# Top swiss watches brands



## limcolin (Jan 27, 2007)

Hello all,
Can anyone of you help to list what is the top swiss brands watches?
I know ROLEX, OMEGA, TAG... are good brands, but is CYMA, EDOX, EBEL, TITAN,TITONI all consider top brands?


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## Watchbreath (Feb 12, 2006)

Ebel is mid range and considered more of a fashion watch on watch forums, but not with me.


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## Guest (Aug 6, 2007)

limcolin said:


> Hello all,
> Can anyone of you help to list what is the top swiss brands watches?
> I know ROLEX, OMEGA, TAG... are good brands, but is CYMA, EDOX, EBEL, TITAN,TITONI all consider top brands?


Rolex, Omega, TAG yes; Cyma, Edox, Ebel, Titan (I don´t know), Titoni are not imho.

But top are IWC, JLC, Zenith, Breitling, Bedat, Ulysee Nardin to name some other brands.


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## tribe125 (Mar 7, 2006)

A while ago, I looked at various watch forums and at the regular 'top ten' lists. I think I found about thirty lists in an hour. I then combined all the lists into one. I can't remember why I did this - I must have been bored... 

Anyway, here's the list (not all Swiss, obviously):

1. Patek Phillippe
2. Jaeger-LeCoultre
3. A Lange & Sohne, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin, Breguet
7. IWC
8. Blancpain
9. Rolex
10. Glasshutte Original
11. Girard-Perregaux
12. Omega
13. Zenith
14. Ulysse Nardin
15. FP Journe


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## dibetu (Feb 12, 2006)

It is very difficult to define what top is.
Is top just because they spend millions in marketing and produce two watches of a series, all completly hand build for the very few, or is top a watch brand that produces close to a million watches with unrivalled quality controll and experience in mass production? 
Or is top the innovators that invent a revolutionary new part of a movement but don't realy get to build it in quantity until a certain mass producer buys it and uses it in all of their movements and products.
Or is top just a mechanical watch that is sealed to unlimited waterproofness but with no other innovations. 
The real tops in my opinion today are the small companies and there are thousands that supply the Swiss watch trade and that invent new and better products and things every day, which the big fish then bite on, buy and claim as their own! In todays globalised world of mass production and distinct hand made boutique products it is not clear anymore what is top and what is not. All claim to be top of their league but what league? 
Can you messure it in form of how long people are willing to be on a waitlist and wait for a hand made product, or is it just the price. 
I think top is a different thing to everyone; it can be fashion, technology, price, innovation or just bling bling.
To me top is value for money or get what you pay for and you would need to categorise the different companies to make it fair.
Sadly in today's world top is, who can spend the most on advertisement, bingo.


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## watch-man7777 (Feb 17, 2007)

tribe125 said:


> A while ago, I looked at various watch forums and at the regular 'top ten' lists. I think I found about thirty lists in an hour. I then combined all the lists into one. I can't remember why I did this - I must have been bored...
> 
> Anyway, here's the list (not all Swiss, obviously):
> 
> ...


I personally would group #2 #3 and #8 into one group, I think they're all pretty equal. #13 should be somewhere in the middle and #12 should be one after Rolex. But it all depends on how you group them.


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## M4tt (Jan 18, 2007)

Fantastically put, and quite right...

However, and to my shame, all I could think was bingo = Rolex. 

This reminded me somehow of the (product placement) scene in the latest Bond movie in which the Bond girl sees Bond's watch and asks: "Rolex?" Bond flicks an eyebrow and murmers: "Omega". 

SO now in my head, the new version goes "bingo" ... "Omega".

I know it isn't funny but I cannot stop smirking!


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## lowbee (Jul 4, 2007)

*A more objective look*

See chart which is based on Avg MSRP


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## tribe125 (Mar 7, 2006)

watch-man7777 said:


> I personally would group #2 #3 and #8 into one group, I think they're all pretty equal. #13 should be somewhere in the middle and #12 should be one after Rolex. But it all depends on how you group them.


That would be reasonable. This list just represents what internet list-makers were saying on a particular day.

I remember now why I did this little bit of research. I wanted to see what I might buy if I had oodles of money. So I went through the websites of all the 'consensus top 15', and found there were only two watches I liked.

If I were to do something similar with the 'middle' brands, I know there would be dozens.

A pleasing discovery, considering my real-world purchasing power.


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## jk103 (Jan 2, 2007)

Watchbreath said:


> Ebel is mid range and considered more of a fashion watch on watch forums, but not with me.


I think you'll find that Ebel's reputation is slowly turning around. As you know they were once a well respected watch company that lost their way only to be making a great turn around!


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## Preston (Mar 2, 2006)

IWC was voted top choice for luxury watches in a poll from this year so I'd list that first. I sourced this info from International Watch magazine.
Peace,
Preston


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## Watchbreath (Feb 12, 2006)

:-d :-d :think: I wonder where this poll was taken; Schaffhausen!?


