Famous Watch Brands
With thousands of watch brands making excellent timepieces only a hand-full have reach the level of these famous watch brands. The most recognized brand in the world would have to be Swiss made Zodiac followed by other such top watch brands as Taghuer, Omega, Citizen, Fossil and Seiko. Each brand is unique in it’s offering but each serves as benchmark for all watchmakers to strive for in name recognition, the ability to shift trends in the watch industry and customer loyalty.
Zodiac
Unlike most watches, like a wine Zodiac will actually increase in value or at the least maintain it’s worth. Watches 20 years and older still sell in the thousands of dollars. Vintage Zodiac watches are as highly sought by collectors as contemporary versions. An innovator of the water-resistant watch, automatic-powered with the movement of the wrist, military watches and day and day/date calendar timepieces.
Omega
Omega while a luxury watch selling the $1000′s does not approach the cost of a Zodiac which to many does not put it in the same league. Although many Omega watches sell in the thousands of dollars, it also features entry-level watches like the DeVille and Genve that can be purchased for under $1,000. Famously an Omega watch accompanied the Apollo 11 lunar landing in 1969 but still is best known as watch worn by 007, James Bond. Omega’s Seamasters and Speedmasters are the most popular Omega styles.
Seiko
Seiko became known as a famous watch brand in the industry as a pioneer in quartz powered technology during the 1970s. Seiko revolutionized the industry leading many watchmakers to abandon traditional mechanical watches for the more advanced battery power. In the 1990s, Seiko introduced the kinetic watch that is electrically charged by movement. Seiko is now famous for its sports watches: the Ananta, Spring Drive, Sportura, Velatura and Premier.
Citizen
Like Seiko, Citizen offers many collections of sport watches with an emphasis on multifunctional timepieces with additional timekeeping features. Citizen is famous for its Eco-Drive watch in which its timepieces have tiny solar panels under the dial to capture sunlight which powers the watch. The Eco-Drive can conserve enough power to operate for several months in the dark. The Citizen Skyhawk A-T also features an “atomic” setting in which it captures low radio frequencies from the world’s timing stations to set the exact time.
Fossil
An entry-level fashion brand, Fossil is the largest watchmaker in the world. Initially gaining popularity in the 1990s for licensed character watches the Fossil brand has grown behind a vintage themed style. Many Fossil watches are priced under $100 with the most expensive ceramic models still under $300. While Fossil watches are excellent timepieces they are typically considered a fashion accessory over timekeeping purposes and remain a famous watch brand.
Among all of the different luxury men’s watches brands available to choose from, there are watches whose costs range from a simple $10 flop to over $3000. However, not all of the watches are actually luxury, they might just have very expensive stones. Three men’s watches brands currently stand out for their fantastic quality amid their interesting, unique, and appealing signature designs. Of course, these brands are Movado, TAG Heuer, and Breitling, each with their interesting histories and even more intriguing watches. If you’re looking for a luxury watch, these brands are the first you should go to.
Movado, the Esperanto word for movement, is a Swiss luxury watch brand. They are famous for their simplistic and clean design: plain hands, a solid background, and an indentation on the 12 o’clock point. You can also be sure to find sapphire crystals on Movado watches. This brand was started back in 1881 by Achilles Ditesheim, and has since become a classic brand with over 125 years of experience in watchmaking. Movado watches will rarely cost less than $100, but any brand producing watches costing over $1000 apiece should be something to look at. This company has consistently been making high-end watches that have very rarely flopped.
Another Swiss company, TAG Heuer was started in 1860 by Edouard Heuer. TAG Heuer is part of the world’s largest conglomerate for luxury goods, LVMH. This brand keeps close in touch with Hollywood and sports, timekeeping for the Formula 1 World Championship, the Skiing World Championship, and other sporting events. TAG Heuer developed the Monaco Calibre 360 LS Concept Chronograph, a timepiece that earned the brand the iF design award. Be prepared to drop some serious cash for one of these watches, as the only watches priced under $1000 are the Formula 1 watches. The most expensive will run you over $8000.
Yet another Swiss brand, Breitling designs watches mainly for aviation use, but the market has slowly turned the watches into luxury watches. As a result, these watches will have many little features normally useless in daily life, like moon phase and double chronograph. However, those same function look very snazzy on a watch, which is probably why these same aviation watches double up as beautiful luxury watches. A certain watch, like the Aeromarine Colt, starts out just about $2000 on a simple rubber strap. If you want an upgrade to steel cased models, the entire watch can cost up to $7300.
As you can see, Swiss brands tend to be the dominant ones producing high-end luxury men’s watches. These watches can cost way over $1000, so if you’re afraid of the 4-digits, brands like Movado can afford to offer some under $400 apiece while maintaining quality. These are definitely the best luxury men’s watches brands.