7 Luxury Watch Brands Worth the Investment

Vacheron Constantin

Since its founding in 1755 by Jean-Marc Vacheron, the Swiss label’s watchmaking expertise has been passed down from generation to generation. The world’s oldest watch manufacturer continuously in operation, Vacheron Constantin is renowned for both its meticulous watchmaking skills and incredible artistry. A team of master engravers, guillocheurs, enamelers, jewelers and of course, watchmakers work together to create technically accurate mechanisms, complex complications and intricately detailed watch dials that tell extremely accurate time and serve as beautiful accessories. The Swiss luxury watch brand creates everything from sleek, self-winding automatic watches like the classic Patrimony timepieces to modern works of art like the iconic Égérie and Métiers d’Art watches, which pay tribute to great explorers and the spirit of adventure.

Piaget

Following his passion for watchmaking, a 19-year-old Georges-Édouard Piaget started his workshop in 1874 with the motto “Always do better than necessary," which carries through to the Swiss watch label’s designs today. Dedicated to creating high-precision watch movements, Piaget’s son ultimately grew the company to also include luxury wristwatches and pocket watches. To this day, Piaget is one of the best watch brands to design, develop and produce its own watch movements, and is known for its ultra-thin designs. Whether it’s the sporty Piaget Polo watches, the elegant diamond-encrusted Limelight watches or the classic Altiplano watches, each features one of the label's renowned ultra-thin mechanisms.

Chopard

In 1860, at the age of 24, Louis-Ulysse Chopard began creating innovative, artisanal timepieces. Using meticulous mechanisms and settings, this Swiss brand became sought-after across Europe and thus, earned a reputation for producing reliable, high-quality timepieces. In the 1960s, Chopard merged the company with Karl Scheufele III, a goldsmith and watchmaker. Together, they developed the precise fine jewelry watches the label is known for today. A team of artisans, including master jewelry artists, a grand complication watchmaker and a gold foundry artisan, work together to create iconic designs like the elegant L'Heure Du Diamant automatic watch that showcases the label’s signature gem-setting skills.

BVLGARI

Founded in 1884 as a jewelry brand, the Roman label quickly established a reputation for impeccable craftsmanship and is now highly acclaimed for its high jewelry collections and fine watches. Known for the signature serpent motif and penchant for brightly colored stones, BVLGARI brings those elements into the Serpenti Seduttori and Tubogas Seduction collections. The former bears the iconic drop-shaped watch dial with a bracelet band designed to look like serpent scales. And while the Tubogas Seduction timepieces have the same design elements, they also feature a band that wraps around the wrist as a serpent would. On the other end of the spectrum are the sports watches in the Aluminum Collection. First launched in 1998, the coveted Aluminum watch is powered by mechanical watch movement and automatic winding.

Choosing a Luxury Watch

There are so many vastly different luxury watch brands to choose from, each with its own history and signature craftsmanship—and some with one-of-a-kind, patented technology. When choosing a timepiece from one of the best watch brands, consider the variety of mechanisms and movements, which can be referenced in our guide on different types of watches. Also, take design into consideration. While each watch brand offers a variety of options like bracelet watches, chronograph watches and diamond-accented dials, each one has its own signature details, and an array of styles crafted by the most skilled watchmakers in the world.