Watchmaking technologies and innovations have greatly improved over time, thanks to the commitment of watchmakers who make it their business to stretch boundaries and limitations of nature and come up with timepieces that not only tell time but can function in extreme conditions.
We all love functional watches and we get excited when we are describing their features, but more often than not the moment you mention that a watch is “Swiss made”, its value and level of respect accorded to it escalates and it can no longer be ignored.
But why are Swiss watch brands held with so much esteem? There are several reasons including the rich history of watchmaking, great craftsmanship, commitment of the Swiss watchmaking industry to produce high-quality watches, and last but not least, Swiss watches retain their value over time and rarely go out of fashion.
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What makes a watch “Swiss”?
According to the Federation of the Swiss watch industry, for a watch to attain the “Swiss-made” label, it must meet the following conditions:
- The technical development must take place in Switzerland.
- The movement must be cased up in Switzerland and inspected by a manufacturer in Switzerland.
- At least 60% of the production costs must be incurred in Switzerland.
- At least 50% of the value of the components (excluding assembly cost) must be manufactured in Switzerland.
- The manufacturer of the watch must conduct a final inspection in Switzerland.
In this article, we have selected ten Swiss watch brands which we will discuss. Let us get to it!
Patek Philippe
The company was founded in 1839 by Antoine Norbert de Patek and François Czapek. By then, it was known as Patek, Czapek & Cie. In 1932, two brothers, Jean and Charles Stern invested in the company, the company is up to date run and operated by the Stern family.
One key business leap for Patek Philippe occurred in 1851 when the company became the sole supplier of pocket watches to Tiffany & Co in Newyork. This partnership has endured the test of time and Tiffany & Co is still the only retailer in America of Patek Phillippe’s watches.
Patek Phillippe watches are some of the most sought-after luxury timepieces globally. One of the reasons for this is the exclusivity of the watches.
It is believed that in its over 180–year history, they have only produced about 1 million watches. This means the watchmaker invests time to carefully design, craft and assemble quality watches. In auctions, Patek Phillipe watches are known to fetch huge amounts to the tune of millions of dollars.
IWC Schaffhausen
In 1868, an American by the name of Florentine Ariosto Jones founded the International Watch Co in Schaffhausen, Eastern Switzerland. Florentine’s plan in watchmaking was to leverage the advanced production technology from America and the craftsmanship of Swiss watchmakers.
In 1885, IWC manufactured the first watches that had digital hours and minutes display – the pallweber system. IWC’s innovation journey continued and in 1936, the first “Special Pilot’s watch” was launched.
Some of IWC’s popular watches collections are the Pilots watches, Portugieser, Portofino, Da Vinci, Aquatimer and Ingenieur.
Rolex
In 1905, a young entrepreneur, Hans Wilsdorf founded a company that would later be called Rolex.
In 1908, Hans came up with the name “Rolex” which fitted into his preferences for a brand name that was “short, easy to say and remember in any language, and one that would look good on watch movements and dials.” In 1919, Rolex relocated from London to Geneva and was registered in Geneva in 1920.
Some of the most popular watches and milestones by Rolex include the Oyster which was developed in 1926 and was also the first waterproof and dustproof wristwatch. The watch was put to test in 1927 when a swimmer by the name of Mercedes Gleitze wore the watch while swimming across the English Channel.
In 1953, the Oyster Perpetual Explorer was launched as a celebration after Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay summited Mt Everest equipped with Oyster Perpetual. The same year the Submariner which was the first divers’ watch was launched.
In 1956, in the quest to meet the demands of the scientific community the Oyster Perpetual Milgauss which could withstand magnetic fields was developed. In 1967, the Oyster Perpetual Sea-Dweller which was waterproof to a depth of 610 was developed to meet the demands of professional deep sea divers.
Popular Rolex watch collections include the Datejust, Explorer, GMT-Master II, Oyster Perpetual, Sea-dweller, Sky-dweller, Submariner and Yatch-Master.
Omega
In 1848, a young watchmaker by the name of Louis Brandt opened a small workshop in a small Swiss village. The workshop then became a company that would later come to be known as Omega.
Brandt was keen on developing accurate watches and soon his reputation for making high-quality watches was anchored in Switzerland and later throughout Europe.
Brandt died in 1879 and the watch-making family business was taken over by his two sons; Louis Paul and Ceaser. In 1894, the brothers changed the name of the company to Omega Watch Co. The change came after attaining a great achievement in the watch movement that set new standards in watchmaking.
Omega has established itself as a worldwide brand and has achieved many milestones over the decades. Some of these include being chosen as the first watchmaker to time Olympic Games in 1932 in Los Angeles. In the same year, Omega introduced the world’s first commercially available watches for divers which became an instant success.
