepieces Expect To Get: An elegant, valuable, stylish and prestigious watch that will serve you well for a long time. Of quality and durability that the watch can be passed down to your children. If maintained in good condition, can be resold whether it is 6 months or 30 years old.  Examples of Brands in this Range: Expect Retail Prices To Be: Breitling, Cartier, Ebel, Omega, Rolex, Panerai $1,000-$4,000 for Steel models $2,500-$8,000 for Gold on a leather strap $5,000-$20,000 for Gold on a Gold bracelet Only modest discounts available through most brand-authorized dealers. Moderate discounts available from unauthorized "gray market" dealers.  Design/Style: On The Outside: On The Inside: Trend-setting styles that range from traditional to highly original. Each brand usually has at least one or two very distinctive styles.  Cases and bracelets mass-produced, but with the superlative fit and finish of fine jewelry. Surgical grade steel. Solid gold of 18 karat or sometimes 14 karat. Highly scratch-resistant sapphire crystals.  High-end movements mass produced by the brand, or by a different company and then often customized by the brand. Dominantly very high-grade quartz and chronometer-grade mechanical. Digital quartz not seen at this level except for a few very specialized aerospace watches.  As NEW watches: As USED watches: As VINTAGE watches: Sold officially mainly through dealers of higher-end jewelry. Though several forms of unauthorized resellers exist. Discounts through authorized dealers are restricted by the manufacturers to avoid cheapening the brand image.  Superb market. Watches in this class are well sought after, but their high initial pricing encourages many buyers to seek used ones to better suit their budgets.  Superb market. Watches in this class can last for many decades and are readily available through many reputable used watch dealers.  Summary: This is the main tier of true luxury watches. Overall, these can be a good value because manufacturers at this level are not skimping to offer 'luxury' products at more moderate prices--yet they mostly do not go to outrageous excess in details without regard to cost of the highest-end brands. Better durability and modest depreciation rates make the long-term cost of ownership of these watches quite reasonable. Used watches in this tier can be an outstanding value.

Pseudo Luxury Watches When you want a better luxury watch, but don't want to spend so much  Expect To Get: An elegant and stylish watch that will serve you well for a moderate number of years.  Examples of Brands in this Range: Expect Retail Prices To Be: Baume & Mercier, Raymond Weil, Tag Heuer  $500-$2,000 for Steel models $750-$4,000 for Gold models Moderate to heavy discounts available through various dealers.  Design/Style: On The Outside: On The Inside: More trend following than trend leading.  Mass-produced with adequate fit and finish. Steel. Filled or solid gold. Crystals may be mineral glass, acrylic or sometimes synthetic sapphire.  High-volume mass-production. Mostly analog quartz and non-chronometer grade mechanical. These brands tend to focus mostly on luxury-style exteriors equipped with very common, unexceptional watch movements.  As NEW watches: As USED watches: As VINTAGE watches: Sold as the 'better' brands in department stores and mall-type watch store chains. Sometimes sold as the 'low-end' brands in fine jewelry stores.  Limited market. Despite some of these being priced new close to brands in the true Luxury category, the heavier discounting when new, trendy styles that become dated and poorer long term durability depreciate their value rapidly.  Most of these brands cannot claim any meaningful vintage heritage, even though some are operating under names of bought out companies that were well reputed in earlier decades.  Summary: This is the transition tier--these watches are the high-end brands of the mass market stores, but the low-end brands at the finer jewelry stores. Overall, these can be the weaker value in luxury watches. They still have hefty prices, yet lack many of the better durability and long-term value benefits of the only slightly more expensive watches. Used watches from brands in the next tier up bought from reliable used watch dealers are usually a much better value.

Basic Luxury Watches When you want something finer than average  Expect To Get: An elegant and stylish watch that will serve you well for a number of years.  Examples of Brands in this Range: Expect Retail Prices To Be: Epos, Fortis, Movado, Oris  under $1,000 for Steel models under $2,000 for Gold models Moderate to heavy discounts available through various dealers.  Design/Style: On The Outside: On The Inside: Mostly classic or trend following, though some brands in this class depend on style uniqueness as their real value.  Mass-produced with adequate fit and finish. Steel. Plated or filled golds. Crystals are usually the scratchable but inexpensively replaced mineral glass or acrylic type.  High-volume mass-production. Mostly analog quartz and non-chronometer grade mechanical. However some offer very unique complications at modest prices relative to most of the luxury watch market.  As NEW watches: As USED watches: As VINTAGE watches: Sold in department stores and mall-type watch store chains, though some of these brands are unique enough that they only appear in watch specialty stores. Sometimes sold as the 'low-end' brands in fine jewelry stores.  Limited market, main point of resale for this class of watches is pawn shops.  Once these watches reach a 'vintage' age, their style, condition and values are seldom appealing enough to create any significant demand for them--except for those in virtually unused condition.  Summary: This is the first tier of 'luxury' caliber watches. While there is a broad range, many brands at this level are excellent values as they are not trying to be more than they are. Some concentrate more on 'fashion' watches, others focus on affordable yet horologically sound products. The more modest prices make these a less risky purchase--you haven't invested so much that long-term value is of such concern.