High End Watches

Even people that aren’t collectors of high end watches have most likely heard of the Rolex brand. However, there are a number of other makers of fine wristwatches that make an excellent quality timepiece just as well if not better than the notorious Rolex brand. Brands such as Patek Phillipe, Panerai, Audemars Piguet , and IWC to name a few all have rigorous quality control standards (and prices to match)that rival those of the most expensive Rolex models.

Patek Phillipe is a Swiss watch manufacturer that was founded in 1851 by Polish immigrant Antoni Patek and Adrienne Phillipe of France. Patek Phillipe revolutionized the way automatic watch movements have been made by pioneering the minute repeater and the perpetual calendar functions. Throughout history the brand has been reserved for only the most prestigious of the upper class most notably Queen Victoria. Patek currently holds the record for the maker of the most expensive watch sold ever. In 1999 Henry Graves’ custom manufactured pocket watch was auctioned for 11 million dollars. The watch had 24 functions and was a one of a kind. To this day it still holds the record. However in April of 2008 a Platinum Sky Moon tourbillon manufactured by Patek Phillipe was auctioned of in Hong Kong for $1.5 million USD.

Panerai is an Italian based Swiss watch maker. It was founded in 1860 by Giovani Panerai. Panerai originally made a name for themselves by making high quality instruments that were commissioned by the Italian military. They were most recently brought into the spotlight by Sylvester Stallone as the Italian stallion is an advocate for this watchmaker and has been known to give them to friends as gifts. Also Panerai has recently teamed up with Ferrari to produce a model with the prancing pony on the watch face. This seems to be a popular trend for watchmakers as Breitling and Bentley team up, and Porsche and Rolex have had a strong relationship through racing sponsoships for years. It only seems natural that the best watchmaker in Italy team up with the most notorious car maker from Modena.

Since Stallone has been mentioned as an advocate for Panerai, it is only fitting that we mention the watch of choice for Arnold Schwarzennegger; Audemars Piguet. This watchmaker believe it or not also has its roots in Switzerland in the late 1800s. However, many of these early examples were re-branded by their major buyers such as Bulgari, Tiffany’s, and Cartier. It wasn’t until after the second world war that Audemar ramped up its research and development. After helping to manufacturer the thinnest pocket watch and the first skeleton watch the company came out with the Royal Oak line. This has been the money maker for the company since 1972 when the watch was first introduced. Its no wonder that this watch has become a favorite for the Terminator, one look at its rugged design and you totally understand why the iron pumping Hummer driving governor of California would be such a fan of this design. The company even designed a special “Terminator 3 Royal Oak” that was released in conjunction with the movie. Also if you happen to ever see the film you may notice that any character with relevance in the movie seems to be sporting an Audemars Piguet. I have seen some examples of the Royal Oak ranging from $16,000 USD all the way up to $150,000.


And last but certainly not least is IWC. IWC stands for International Watch Co. and is located in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. IWC was founded in 1868 by an American engineer Florentine Ariosto Jones. Florentine may also be the inventor of outsourcing as he realized that skilled labor was cheaper in Switzerland so he decided to move his company to this “mecca of watchmaking.” It should be noted that IWC invented the first digital watch in 1885, which is a truly tremendous accomplishment. I have never seen an example of this watch but I assume it is not the typical type that we see today in a casio. The most popular IWC watch is most likely the Portuguese Chrono Automatic that retails for around $6000 for a stainless version and a little over $11k for a gold version. These watches are truly quality timepieces that I highly recommend picking up if you have the means.

There are several high end european timepiece manufacturers other than Rolex, Omega, and Tag Heur. I really do suggest looking into these timepieces mentioned above if you are looking to spend some money on a great time piece but don’t necessarily want the attention that a Rolex may bring.