Some countries just do certain things well. France? It’s all about the fashion, ma chérie. Italy? La dolce vita. Germany? Precision engineering.
Switzerland, meanwhile, has become synonymous with luxury watches (that, and quality chocolate), while the much-lauded ‘Swiss-made’ moniker is protected by law and can only be sold as such when the mechanics, casing and inspection are all carried out in Switzerland.
Who knew?
Not only has the landlocked European country been making timepieces for hundreds of years – overtaking Germany and the Netherlands, no less, who are known to have invented the industry – but it really is a cut-above when it comes to the pedigree of quality wrist-candy. In particular, Swiss-made watches are best-known for their mechanical styles, featuring handmade metal gears that can be serviced to stand the test of time, while most are made with high-grade surgical steel and distinctive sapphire crystal for good looks that last forever.
It’s hardly surprising, then, that Switzerland is the largest exporter of watches in the entire world, making it the 18th biggest exporter across all goods. No less than 60,000 locals work in its watchmaking industry, too, while the headquarters for the likes of Rolex and Omega, amongst others, can be found here in the motherland.
Riccardo Guadalupe, CEO of luxury Swiss watch brand Hublot, says: “Swiss watchmaking is so special because it has years of history and savoir faire. Despite this, it’s an incredibly resilient industry that knows how to reinvent itself and is constantly working to bring newness to the category.
Swiss watchmaking has changed over the years, and this has accelerated a positive dynamic of innovation. At Hublot, this innovation is at the heart of our DNA. We reinterpret contemporary horology by fusing state-of-the-art technology with the origins of Swiss watchmaking.”
So, just in time for planning those presents – what cost-of-living crisis? – we’ve rounded-up the best Swiss-made brands in the world.
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Rolex
Needing no introduction, Rolex is the name to beat when it comes to designer watches.
While the brand was founded right here in Britain in 1905, it’s based in Geneva and all its watches are proudly Swiss-made. Its trademark is the five-spiked crown, flashed proudly on the wrists of everyone from sportspeople to entrepreneurs and celebrities, while it invented the first self-winding wristwatch in the Oyster Perpetual.
Today, it remains so coveted the brand introduced an almost-microscopic etching of the crown on its crystals to stop counterfeits, although it’s still much-copied. From precious metals and stainless steel to mother-of-pearl and precious stones, the materials Rolex uses are second-to-none, meticulously crafting timepieces that are beautiful, accurate and durable.
Better still, its watches hold their value, meaning you’ll always get a handsome return on your investment – and then some.
Buy now, Rolex
Breitling
Originally designed as a navigational tool for the aviation industry, the precision-made chronometers from Breitling are now created for the stylish as well as the sporty, beloved as much for their functionality as aesthetics.
The independently-run brand was launched in 1884 in Saint-Imier by Léon Breitling and is today based in Grenchen where it continues to craft technical timepieces that come with signature polished cases and oversized faces.
In 2002, Breitling collaborated with Bentley on a dashboard clock for its Continental GT, and the partnership continued to bear fruit for just under two decades with limited-edition watches produced especially for the luxury British motoring company.
Buy now, Breitling
Omega
Producing just under a quarter-of-a-million watches per year, Omega is one of the biggest makers of luxury watches in Switzerland, based in Bienne and founded in 1848.
From golf to sailing and athletics, it’s long been associated with sports, issuing its iconic Speedmaster chronograph to Louis Armstrong for the Apollo 11 mission of 1969, and having been the official timekeeper of the Olympic Games since 1932. Celebrity has given the brand caché, too: its most famous fan is undeniably James Bond – the spy and the Seamaster have been happy bedfellows since 1995 – while real-life ambassadors include George Clooney, Cindy Crawford and Daniel Craig (naturally), amongst others.
Precise engineering, magnetic resistance and chronometric performance always come as standard.
Buy now, Omega
Swatch
Creating styles that don’t take themselves too seriously, Swatch – belonging to the eponymous group that also owns Omega and Longines, amongst others – is colourful, fun and creative.
Fifty one parts are used to make each watch; hundreds of millions have been sold to date; and, on average, a new design is conceived every one-and-a-half days. Because of its industrial-scale production, the price of a timepiece is kept affordable, meaning it really is a Swiss-made brand for the people.
Playful rather than luxurious, Swatch is considered a blank canvas for artists around the world, with a series of collaborations making this a stylish watch to collect.
