Although we can see time on our phones, watches have huge importance to our sense of style.
In summary a watch is a small timepiece worn typically on a strap on one's wrist or carried. What is a timepiece? A timepiece such as a watch or clock, is an instrument used to measure, keep, and indicate time. It is used to measure intervals of time shorter than the natural units such as the day, the lunar month, and the year.
Timepieces have a rich history going back centuries. Before we discover the best watches, let's learn about about timepieces in general.
A pocket watch is designed for a person to carry in a pocket. They were the most common type of watch from their development in the 16th century until wristwatches became popular after World War I. Pocket watches generally have an attached chain to allow them to be secured to a waistcoat, lapel, or belt loop, and to prevent them from being dropped. Watches were also mounted on a short leather strap or fob, when a long chain would have been cumbersome or likely to catch on things. This fob could also provide a protective flap over their face and crystal. during which a transitional design, Trench watches worn during World War I, because a transitional design moving popularity from the pocket watch to the wrist watch. The Trench watch (wristlet) was a type of watch that came into use by the military during World War I, as pocket watches were not practical in combat. It was a transitional design between pocket watches and wristwatches, incorporating features of both. From pocket watches those trench watches inherited hinged front and back covers. The lugs for a strap looked like a thick wire attachment to the classical round shape of pocket watches rather than an integrated part of the body of the later and modern wristwatches. The name "wristlet" was used until the early 1930s and was eventually replaced by the modern name "wristwatch".
A wristwatch is designed to be worn around the wrist, attached by a watch strap or other type of bracelet.
Mechanical Watches: Watches progressed in the 17th century from spring-powered clocks, which appeared as early as the 14th century. During most of its history the watch was a mechanical device, driven by clockwork, powered by winding a mainspring, and keeping time with an oscillating balance wheel. These are called mechanical watches.
Electornic Quartz Watches: In the 1960s the electronic quartz watch was invented, which was powered by a battery and kept time with a vibrating quartz crystal. By the 1980s the quartz watch had taken over most of the market from the mechanical watch.
Smart Watches: Developments in the 2010s include smartwatches, which are elaborate computer-like electronic devices designed to be worn on a wrist. They generally incorporate timekeeping functions, but these are only a small subset of the smartwatch's facilities.
Watches are designed to keep working despite the motions caused by the person's activities. In general, modern watches often display the day, date, month and year. For mechanical watches, various extra features called "complications", such as moon-phase displays and the different types of tourbillon, are sometimes included. Most electronic quartz watches, on the other hand, include time-related features such as timers, chronographs and alarm functions. Furthermore, some modern smartwatches even incorporate calculators, GPS and Bluetooth technology or have heart-rate monitoring capabilities, and some of them use radio clock technology to regularly correct the time.
Brand desirability is critical to the watch industry.
Is the best measured by price?
Saying something is the "best" is rather tricky. As with most things in life, this term has a huge amount of subjectivity. Subjectivity is the quality of being based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions. When things are based on opinions, it is not easy for everyone to agree.
If we were judging based on cost, here would be a few impressive contenders:
The Patek Philippe Henry Graves Supercomplication, which fetched 23.98 million US dollars (23,237,000 CHF) in Geneva on November 11, 2014 (by Sotheby's). The Patek Philippe Henry Graves Supercomplication is one of the most complicated mechanical pocket watches ever created. The 18-karat gold watch has 24 complications and was assembled by Patek Philippe. It was named after banker Henry Graves Jr who commissioned it out of his desire to outdo the Grande Complication pocketwatch of American automaker James Ward Packard. The two were both at the top of the watch collecting world, regularly commissioning innovative new timepieces. It took three years to design, and another five years to manufacture the watch, which was delivered to Henry Graves on January 19, 1933. The Supercomplication was the world's most complicated mechanical timepiece for more than 50 years, with a total of 24 different functions. These included Westminster chimes, a perpetual calendar, sunrise and sunset times, and a celestial map of New York as seen from the Graves's apartment on Fifth Avenue. Learn more about Patek Philippe watches.
