The most iconic watches of all time

The most iconic watches of all time include the Rolex Submariner (1953), Omega Speedmaster (1957, the Moonwatch), Rolex Daytona (1963), Audemars Piguet Royal Oak (1972), Patek Philippe Nautilus (1976), Cartier Tank (1917), Casio F-91W (1989) and Casio G-Shock (1983). Each changed what a watch could be, or became a symbol recognized around the world.

First wristwatch	Breguet for the Queen of Naples, 1810–1812
Most expensive ever sold	Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime, CHF 31M (2019)
Most expensive Rolex	Paul Newman's Daytona, $17.75M (2017)
Most produced model	Casio F-91W, about 100 million
Watch that went to the Moon	Omega Speedmaster, July 1969
Designer of two icons	Gérald Genta: Royal Oak and Nautilus

The most iconic watches of all time, in order

"Iconic" here means a watch that changed what a watch could be, or that so many people recognize it on sight that it became a symbol. The list runs from the first wristwatch to the smartwatch, and from a $20 Casio to $17 million Rolexes.

Year	Watch	Why it matters
1810–1812	Breguet No. 2639 · maker	Made for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, and one of the first documented wristwatches. Its whereabouts have been unknown since 1855.
1917	Cartier Tank · maker	Louis Cartier's rectangular watch, inspired by the shape of the Renault tanks of World War I. It defined the elegant dress watch. Cartier models and prices.
1931	Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso	Its case flips over to protect the glass, an idea that came from British army officers playing polo in India. The blank back became the perfect place for an engraving.
1932	Patek Philippe Calatrava · maker	Reference 96: a plain round case and a clean dial, influenced by the Bauhaus. Still the textbook dress watch.
1941	Patek Philippe 1518 · maker	The first perpetual calendar chronograph made in series. A steel one sold for $17.6 million in 2025.
1945	Rolex Datejust · maker	The first self-winding waterproof chronometer wristwatch to show the date in a window on the dial, launched on the then-new Jubilee bracelet.
1952	Breitling Navitimer	A pilot's chronograph with a slide-rule bezel for working out fuel, speed and distance. Breitling dates it to 1952; some sources say 1954.
1953	Rolex Submariner · maker	Not the first dive watch, but the one that set the template: rotating bezel, big luminous markers, 100 m water resistance. James Bond wore one in the early films.
1953	Rolex Explorer · maker	A tough, simple watch launched the year Everest was first climbed, and a symbol of adventure ever since.
1955	Rolex GMT-Master · maker	Made with Pan Am so pilots could read two time zones at once. Its red-and-blue "Pepsi" bezel became one of the most recognizable designs in watchmaking. How GMT watches work.
1956	Rolex Day-Date · maker	The first watch to spell out the day of the week in full, on the President bracelet. Worn by so many world leaders that it became known as "the President".
1957	Omega Speedmaster · maker	The racing chronograph that NASA chose in 1965 and Buzz Aldrin wore on the Moon in 1969. The full Moonwatch story.
1963	Rolex Cosmograph Daytona · maker	A racing chronograph that sold slowly for years, then became the most wanted Rolex of all. Paul Newman's own sold for $17.75 million.
1963	Seiko 5 · maker	An affordable automatic with five promised features, sold by the millions. For many people it was their first mechanical watch.
1969	Seiko Quartz-Astron · maker	The world's first quartz wristwatch, sold on Christmas Day 1969. It changed watchmaking forever and nearly ended the Swiss industry.
1969	TAG Heuer Monaco	A square automatic chronograph made famous by Steve McQueen in the 1971 film Le Mans.
1969	Zenith El Primero	One of the first automatic chronograph movements, beating at a fast 36,000 vibrations an hour. A worker hid the tools in the 1970s, which saved it.
1972	Audemars Piguet Royal Oak · maker	Gérald Genta's octagonal steel sports watch, priced higher than many gold watches. It invented the luxury sports watch. Royal Oak history and prices.
1972	Hamilton Pulsar	The first digital wristwatch, with red LED numbers that lit up at the press of a button. The gold version cost $2,100.
1976	Patek Philippe Nautilus · maker	Genta again: a steel sports watch for the most exclusive name in watchmaking. Today it is one of the hardest watches in the world to buy. Nautilus prices.
1983	Casio G-Shock	Engineer Kikuo Ibe wanted a watch that could survive a 10 m drop. The DW-5000C started a line of tough watches that has sold in the many millions.
1983	Swatch · maker	Cheap, plastic, colorful and Swiss. The "second watch" helped save the Swiss watch industry after the quartz crisis.
1986	Timex Ironman · maker	The digital sports watch built for triathletes, and for years one of the best-selling watches in America.
1989	Casio F-91W	About $20, a 7-year battery and an estimated 100 million made. Possibly the most-produced watch model ever.
2015	Apple Watch	Released April 24, 2015. Within a few years it outsold the entire Swiss watch industry by units.
2022	Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch · maker	A bioceramic Speedmaster lookalike for a few hundred dollars. Lines formed around the block on launch day. Every MoonSwatch edition.

If you only know ten

Rolex Submariner: the dive watch everyone copies.
Omega Speedmaster: the watch that went to the Moon.
Rolex Daytona: the collector's grail.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak: the first luxury steel sports watch.
Patek Philippe Nautilus: the hardest-to-get watch in the world.
Cartier Tank: a century of elegance.
Casio F-91W: the people's watch.
Casio G-Shock: indestructible.
Seiko Astron: the first quartz watch.
Apple Watch: the watch became a computer.

What iconic watches have in common

They were tools first. The Submariner was for divers, the GMT-Master for pilots, the Speedmaster and Daytona for racing drivers, the G-Shock for anyone who drops things. Design that comes from a real job tends to last.

They barely change. A Submariner or a Tank from 60 years ago looks almost the same as one in a shop today. Brands refine the movement and materials but protect the shape.

Famous wrists help. Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, Buzz Aldrin and James Bond sold more watches than any advert.

Designers matter. One man, Gérald Genta, drew both the Royal Oak and the Nautilus, and a long list of other icons.

Explore more

Watch basics

Questions people ask

What is the most iconic watch of all time?

There is no single answer, but the Rolex Submariner is the most widely copied design and the Omega Speedmaster has the best story: it went to the Moon in 1969. For sheer numbers, the Casio F-91W, with an estimated 100 million made, is the most worn.

What is the most popular watch brand?

Rolex is the best-known luxury watch brand in the world. By units, Apple sells more watches than any traditional watchmaker, and Casio is the biggest seller of classic digital watches.

What was the first wristwatch?

Breguet No. 2639, ordered in 1810 by Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, and completed in 1812, is one of the first documented wristwatches. Patek Philippe made the first Swiss wristwatch in 1868 for a Hungarian countess.

What is the oldest watch in the world?

"Watch 1505", a tiny pomander watch attributed to Peter Henlein of Nuremberg, is often called the oldest. Experts supported the 1505 date in 2014, but the Henlein attribution is disputed. See Peter Henlein.

Who designed the Royal Oak and the Nautilus?

Gérald Genta, the Swiss designer who also drew watches for Omega, IWC and Bulgari. He designed the Royal Oak (1972) and the Nautilus (1976).

Sources

Last updated October 18, 2026. Prices are auction hammer-plus-premium results or published list prices as reported by the sources below; retail prices change, so check an authorized dealer before buying. Brand and model names belong to their owners and are used here only to identify the watches; onlineclock.app is not affiliated with any watch brand. Found an error? Tell us.