Watch brands A to Z
70 major watch brands, A to Z, with the country and year each was founded and what it's known for. The oldest still operating is Blancpain (1735), and Vacheron Constantin (1755) has made watches continuously since its founding. Swiss brands dominate, but Japan, Germany and the US each have long histories too.
| Brand | Country | Founded | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Lange & Söhne | Germany | 1845 | Glashütte luxury; the Lange 1 with its big date |
| Apple | USA | 1976 | Apple Watch (2015), the world's best-selling watch |
| Audemars Piguet | Switzerland | 1875 | Royal Oak (1972), the first luxury steel sports watch |
| Baume & Mercier | Switzerland | 1830 | Classic dress watches |
| Bell & Ross | France | 1992 | Square, cockpit-instrument-style aviation watches |
| Blancpain | Switzerland | 1735 | Fifty Fathoms (1953), an early modern dive watch |
| Breguet | France / Switzerland | 1775 | Abraham-Louis Breguet's tourbillon and Breguet hands |
| Breitling | Switzerland | 1884 | Navitimer pilot's chronograph with slide rule |
| Bremont | United Kingdom | 2002 | British pilot and military watches |
| Bulova | USA | 1875 | Accutron tuning-fork watch (1960) |
| Bvlgari | Italy | 1884 | Octo Finissimo record-thin watches |
| Cartier | France | 1847 | Santos (1904) and Tank (1917), early wristwatch icons |
| Casio | Japan | 1946 | G-Shock (1983) and calculator watches |
| Certina | Switzerland | 1888 | DS (Double Security) shock-resistant watches |
| Chopard | Switzerland | 1860 | Happy Diamonds with floating stones |
| Christopher Ward | United Kingdom | 2004 | Online direct-to-buyer Swiss-made watches |
| Citizen | Japan | 1918 | Eco-Drive light-powered watches |
| Daniel Wellington | Sweden | 2011 | Minimalist fashion watches sold online |
| Doxa | Switzerland | 1889 | SUB dive watches with orange dials (1967) |
| Eterna | Switzerland | 1856 | KonTiki watches; ETA movements grew out of Eterna |
| F.P. Journe | Switzerland | 1999 | Independent watchmaker François-Paul Journe's chronometers |
| Fossil | USA | 1984 | Affordable fashion and hybrid smartwatches |
| Franck Muller | Switzerland | 1991 | Curved tonneau Cintrée Curvex cases |
| Frederique Constant | Switzerland | 1988 | Affordable in-house Swiss mechanical watches |
| Garmin | USA | 1989 | GPS sports and outdoor smartwatches |
| Girard-Perregaux | Switzerland | 1791 | Laureato and Three Gold Bridges tourbillon |
| Glashütte Original | Germany | 1994 | Saxon watchmaking; Senator and PanoMatic models |
| Grand Seiko | Japan | 1960 | Spring Drive and Zaratsu-polished cases |
| H. Moser & Cie. | Switzerland | 1828 | Fumé gradient dials and minimalist design |
| Hamilton | USA / Switzerland | 1892 | Khaki field watches, Ventura, first electric watch (1957) |
| Hublot | Switzerland | 1980 | Big Bang and gold-and-rubber fusion |
| IWC Schaffhausen | Switzerland | 1868 | Big Pilot and Portugieser |
| Jaeger-LeCoultre | Switzerland | 1833 | Reverso flip case (1931) and the Atmos clock |
| Jaquet Droz | Switzerland | 1738 | Automata and Grande Seconde dials |
| Junghans | Germany | 1861 | Max Bill Bauhaus watches and radio-controlled watches |
| Longines | Switzerland | 1832 | Winged-hourglass logo and aviation history |
| Luminox | USA | 1989 | Self-powered tritium illumination |
| Maurice Lacroix | Switzerland | 1975 | Aikon integrated-bracelet watches |
| MB&F | Switzerland | 2005 | Sculptural Horological Machines |
| Mido | Switzerland | 1918 | Multifort and Ocean Star |
| Montblanc | Germany / Switzerland | 1906 | Watches since 1997, Minerva chronographs |
| Movado | Switzerland / USA | 1881 | Museum Watch dial with a single dot |
| Nomos Glashütte | Germany | 1990 | Bauhaus-style Tangente with in-house movements |
| Omega | Switzerland | 1848 | Speedmaster Moonwatch and Olympic timing |
| Orient | Japan | 1950 | Affordable in-house automatics |
| Oris | Switzerland | 1904 | Mechanical-only Swiss watches; Aquis and Big Crown |