Preston said:


> IWC was voted top choice for luxury watches in a poll from this year so I'd list that first. I sourced this info from International Watch magazine.
> Peace,
> Preston


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## Preston (Mar 2, 2006)

I'll look it up again and get back to you on that.
Peace,
Preston


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## Daddel Virks (Feb 13, 2006)

Mickey Mouse, (only with the nodding head complication).

And the list goes on and on.......................

Cheers,

Daddel.


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## dibetu (Feb 12, 2006)

Top Swiss Watch brand in terms of sales numbers (Units Sold and Profit) is SWATCH! No other Swiss producer comes close. Without Swatch there would be no Blancpain, Breguet, Glashuette Original and many more that were given a new live with the money earned from the Swatch sales. One of the worlds most popular watch in terms of units sold: Approaching 400 million to date! This is an absolut top Swiss watch brand and not even Rolex can beat that, Swatch sells more watches per year than Rolex in a decade.... you know what I mean...


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## Watchbreath (Feb 12, 2006)

I know, I used to sell them.


jk103 said:


> I think you'll find that Ebel's reputation is slowly turning around. As you know they were once a well respected watch company that lost their way only to be making a great turn around!


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## dibetu (Feb 12, 2006)

Daddel Virks said:


> Mickey Mouse, (only with the nodding head complication).
> 
> And the list goes on and on.......................
> 
> ...


Totally agree.

I love all the Gerald Genta Mickey Mouse watches, they are so way cool.... They must be included in the top of Swiss Horology...


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## jk103 (Jan 2, 2007)

Watchbreath said:


> I know, I used to sell them.


Read enough of your posts to know you have experience with them. Just agreeing with you. Glad too see you still have good taste after selling watches for so long.


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## jk103 (Jan 2, 2007)

Daddel Virks said:


> Mickey Mouse, (only with the nodding head complication).
> 
> And the list goes on and on.......................
> 
> ...


Mickey Mouse always a considered classic. Like em too!


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## Preston (Mar 2, 2006)

It was a North American poll.
Peace,
Preston


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## tiulei44 (Mar 26, 2007)

How does Tudor rank?


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## Guest (Aug 14, 2007)

tiulei44 said:


> How does Tudor rank?


Not top, higher mid segment.


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## tomee (Jul 17, 2007)

how does Zeno rank compared to the other lower-mid end swiss made watches?


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## Guest (Aug 14, 2007)

I'd rate most Zeno to belong to the entry level of mechanical watches. And some are indeed lower mid-end. As they are judged to be lower mid end they are on par with other brands ranked the same way which sounds logical to me :think: 

Lower mid end is lower mid end because this ranking is generalizing. Better to compare a Zeno model "XY" to it's direct competitor let's say a Tissot model "XY" or Swiss Army model "XY". or..........


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## tomee (Jul 17, 2007)

thank you for the reply Mike


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## nytrokiss (Jun 28, 2007)

Why don't you just let google decide? www.google.com/trends shows that Moavdo watches are the most popular!


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## dknt88 (Feb 2, 2007)

Without getting into the whole "what constitutes a top brand" argument, there are a few different ways to answer a loaded question like this, but I'll take the haute horology/independent watchmakers road (and even throw in more well-known name brands and watchmakers that you may already know)&#8230;some of these guys are indy watchmakers with their own companies, while some of the names on this list are brand names, etc&#8230;but either way, these should be a good start...

NOT in any ranking order:

Vianney Halter, Vincent Calabrese, Bovet, Blu, F.P. Journe, Kiu Tai Yu, Armin Strom, Christiaan van der Klaauw, Speake-Marin, Svend Andersen, Antoine Preziuso, Christophe Claret, Daniel Roth, DeBethune, DeWitt, Jaquet Droz, Greubel Forsey, Kari Voutilainen, Philippe Dufour, Pierre Kunz, Parmigiani Fleurier, Richard Mille, Rodolphe, Urwerk, Felix Baumgartner, Urban Jurgensen & Sonner

A. Lange & Sohne, Girard Perregaux, Ulysse Nardin, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron, PP, Zenith, Glashutte Original, Franck Muller, Gerald Genta, Harry Winston, Roger Dubuis, Blancpain, Breguet, Chopard, JLC&#8230;

-Darin


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## HelloNasty1 (Jul 8, 2007)

DKNT88...I am a impressed!

Why is Panerai not listed on the majority of this thread? I am asking seriously, not because I think they are the best. Just want to hear some feedback on this one brand.


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## Chascomm (Feb 13, 2006)

stuffler said:


> ...Titan (I don´t know), ...


Titan is an Indian brand, not Swiss and therefore not relevant to this list.

They are however the top Indian watch brand; their Edge is the thinnest watch currently in production.


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## dknt88 (Feb 2, 2007)

Hellonasty1 said:


> DKNT88...I am a impressed!
> 
> Why is Panerai not listed on the majority of this thread? I am asking seriously, not because I think they are the best. Just want to hear some feedback on this one brand.


Hi Hellonasty1,

I can't speak for anyone else, but again, I believe "what makes a top brand" is somewhat subjective from certain perspectives. Obviously, there are some names that no one would argue about (Patek, for example), but others not so obvious...Regarding Panerai, my personal feeling is one of great affection. I really love them and I've owned a handful in the past like the PAM10, PAM91, and I've had 2 PAM24 Submersibles (probably my favorite of all of them since I'm into dive watches), but in the end I realized that I was more of a Rolex type of guy and sold the Panny's.