Buy now, Swatch
Hublot
If you’re a fan of fusion cuisine, your interest may be piqued by innovative Swiss brand Hublot, which has been perfecting the ‘art of fusion’ since 1980. Back then, experimentalist founder Carlo Crocco shook things up by securing a thick rubber strap onto his first ever watch, and so horological fusion was born.
Its mastery of materials hasn’t slowed down in the 40 years since: sapphire, carbon fibre, ceramic – there are few materials the watchmaker hasn’t worked with. As a younger, more dynamic company than some of its competitors, it’s hardly surprising that its focus is on modern aesthetics combined with traditional craftsmanship, preferring to set the trends rather than follow them.
From its signature Big Bang collection to the Classic Fusion, they’re all ballsy, while the recent launch of a limited-edition watch for family-owned jewellers Berry’s to celebrate its 125th anniversary is a timely choice.
Buy now, Hublot
TAG Heuer
Not one to sit on the sidelines, TAG Heuer is as synonymous with motorsports as Champagne-spraying is with Lewis Hamilton, wrapped around the wrists of some of its most prominent petrolheads.
Since 1860, the Swiss brand – with its workshop in Cornol and a factory in La Chaux-de-Fonds – has been famous for precise timekeeping and innovative technology (such as the first dashboard stopwatch for race cars).
Its sporty watches are elegant but practical – typified by the iconic Carrera chronograph – and can be found at prices that reflect quality but won’t leave you out of pocket.
Buy now, TAG Heuer
Cartier
Sure, Cartier is famously French – and notoriously old-school to boot – but its elegant timepieces (more jewellery than watches) are all Swiss-made (as they should be, given the company is now entirely Swiss-owned, although its headquarters remain in Paris).
From John F. Kennedy to Kate Middleton and Muhammed Ali, prestige and panache come with owning a Cartier, whether it’s the signature Santos, Tank or Pasha. Far from the sporting aesthetic of other designers, these elegant timepieces are, rather ironically, effortlessly timeless.
Buy now, Cartier
Franck Muller
Captivating design and complicated movement are the hallmarks of this young Swiss brand – founded by enfant terrible Franck Muller and his business partner in Geneva – which crafts its precious cargo out of a converted 20th century mansion called Watchland in Genthod (you couldn’t make it up).
Featuring high-styling and mechanical artistry, its watches are distinct and unmistakably Franck Muller, spotted on the likes of Elton John and Demi Moore, which helped to make it the must-have brand of the 90s.
With rock ‘n’ roll sensibilities, its wearers can expect bold shapes and bright colours, as well as super-sized proportions that demand attention. Not for shrinking violets.
Buy now, Franck Muller
Patek Philippe
At nearly 200-years-old, arguably the world’s most famous Swiss watch brand is still amazing us with its unsurpassed attention-to-detail, hand-finishing every single component in each of its watches (inside and out).
Screamingly expensive – and quite rightly so – these are timepieces for oligarchs, bankers and royalty. Like Rolex, it’s one of the last watchmakers to be independently-run, meaning it has creative freedom in its designs.
The result of which is a collection of more than 160 timepieces that run the gamut from the sporty Nautilus to the simple but stylish Calatrava and the elegant Golden Ellipse. Wearable art, if you will.
Buy now, Patek Philippe
Longines
More affordable than many of its Swiss counterparts – just over £1,000 will bag you a bargain – Longines is at the calmerend of the luxury scale but it’s certainly no less covetable.
It started in 1832 and soon made its mark by crafting stand-out pocket watches, coming up with mechanical innovations and connecting itself to sporting events like Formula 1 and Royal Ascot.
Unlike others, it offers both mechanical and quartz movements so there’s something for everyone, while finishes in diamonds and mother-of-pearl add distinctiveness for those with deeper pockets. Its most iconic styles, Conquest and Flagship, stand the test of time to this day.
Buy now, Longines
Audemars Piguet
The Royal Oak: . not a countryside pub, but a collection of beautiful octagonal watches launched by Audemars Piguet in 1972 but beloved by influencers to this day.
One of the old guards of Swiss watchmakers, founded back in 1875 in Le Brassus in Vallée de Joux, the brand has brought out some of the thinnest watches known to man (the Calibre 2870 included) as well as the first to be made entirely of stainless steel (another reason for the fanfare surrounding The Royal Oak). Add to basket.
Buy now, Audemars Piguet