| Panerai | Italy | 1860 | Italian navy dive watches: Radiomir and Luminor |
| Patek Philippe | Switzerland | 1839 | Calatrava, Nautilus and record-setting auction watches |
| Piaget | Switzerland | 1874 | Ultra-thin movements and jewelry watches |
| Rado | Switzerland | 1917 | Scratch-resistant ceramic cases |
| Raymond Weil | Switzerland | 1976 | Family-owned Geneva brand with music-themed watches |
| Richard Mille | Switzerland | 2001 | Ultralight, high-tech materials |
| Rolex | Switzerland | 1905 | Submariner, Daytona, Datejust; founded in London as Wilsdorf & Davis |
| Seiko | Japan | 1881 | Astron, the first quartz wristwatch (1969) |
| Shinola | USA | 2011 | Watches assembled in Detroit |
| Sinn | Germany | 1961 | Tough pilot and tool watches |
| Suunto | Finland | 1936 | Outdoor and dive computers |
| Swatch | Switzerland | 1983 | Plastic quartz watch that helped save the Swiss industry |
| TAG Heuer | Switzerland | 1860 | Monaco, Carrera, and motorsport timing |
| Tiffany & Co. | USA | 1837 | Jewelry watches; famous Tiffany-signed Patek dials |
| Timex | USA | 1854 | Affordable watches; “takes a licking and keeps on ticking” |
| Tissot | Switzerland | 1853 | Affordable Swiss watches; PRX |
| Tudor | Switzerland | 1926 | Rolex's sister brand; Black Bay |
| Ulysse Nardin | Switzerland | 1846 | Marine chronometers and Freak |
| Urwerk | Switzerland | 1997 | Satellite wandering-hour displays |
| Vacheron Constantin | Switzerland | 1755 | Oldest watch manufacturer in continuous operation |
| Victorinox | Switzerland | 1884 | Swiss Army knife maker; watches since 1989 |
| Vostok | Russia | 1942 | Amphibia dive watches |
| Waltham | USA | 1850 | American mass-produced pocket watches |
| Zenith | Switzerland | 1865 | El Primero (1969), an early automatic chronograph |
"Founded" is the year the company or its predecessor began, which for some brands came before they made watches (Apple, Montblanc, Victorinox). Brands change hands; several belong to groups such as Swatch Group, Richemont and LVMH.
The oldest watch brands
- Blancpain (Switzerland, 1735)
- Jaquet Droz (Switzerland, 1738)
- Vacheron Constantin (Switzerland, 1755)
- Breguet (France / Switzerland, 1775)
- Girard-Perregaux (Switzerland, 1791)
Watch brands by country
- Finland: Suunto
- France: Bell & Ross, Breguet, Cartier
- Germany: A. Lange & Söhne, Glashütte Original, Junghans, Montblanc, Nomos Glashütte, Sinn
- Italy: Bvlgari, Panerai
- Japan: Casio, Citizen, Grand Seiko, Orient, Seiko
- Russia: Vostok
- Sweden: Daniel Wellington
- Switzerland: Audemars Piguet, Baume & Mercier, Blancpain, Breitling, Certina, Chopard, Doxa, Eterna, F.P. Journe, Franck Muller, Frederique Constant, Girard-Perregaux, H. Moser & Cie., Hublot, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Jaquet Droz, Longines, Maurice Lacroix, MB&F, Mido, Movado, Omega, Oris, Patek Philippe, Piaget, Rado, Raymond Weil, Richard Mille, Rolex, Swatch, TAG Heuer, Tissot, Tudor, Ulysse Nardin, Urwerk, Vacheron Constantin, Victorinox, Zenith
- USA: Apple, Bulova, Fossil, Garmin, Hamilton, Luminox, Shinola, Tiffany & Co., Timex, Waltham
- United Kingdom: Bremont, Christopher Ward
More: types of watches A to Z · the most iconic watches · famous watchmakers · watch inventions timeline
Questions people ask
What is the oldest watch brand?
Blancpain, founded in 1735, is usually named the oldest watch brand still operating; Vacheron Constantin (1755) is the oldest with continuous production.
Where are most luxury watches made?
Switzerland, mostly in the Jura arc and Geneva. Germany's Glashütte and Japan are the other major centers.
When was Rolex founded?
In 1905 in London, as Wilsdorf & Davis; the Rolex name was registered in 1908 and the company later moved to Geneva.
What is the best-selling watch brand?
By units, Apple has been the world's biggest watch seller by most industry estimates since the Apple Watch launched in 2015.
Sources
Last updated October 22, 2026. Found an error? Tell us.