Top 5 luxury watches to check out
Owning a luxury watch is not always a symbol of wealth or power. A handcrafted watch is a work of art, craftsmanship, and precision mechanics. It can be a statement or serve as a family heirloom. Owning a luxury watch is every horologist’s dream. When taken good care of, these watches last incredibly long. If you want to invest in one, you can choose from the world’s leading luxury watch brands like:
Patek Phillipe
Geneva invented the world’s first wristwatch. Patek Phillipe continues to make the most luxurious watches liked by famous, high-profile men and women. Their expertise lies in making watches with various mechanisms that sometimes may take multiple years to complete. Apart from common complications like date and time zones, some outstanding features include minute repeaters, tourbillons, and split-second chronographs. Their watches contain top-class material for the base and inner mechanics, delicately set precious stones, enamel painting, and engraving. Every watch is sleek, classy, and luxurious. Patek Phillipe does not sell directly but through 78 authorized dealers across the country. Some of the timeless luxury watches from Patek Phillipe include:
- Nautilus
- Aquanaut
- Calatrava
- Complications
- Grand Complications
- Golden Ellipse
Vacheron Constantin
Vacheron Constantin, based in Switzerland, is the oldest watchmaker and has been in the business since 1755. They combine tradition and heritage with the best technical capabilities to develop exclusive watches. They make a limited number of pieces of each of their watches, giving only a few people the opportunity to own a Vacheron Constantin masterpiece. The company makes automatic, manual winding, and quartz watches. All materials used for the case, strap, and timepiece are sourced carefully and crafted by their trained artisanal watchmakers. They currently have a limited number of watches in those nine collections. Their collection includes:
- Egerie
- Fiftysix
- Heures Creatives
- Historiques
- Malte
- Metiers d’Art
- Overseas
- Patrimony
- Traditionelle
They also have some limited edition and boutique exclusive watches.
Rolex
Rolex is synonymous with luxury watches worldwide. The brand’s watches are passed as heirlooms to children, which speaks of their quality, precision, and durability. Rolex introduced many innovations, like the first patented waterproof watch and the first self-winding watch. They also have developed some of the most complicated luxury watches with features like moon phase, GMT function, and annual calendars. The brand is known for its tool or profession-based watches exclusively for sailors, travelers, submariners, explorers, pilots, motor racers, divers, scientists, engineers, and healthcare professionals. Their iconic watches for men and women are made with steel, steel and gold, pure gold, and some are gem-set watches. Some of the iconic Rolex models include:
- Air-King
- Cellini
- Cosmograph Daytona
- Datejust
- Day-date
- Explorer
- GMT-Master
- Lady-Datejust
- Milgauss
- Oyster Perpetual
- Rolex Classic
- Sea-Dweller
- Sky-Dweller
- Submariner
- Yacht-Master
Audemars Piguet
Jules-Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piquet created the brand in 1875, and the founding families still run the brand. Audemars Piquet, a favorite brand of icons and celebrities, created the first stainless steel sports watch, the Royal Oak, in 1972. They offer services like annual check-ups for functionality, water resistance, and magnetization. Some of their popular complications include calendars, chronographs, minute repeater, moon phases, and a petite sonnerie. Some of their popular collections include:
- Code 11.59
- Royal Oak
- Royal Oak Offshore
- Royal Oak Concept
- Royal Oak Diver
- Green Hues
- Black Panther
Omega
Omega is a 170-year-old Swiss watch brand known worldwide. An Omega watch is a pride possession for horophiles and watches collectors. The first to launch minute-repeating watches by them has been successfully winning precision contests. Omega is a favorite watch for astronauts and has been part of six lunar landings. The brand is a preferred luxury watch for celebrities and influencers. They are innovative in materials like ceramic, silicon, and alloys of precious metals. Omega focuses on creating designs that are timeless and incredible. Some of the brand’s popular watch collections include:
- Constellation
- Seamaster
- Speedmaster
- De Ville
Things to know before buying a luxury watch
You may want to buy a luxury watch as an accessory or to make a personality statement. Before choosing a brand, consider multiple factors like the mechanics, design, price, durability, value for money, service, and replacement warranties.
- Research about the quality of the material they use.
- Luxury watches usually last for decades; they last even longer with periodical service. Research how long they last, what kind of service the brand provides within and outside warranty, and how much it would cost.
- Choose a watch that resembles your personality and individual taste. Though they are luxury watches, you can find many watches that are subtle and classy without being opulent.
- Most brands may display their watches on their official website but do not disclose the prize openly. You may have to request the price. Understand the total cost, including taxes, and prices of accessories like additional straps and warranties before buying one.
- Buy from authorized dealers or company websites and ensure you do not fall victim to scams or buy fake watches.
Buying a luxury watch is an investment, so ensure you do your research well before spending your money. After all, you don’t want to regret a purchase as big as this one.