The Patek Philippe Star Calibre 2000 Ref. 990/1, which fetched 3.28 million US dollars (25,300,000 HKD) in Hong Kong on November 28, 2012 (by Christie's).
The Patek Philippe Henry Graves Supercomplication, which fetched 23.98 million US dollars (23,237,000 CHF) in Geneva on November 11, 2014 (by Sotheby's). The Patek Philippe Henry Graves Supercomplication is one of the most complicated mechanical pocket watches ever created. The 18-karat gold watch has 24 complications and was assembled by Patek Philippe. It was named after banker Henry Graves Jr who commissioned it out of his desire to outdo the Grande Complication pocketwatch of American automaker James Ward Packard. The two were both at the top of the watch collecting world, regularly commissioning innovative new timepieces.
Paul Newman's Rolex Daytona Ref. 6239, which fetched 17.75 million US dollars in New York on October 26, 2017 (by Phillips). Paul Newman was not a watchmaker. He was the owner of the watch. Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, producer, race car driver, IndyCar owner, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He won and was nominated for numerous awards. On 26 October 2017, a Rolex Daytona (Ref. 6239) watch formerly owned by the actor Paul Newman was sold for US$17.75 million in New York, making it the most expensive wristwatch and the second most expensive watch ever sold at auction in the USA (as of November 2018).
Note: The final prices listed above contains buyer's premium paid to the auction houses and has been converted to US dollars.
The Best Watches as per Apparel Search
Discover the Patek Philippe watch collections of fine watches for men and ladies and experience the enduring appeal of the Patek Philippe universe. Start your journey by exploring our hand-finished timepieces, the history of their brand and the savoir-faire of our artists and craftsmen.
Pictured below are a few reasons why we find Patek Philippe to be among the best watches in the world.
Complicated watchmaking is the supreme test of the designer's expertise and watchmakers' skill. At Patek Philippe we master all horological complications and have twice this century built the world's most complicated portable timepiece. In each watch many lifetimes of artistry and skill are captured to produce an object of timeless worth.
Rolex is a Swiss luxury watch manufacturer based in Geneva, Switzerland. Originally founded as Wilsdorf and Davis by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis in London, England in 1905, the company registered Rolex as the brand name of its watches in 1908 and became Rolex Watch Co. Ltd. in 1915. After World War I, the company moved its base of operations to Geneva, Switzerland in order to avoid heavy taxation from a recovering post-war Britain, and in 1920 Hans Wilsdorf registered Montres Rolex SA in Geneva as the new company name which eventually became Rolex SA in later years. Rolex watches are crafted from the finest raw materials and assembled with scrupulous attention to detail. Every component is designed, developed and produced in-house to the most exacting standards. Learn more about Rolex watches.
Here are a few of the many watches designed by Rolex for your review.
Rolex offers a wide range of models ranging from professional to classic watches to suit any wrist.
Visit the watch stores to find the best watches.
Here are a few of the most expensive watch brands in the world. If cost translates to quality, reliability, and style, these brands may be worth your time to review further.
Jaeger LeCoultre - Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre SA, or simply Jaeger-LeCoultre, is a Swiss luxury watch and clock manufacturer founded by Antoine LeCoultre in 1833 and is based in Le Sentier, Switzerland. Since 2000, the company has been a fully owned subsidiary of the Swiss luxury group Richemont.
Breguet - Breguet is a luxury watch, clock and jewelry manufacturer founded by Abraham-Louis Breguet in Paris, France in 1775. Since 1999, it has been a subsidiary of the Swiss Swatch Group. Headquartered in L'Abbaye, Switzerland, Breguet is one of the oldest surviving watchmaking brands and a pioneer of numerous watchmaking technologies such as the tourbillon, which was invented by Abraham Breguet in 1801. Abraham Breguet also invented and produced the world's first self-winding watch in 1780. Not sure if this is officially confirmed, but we have heard that they may have created the world's first wristwatch in 1810.
Blancpain - Blancpain SA is a Swiss luxury watch manufacturer, headquartered in Paudex/le Brassus, Switzerland. It designs, manufactures, distributes, and sells prestige and luxury mechanical watches. Founded by Jehan-Jacques Blancpain in Villeret, Switzerland in 1735, Blancpain is known as the oldest surviving watchmaking brand in the world.
