hello everyone.
This time, I would like to introduce the world's top 5 luxury watch brands and talk about their history.
You may be wondering, "What is the definition of the world's top five luxury watch brands?" The truth is that the criteria cannot be defined by any particular reason such as the depth of history, technical ability, or market share.
There are many different definitions out there, but these are the five major brands that are generally recognized by the public, so we hope you will understand and read to the end.
This content is also available in the video below, so please take a look!
What are the top five watch brands?
♦PATEK PHILIPPE
♦AUDEMARS PIGUET
♦VACHERON CONSTANTIN
♦BREGUET
♦A.LANGE＆SOHNE
These are the top 5 brands.
Many of you may be wondering, "What about ROLEX?" But "ROLEX" does not fit.
Now, let's talk about each brand, including its history.
❶PATEK PHILIPPE
In 1839, Antoni Patek and František Czapek started a business together. The company was founded under the name Patek Czapek & Cie. Until around 1850, they produced watches related to Polish history and culture, exclusively on a custom-made basis.
Later, Jean-Adrien Philippe joined the company. He invented the crown winding and time setting mechanism, and the company changed its name to Patek & Cie. In 1851, Patek & Cie was renamed Patek & Philippe Cie.
They advertise their ``permanent repair'' service, which allows them to repair even the most old watches, and have established a brand image of ``lifetime products.''
Currently, it is not uncommon for winning bids of over a billion yen at global auctions, making this a brand that stands out among the top five brands.
This time, I am writing a column about the world's top 5 watches, but there is also a category called the world's top 3 watches, and it reigns as one of the top 3 watches in the world along with Audemars Piguet and Vacheron Constantin. It is also called the "top watch" because it is a cut above them all.
Click here for a list of Patek Philippe products
Click here for the owner's "Taichi Abe's Patek Theory"
❷AUDEMARS PIGUET
Audemars Piguet is the only brand that has never been run by the founding family and has never ceased to exist. It was founded in 1875 as a movement manufacturing company by Jules-Louis Audemars and Edouard-Auguste Piguet. After that, they started producing their own brand of watches with complex mechanisms such as tourbillons and moon phases, and their recognition spread.
The company's representative model, the Royal Oak, is said to be derived from the tree where Prince Charles (Charles II) is said to have hidden and evaded his pursuers during the battles of the English Puritan Revolution, and from the battleship HMS Royal Oak, which was named after this tree.
Its most distinctive feature is the octagonal bezel and case, making it a model that can be instantly recognised as a Royal Oak.
This brand is also listed as one of the three greatest watch brands in the world, along with Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin.
Click here for a list of Audemars Piguet products
❸VACHERON CONSTANTIN
Founded in 1755 by Jean-Marc Vacheron, Vacheron Constantin (also spelled Vacheron Constantin) is said to be the oldest watch manufacturer in the world (Blancpain was temporarily closed in the 1970s).
In 1819, the current Vacheron Constantin was founded by Jacques-Barthélémi Vacheron, the grandson of Jean-Marc Vacheron, and François Constantin, who was skilled in business management. Jacques Barthélémi, who was skilled in making complicated watches such as minute repeaters, demonstrated his rare talent and built the foundation of the current Vacheron Constantin.
Said to be the oldest in the world, it has a history stretching back more than 250 years, and has received orders from such prestigious clients as Queen Maria of Romania and Prince Napoleon.
The brand's approach to watches is extremely passionate, with each model taking more than five years to create.
Click here for a list of Vacheron Constantin products
❹BREGUET
Breguet was founded in Paris in 1775 by Abraham-Louis Breguet.
Abraham-Louis Breguet is said to have been a genius who accelerated the history of watches by 200 years. He created various innovative technologies such as the perpetual calendar, tourbillon, and minute repeater, and had a great influence on other watchmakers. Many of the technologies he invented are still used today. Furthermore, in terms of decoration, there are many things that are taken for granted in modern watches, such as guilloche dials, Breguet hands, and Breguet numerals. It is said that he invented or improved 70% of the mechanisms of modern watches.
Clients at the time included the French royal family, Queen Victoria of England, Napoleon Bonaparte, Turkish Emperor Selim III, Marie Antoinette, and the first President of the United States, George Washington, as well as other royals and aristocrats from around the world.
In 1970, Chaumet bought the trademark and revived it, but after many twists and turns, it is now under the umbrella of the Swatch Group and has been revived as a luxury watch brand.
Click here for a list of Breguet products
❺A. LANGE ＆ SOHNE
In 1845, Ferdinand Adolph Lange (FA Lange) was founded with a loan from the Kingdom of Saxony.
FA Lange began his career as a watchmaker by apprenticing to Johann Friedrich Gutkes, a famous watchmaker who later became the court watchmaker. Later, when FA Lange's sons Richard Lange and Friedrich Emil Lange joined the company, the name was changed to A. Lange & Söhne Dresden.
After that, due to the effects of World War II and other factors, the company went through many twists and turns, but has now been revived under the umbrella of the Richemont Group.
The watches made by Lange are highly regarded for the beauty of their processing using German silver. Their watches, which have a noble image and a sense of beauty, are so highly regarded that they are even compared to Patek Philippe, which is considered a high-class watch.
Click here for a list of [A. Lange & Söhne] products
summary
Today we have introduced the world's top five clocks while also touching on a bit of history. What did you think?
I think your perspective on luxury watches will change depending on your knowledge of the brand's relationships with famous people and its background.
Of course, there are other great luxury watch brands out there besides the ones mentioned here. Luxury watches are not cheap purchases. Make sure you choose one that you won't regret.
Lastly, I have previously written a column titled "A thorough explanation of the appeal of the world's three greatest clocks! What is the secret behind their popularity?" If you are interested, please read this as well.