Wristwatches are today considered very important accessories, but just over a century ago most men refused to wear them on the grounds that they were too feminine. After the military discovered their potential, things started changing, and the world of wristwatches was receiving a new incentive to create more and better wristwatches. Thanks to that perseverance, today wristwatches are the most important accessory for a man, whereas bracelets, rings or necklaces are not anymore. Some wristwatch logos today are like the Ferrari of watches; they are so precise, so well crafted, and so marvelously designed that people are willing to spend small fortunes on them.
The Swiss are particularly renowned for their watch-making, but that is also because they have the oldest history and tradition in manufacturing them. It is understandable then that people consider them to be jewelry if they have been made by a brand that has existed for many hundreds of years. That being said, there are a few wristwatch logos that far outrun everything else on the market, and the products they offer are perfection incarnate. In what follows we are going to look at some of these brands and see what makes them so special:
- Breguet – You cannot make a list of watchmakers without starting with a Swiss one; in fact, Breguet is indeed one of the oldest surviving brands. The luxury watches created by Breguet are an example of perfection and minutia, true time keepers that will not fail you. And if that wasn’t enough, the brand is also responsible with creating the first self-winding watch and some of the most important breakthroughs in watch manufacturing, the most notable one being the Tourbillon. The first Tourbillon watch was made for the Queen of Naples, and other important historical figures served by Breguet were: Louis Phillipe I, Napoleon Bonaparte, Louis XI, Queen Victoria, Victor Hugo and many others.
- Patek Phillipe – This watch brand is just as impressive as the one before it, and Patek Phillipe can pride itself in a rich tradition and history as well. One of the most notable things about them is the Calibre 89, a pocket watch which is considered the brand’s most complicated watch, allowing the user even to add an extra day for February in leap years. Among the customers of Patek we also find Queen Victoria and her consort Prince Albert, Hussein Kamal, Princess Louise of Denmark or Victor Emanuel III.
- Girard-Perregaux – While Patek Phillipe was the first watchmaker to create a wristwatch for Countess Koscowicz of Hungary, Girard-Perregaux was the first to mass-produce them for the naval army of Germany. Established in 1791, this brand continues to impress today with unique designs, technological innovations and attention to detail.
- Blancpain – At this point in our list of wristwatch logos, you may be wondering why Rolex was not mentioned yet. But when compared with these brands, Rolex almost manages to look cheap and mainstream; whereas it produces 2,000 watches a day, Blancpain only releases 10,000 a year. Each piece they manufacture is unique, and a pure representation of elegance, style and poise. Add to that the feeling of exclusiveness one feels when wearing a Blancpain wristwatch and you can see why the brand is so coveted.
- Vacheron Constantin – Our short list of brands ends here, although there are other mentionable ones as well. As for Vacheron Constantin, it too is one of the oldest Swiss brands. Today they impress by creating some of the most complicated watches, both from a design and a manufacture point of view. At their 250th anniversary, they released the Tour de l’Ille, a complication watch made from 834 parts and 16 horological complications.
Like we mentioned before, there are other important watch manufacturers as well, such as Rolex, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Tissot, Piaget, or Cartier, not counting newer brands which as just as performing. Our short list however comprises the most important and coveted ones, true luxury brands.