Louis Moinet - Louis Moinet, inventor of the chronograph, was born into a prosperous family of farmers in Bourges, France, was a French horologist, sculptor and painter.
Audemars Piguet - Audemars Piguet Holding SA is a Swiss manufacturer of luxury mechanical watches and clocks, headquartered in Le Brassus, Switzerland. The company was founded by Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet in the Vallée de Joux in 1875, acquiring the name Audemars Piguet & Cie in 1881. The company has been family-owned since its founding.
Piaget - Piaget SA is a Swiss luxury watchmaker and jeweller. Founded in 1874 by Georges Piaget in the village of La Côte-aux-Fées, Piaget is currently a subsidiary of the Swiss Richemont group. Piaget was founded as a manufacturer of watch movements but began marketing its own line of watches in the 20th century. Recognized by many, worn by a happy few.
Roger Dubuis - Roger Dubuis is a Swiss watch manufacturer of luxury men and women watches based in Geneva, Switzerland. The company was founded by Roger Dubuis and Carlos Dias in 1995. The Roger Dubuis watches blend traditional watchmaking with modern design and consist of Excalibur and Velvet.
Vacheron Constantin - Vacheron Constantin SA is a Swiss luxury watch and clock manufacturer founded in 1755. Since 1996, it has been a subsidiary of the Swiss Richemont Group. Vacheron Constantin is one of the oldest watch manufacturers in the world with an uninterrupted watchmaking history since its founding. It employs around 1,200 people worldwide as of 2018, most of whom are based in the company's manufacturing plants in Canton of Geneva and Vallée de Joux in Switzerland. Vacheron Constantin can legitimately claim to be the world's oldest watch manufacturer in continuous operation, with more than 260 years of uninterrupted expertise and production. This inestimable heritage is punctuated by timepieces and calibers that have made their mark on their era and demonstrate the inexhaustible technical and aesthetic creativity of Vacheron Constantin.
A. Lange Sohne - A. Lange & Söhne is a trademark of Lange Uhren GmbH, a German manufacturer of luxury and prestige watches. The company was originally founded by Ferdinand Adolph Lange in Glashütte, Germany in 1845. The original A. Lange & Söhne was nationalized and ceased to exist in 1948, following the occupation by the Soviet Union after World War II. The current A. Lange & Söhne trademark was re-registered when Lange Uhren GmbH was founded in 1990 by Walter Lange, the great-grandson of Ferdinand Adolph Lange.
Jacob & Co.’s Twin Turbo Furious: Extreme performance, true luxury, unrivalled beauty and exceptional craftsmanship – Jacob & Co and Bugatti share the same standards and values in everything they do. The Twin Turbo Furious 300+ is no exception. After the Bugatti Chiron Tourbillon, the watch maker Jacob & Co and luxury manufacturer Bugatti together created another masterpiece ready to be presented to the world. As its name suggests, it is inspired by the fastest hypercar ever created – the Chiron Super Sport 300+. Jacob & Co. captured the essence of the Super Sport 300+ in the design as well as the sophisticated technology of their new creation. The Twin Turbo Furious Bugatti 300+ features a black titanium twin triple-axis tourbillon movement, that includes a decimal minute repeater and a mono-pusher chronograph with reference time. It is housed in a forged carbon and black DLC titanium case, to echo the exposed carbon fiber bodywork of the record-breaking hyper car.
Check out the Top 10 Watch Brands.
Learn about designer watch brands and watches from Switzerland.
You might have interest in view watch blog posts on the Fashion Blog.
You may want to also view our watch designer page or our watch wholesaler section.
If you do the proper research you will find a wide assortment of fabulous designs which can include, automatic watches, manual-wind watches, watches with Tourbillon, chronograph watches, mooonphase watches, ultra thin watches, platinum watches, watches with perpetual calendar, and more.
If you have time to do a bit more reading, you may want to visit the absolute best fashion page on the internet.