Van Cleef & Arpels
Founded in: 1906 | Price Range: $7,800-$448,000 | Made in: France
Van Cleef & Arpels’s Alhambra motif has been a coveted status symbol since its invention in 1968. This watch is the best of both worlds: an elegant timepiece and stunning piece of jewelry, all in one.
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Jaeger-LeCoultre
Founded in: 1833 | Price Range: $4,800-$100,000 | Made in: Switzerland
Established in 1833 in the Swiss Jura Mountains, Jaeger-LeCoultre is known for its clever designs. One of its most notable—and coveted—styles, the Reverso, features a face that flips over to protect itself within the watch casing.
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Audemars Piguet
Founded in: 1875 | Price Range: $25,000-$300,000 | Made in: Switzerland
Founded by childhood friends Jules-Louis Audemars and Edward-Auguste Piguet in 1875, Audemars Piguet is perhaps most famous for its Royal Oak collection, which since its debut in 1972, has become an obligatory status symbol for every A-lister from hip hop legends to elite athletes. Now it has some competition: In 2019, the brand released a new collection, Code 11.59.
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Frédérique Constant
Founded in: 1875 | Price Range: $750-$18,995 | Made in: Switzerland
Founded in 1988 by Dutch couple Peter Stas and Aletta Stas-Bax, Frédérique Constant’s mission statement is to craft fine luxury watches using Swiss techniques but sold at a relatively accessible price point.
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Piaget
Founded in: 1874 | Price Range: $5,050-$88,000 | Made in: Switzerland
Georges-Édouard Piaget set up his first workshop on his family farm in the village of La Côte-aux-Fées in the Swiss mountains in 1874, launching the brand that is now famous for offering the thinnest automatic watch in the world.
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Cartier
Founded in: 1847 | Price Range: $2,560-$258,000 | Made in: France
Louis-François Cartier founded the jewelry brand in Paris in 1847. Seventy years later, his grandson Louis Cartier invented the famous Tank Watch, which was modeled after a military tank. Several iconic watch models have followed since, including this Baignoire Allongée.
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Harry Winston
Founded in: 1847 | Price Range: $2,560-$258,000 | Made in: France
Jeweler Harry Winston is relatively new to the watch game compared to other longer established brands out of Europe. Nevertheless, the same spirit of innovation that drives the brand’s fantastical gems also applies to its timepieces. Take this avant-garde creation, the latest to join the Project Z collection—only 300 of them were made.
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Blancpain
Founded in: 1735 | Price Range: $9,000-$30,000 | Made in: Switzerland
Founded in 1735, Blancpain enjoys the esteemed distinction of being the oldest watch brand in the world. In the 1950s, it introduced the Fifty Fathoms diving watches, which were crafted in collaboration with the French Navy’s combat swimmers and soon became the standard issue of the US Navy SEALs.
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Longines
Founded in: 1832 | Price Range: $800-$12,000 | Made in: Switzerland
Longines was founded in 1832 by Auguste Agassiz and two partners in Saint-Imier, Switzerland, where the company is still headquartered. Its iconic winged hourglass logo is the oldest logo of its kind still being used in its original form.
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Zenith
Founded in: 1865 | Price Range: $6,000-$145,200 | Made in: Switzerland
Georges Favre-Jacot was just 22 when he founded his eponymous watch company in 1865, eventually renaming it Zenith. In the century and half since, the brand has amassed a number of high profile wearers, including Mahatma Gandhi.
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Tudor
Founded in: 1926 | Price Range: $1,750-$7,425 | Made in: Switzerland
If you think Tudor watches look like Rolexes, you’re not seeing things: the brand is a subsidiary of the luxury watch giant and its timepieces are especially perfect for those who want the look and feel of a Rolex—without the high price tag.
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Omega
Founded in: 1848 | Price Range: $2,550-$725,000 | Made in: Switzerland
Founded in 1848, Omega holds the unparalleled title of being the first watch on the moon thanks to Buzz Aldrin, who wore the Speedmaster for his history-making feat. Today it may be most famous as the preferred timepiece of England’s deadliest weapon: James Bond.
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Rolex
Founded in: 1905 | Price Range: $5,800-$75,000 | Made in: Switzerland
Arguably the most well-known watch brand, Rolex has many firsts under its belt, among them the first-ever waterproof watch, appropriately called the Oyster, which was created in 1926.
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Patek Philippe
Founded in: 1839 | Price Range: $21,000-$485,000 | Made in: Switzerland
Patek Philippe consistently tops the list of best watch brands in the world and is a status symbol like no other. Founded in 1839, the Swiss company is the last family-owned independent watch manufacturer in Geneva.
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Vacheron Constantin
Founded in: 1755 | Price Range: $12,300-$131,000 | Made in: Switzerland
Vacheron Constantin is among the oldest luxury watch manufacturers in the world, founded in Geneva by Jean-Marc Vacheron in 1755. The watches, which are known for their extensive complications, have been worn on the wrists of famous figures like Napoleon Bonaparte and Harry Truman.
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Tag Heuer
Founded in: 1860 | Price Range: $1,400-$53,800 | Made in: Switzerland
“Techniques d’Avant Garde” is what the TAG in TAG Heuer has stood for since Edouard Heuer launched the Swiss brand in 1860. In 1962, John Glenn wore a Heuer stopwatch on the Mercury-Atlas 6 flight, giving the Swiss watchmaker the distinction of being the first in space. Now well-known for their sporty silhouettes, TAG Heuer has an illustrious list of celebrity ambassadors, both official and not, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Will Smith, Matt Damon, and Tom Brady.
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Panerai
Founded in: 1860 | Price Range: $4,700-$180,000 | Made in: Italy
Founded as Officine Panerai in Florence in 1860, this Italian watchmaker has become known for its bold, sporty cases. From its former role as the official supplier to the Royal Italian Navy to its partnership with Ferrari, Panerai’s timepieces guarantee the finest Italian craftsmanship.
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Hublot
Founded in: 1980 | Price Range: $5,800-$222,000 | Made in: Switzerland
The first luxury watch to tout a rubber strap, Hublot is also known for its bold cases. Fun fact: the brand’s name is French for “porthole”—it’s easy to see where the inspiration comes from.
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Breitling
Dania Lucero Ortiz is Town & Country’s Fashion and Accessories Director, where she writes about style and jewelry.
Cassandra Hogan is the Fashion Assistant at Town & Country where she handles all things fashion and jewelry for both print and digital.
Leena Kim is an editor at Town & Country, where she covers travel, jewelry, education, weddings, and culture.
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