While I think Panerai produces very nice looking, all-around solid watches with great wrist presence and durability to match, I believe they are still growing in the technical skill and innovativeness areas of watchmaking...In a nutshell, most of their movements are still ETA-based with varying degrees of modification, but in recent years, Angelo Bonati has been working very aggressively to develop and produce in-house movements with the introduction of the P.2002, P.2003, P.2004, and the P.2005 with tourbillon escapement, and they're definitely not stopping there..(too much info to really go into it here so I'll stop)

On another note, I think Panerai has had some of the most effective marketing campaigns (note: Rolex still king though) with celebrity endorsements (paid or private purchase) from the early days of Stallone to more recently with Pierce Brosnan, Kiefer Sutherland, and even Bill Clinton (gift/private purchase), as well as with their recent collaboration with Ferrari.

Bottom line, while I am definitely NOT a Panerai expert (I'll defer to those more in the know), I still feel they're a relatively young company as far as technical merits go. They do, however, score high for brand recognition, marketing, and the ability to create legions of devoted fans to the brand.

From my experience, I feel many folks have a love/hate relationship with the brand and I don't think anyone's opinions are right or wrong..strictly personal preference IMHO...these are just mine ;-)

Hope this helps,

-Darin


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## Watchlover1957 (Aug 4, 2009)

*Romain Gauthier*

Hello,

I have just discovered the manufacture Romain Gauthier and I have been surprised by the quality of their watches. The finishes are fantastics.



















They have also done a little movie to present their company : http://montres-rg.com/en/company_video.php

It's interesting because they really show how they do things. I really recommend it.


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## ulackfocus (Oct 17, 2008)

I guess for this month we've decided to forsake "what watch compares to what car company" threads and go to another favorite repetitive subject! Hey, summer is the rerun season after all! HERE is one recent discussion.


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## kiwidj (Sep 24, 2007)

*^ Very nice pieces.* :-!

BTW, welcome to the forum.


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## ezcheese (Dec 5, 2008)

Come on guys, _everybody_ knows Invicta is _the_ top brand!


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## hpark21 (Oct 8, 2007)

*Re: A more objective look*



lowbee said:


> See chart which is based on Avg MSRP


MSRP is irrelevant.

Fair street value must be taken into account.

if you go by MSRP, Invicta will indeed come to Midrange brand which it isn't.


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## Guest (Aug 4, 2009)

Why are all now answering to a 2007 thread , just curious ?:think:


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## ezcheese (Dec 5, 2008)

Cuz Watchlover1957 bumped it. :rodekaart


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## JPwatchaddict (Aug 4, 2009)

*Re: Romain Gauthier*

I have been really impressed by the movie of the manufacture Romain Gauthier!
http://montres-rg.com/en/company_video.php

That's great to see that it still exists a watchmaker able to produce watches in a traditional way!










The finishes are beautiful, the level of quality make me think of the watches of Philippe Dufour.


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## gerrylb (Mar 5, 2008)

Here's an interesting read on the topic:http://www.timecafe.com/worth_a_watch.htm


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## shah (Aug 20, 2008)

stuffler said:


> Why are all now answering to a 2007 thread , just curious ?:think:


Maybe one can just write a simple PHP script - when a user hits the reply button, it alerts him that the latest reply is more than x days/months old, and if he still wishes to post a reply.

Sorry for being a bit OT here.


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## John MS (Mar 17, 2006)

ezcheese said:


> Come on guys, _everybody_ knows Invicta is _the_ top brand!


Once upon a time Invicta produced some interesting watches.


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## ezcheese (Dec 5, 2008)

shah said:


> Maybe one can just write a simple PHP script - when a user hits the reply button, it alerts him that the latest reply is more than x days/months old, and if he still wishes to post a reply.
> 
> Sorry for being a bit OT here.


The revival of this particular thread by Watchlover1957 looks like it was just to drive traffic to the vid posted. Same with JPwatchaddict.

Suddenly I'm hungry for some spam.


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## Guest (Aug 5, 2009)

Already under "investigation". We will find out !


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## Shamsheer (Jan 1, 2013)

Titan is an Indian brand.... for working class to middle class


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## John MS (Mar 17, 2006)

Shamsheer said:


> Titan is an Indian brand.... for working class to middle class


This thread died in 2007 and 2009. Is there a reason for reviving it by by stating the obvious?


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## Cathalibm (Aug 20, 2013)

*Re: A more objective look*



lowbee said:


> See chart which is based on Avg MSRP


Just looking at the above graph, Where does the Swiss brand Oris fit into the list. Thinking of getting 1. I will be the first proper watch that i will be wearing in around 15+ years.. Getting tired of using the mobile to check the time.


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## seanwontreturn (Aug 9, 2013)

*Re: A more objective look*

To me, top swiss are PP, Breguet, AP, VC, Blancpain, JLC and niche group (UN, JD, Piaget, PF, FM, RM)


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