In 1940, Omega became the commissioned supplier of watches to the British armed forces, an assignment which challenged them to fasten their watchmaking techniques in water resistance, shockproof and anti-magnetism.
In 1948, the Seamaster was developed. The Seamaster was made to withstand any attitude be it above the skies or below the oceans. Omega watches would later explore various frontiers including manned missions in space, the Russian space station, and the Antarctic.
In 1995, its popularity increased with the launch of James Bond films where the Omega’s Seamaster was part of the spy’s exquisite style. The Seamaster has been featured in James Bond films ever since.
Omega’s watch collection features the Constellation, Sea Master Aqua Terra 150M, Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional, and Seamaster Planet Ocean.
Zenith
Zenith was founded in 1865 by a young entrepreneur by the name of George Farve-Jacot in Le Locle, Switzerland. Farve-Jacot introduced the concept of “in-house movements”- watch movement developed and manufactured by the brand itself as opposed to being outsourced from other companies.
Farve-Jacot believed that to perfect the watchmaking skill, there was a need to have control over the entire watchmaking process.
At the beginning of the 20th century, in the year 1900, Zenith was honoured with an award at the Paris Universal Exhibition for their “Zenith movement” innovation.
Over the first half of the 20th century, Zenith would go on to become a leader in precision watches and other measurement instruments. This reputation made the Zenith the supplier of choice to public institutions, banks, insurance and the military.
In 1943, a Zenith pocket watch would find its way to the hands of Mahatma Gandhi as a gift from Jawaharlal Nehru, former India’s Prime Minister. It is said that the pocket watch became a companion to Gandhi signalling his prayer times as it had an alarm function.
In the 1950s, Zenith produced a legendary chronometer calibre that would triumph over others and set new standards for precision. Zenith boasts of collections such as Defy, Pilot, Chronomaster, and Elite.
Longines
In 1832, within the Swiss village of St Imier, Auguste Agassiz and his fellow watchmakers founded a workshop. In 1852, Agassiz brought his nephew on board, Ernest Francillon who would become instrumental in building the watch brand.
Ernest transformed the workshop into a factory in 1867 where he has talented artisans and machines working together in manufacturing watches. Longines became one of the first Swiss watchmakers to mechanise the production of watches.
In 1878, Longines produced its first chronograph pocket watch, 20H calibre. In 1908, the brand introduced the first pocket watch that indicated two time zones which were used in modern-day Turkey to convert between Turkish time and western time.
Over time, Longines has been at the forefront of various sports timekeeping including Equestrian sports, Alpine skiing, rallies, cycling races, formula 1 and the Commonwealth games.
Tudor
In 1926, a watchmaker and dealer at the house of “Veuve de Philippe Hüther”, registered a trademark “The Tudor” for Hans Wilsdorf, the Rolex founder.
Yes, you heard that right! Tudor was founded by Hans who felt the need to create a brand whose prices would be modest compared to Rolex watches while at the same time maintaining the standard of quality which Rolex watches had.
In 1946, in the quest to expand and give the brand its own identity, a company by the name Montres Tudor S.A. was created which would specialize in creating watches for both men and women. Rolex would still oversee the technical, distribution, after-sale services, and aesthetic characteristics.
Tudor’s watch family consists of collections such as the Black Bay series, Ranger, Pelagos and Heritage Chrono.
Breitling
Founded in 1884 by Léon Breitling, who opened his first workshop at Place Neuve 1, Saint-Imier. In 1892, Leon transformed his workshop into a factory and moved its operations to La Chaux-de-Fonds, the watchmaking capital of Switzerland.
In 1893, Breitling patented a movement that had a power reserve of eight days. In the same year, he created a pulse graph that could monitor patients’ pulses, an invention that became popular among doctors.
Breitling went further and created a chronograph with top not accuracy and within a decade, the company had sold more than 100,000 chronographs and stopwatches.
Breitling watch collections include Navitimer, Chronomat, Superocean Heritage, Avenger and Classic Avi.
Chopard
The company was founded in 1860 by Louis-Ulysse Chopard, a Swiss watchmaker in the Swiss Jura region. He set up a watchmaking factory in Sonvilier, Switzerland, which specialized in making pocket watches and chronometers.
In 1976, the company introduced the Happy Diamond collection with an innovative twist whereby floating diamonds would move freely between two sapphire crystals. This became one of the company’s most successful products.
Some of Chopward’s noteworthy watch collections include the Happy Sport, Alpine Eagle, L.U.C, Happy Diamonds, Mille Miglia, and L’heure du Diamant.
Conclusion
There you have it! A list of ten Swiss watch brands you can choose from the next time you want to reward yourself or gift someone a watch.