The World's Best Watch Brands, Explained

Unless you’re talking about Michael Jordan, Ken Jennings, or grandma’s cooking, the title “best” can be pretty subjective. That’s no less true when it comes to the best watch brands, which span a mind-boggling range of styles, price points and features, from the simple utilitarian charm of the Casio G-Shock to the unapologetic outrageousness of a seven-figure Richard Mille.

To make sense of it all, we’ve assembled some of the key players in the GQ watch universe, broken down into eight distinct categories, each of which is at the very top of their particular game—whether that’s making limited-edition tourbillons or the quartz beater you wear to the beach. Fortunately, unlike the NBA or Jeopardy’s Tournament of Champions, the world of watches has room for more than one GOAT.

Want to brush up on your terminology and find your next dream timepiece? Don't miss GQ’s ultimate guide to watches for men or the first-ever GQ Watch Shop.

Based on what’s in your Instagram feed it can be easy to focus on the kind of top-shelf grails flexed by guys who sit courtside at Lakers games and have their own tequila brands, but don’t despair if your budget has fewer zeroes in it. In fact, there’s never been more selection or better value in the entry-level, with dozens of long-established brands and startups working hard to earn a place on your wrist. Whether it’s your first watch or your fourteenth, these brands offer Patron quality at Pepe Lopez prices.

Your dad probably had a Timex (and his dad, too) but the brand has come a long way since the days of “It Takes a Licking and Keeps on Ticking.” Now, with inspiration from their extensive archives and creative input from the likes of Todd Snyder and Jacquie Aiche, Timex’s lineup has never been more stylish and diverse. And just as back in the day, they’re still built like tanks.

Swiss-made quality at reasonable prices is the name of the game at Tissot, which has been making old-school mechanical watches in Le Locle, Switzerland since 1853. Whatever your style, you’re likely to find something you want in their extensive catalogue spanning dress watches, pro-quality dive watches and classic ‘60s chronographs.

Swatch changed the game in the early 1980s by proving that Switzerland could make inexpensive quartz (i.e. battery-powered) watches as well as high-end mechanical ones. Forty years later they’re still at the top of their game, producing multiple collections every year—including additions to the best-selling Moonswatch lineup—in their signature colorful-quirky style.

Aspiring multi-hyphenates take note: this Japanese brand’s offering spans hundreds of G-Shock models and solar-powered analog wristwatches (plus a bunch of very nice digital pianos) all of which are executed with the same combination of leading-edge technology and high attention to detail.

In the Venn diagram of affordability, dependability and stylishness, Seiko’s sports watches are dead-center. That's how they've earned a prime spot on every Best Watches Under $500 list, and a place of honor on countless discerning wrists.

In the same vein as Uniqlo and their famously excellent selvedge denim, this under-the-radar Japanese watchmaker specializes in good looking mechanical wristwatches at budget-friendly prices.

Whether by merit of their craftsmanship, their history or their astronomical prices, some brands command more respect (and hype) than others. This is the A-list of the watch world.

Built like Formula 1 cars out of carbon nanotubes, titanium cables and other such space-age materials, this Swiss brand brought haute horology into the 21st century. Yes, you read the price correctly.

If a Richard Mille is a mansion in Calabasas with its own go-kart track, a Cartier is a gilded age estate in Newport. Many of this French jeweler’s models haven’t changed much since the 1920s, and that’s exactly why people like them. Money talks, they say, and wealth whispers.

With years-long waiting lists, exorbitant grey market prices, and more flexing than Muscle Beach on a summer Saturday, this brand’s watches—particularly the Royal Oak—are in a class of their own. Beneath the hype, however, are some of the refined movements created by the most skilled watchmakers in the business.

With the kind of broad, universal goodwill usually reserved for Patagonia fleeces and Dwayne Johnson movies, Rolex has comfortably held its place atop the pyramid of watch brands for decades. Its movements and finishing are top-notch, of course, but (much like The Rock) at this point they don’t require any introduction.

More than half a century after Neil Armstrong made what might be the biggest watch flex in history, Omega's Speedmaster is still the brand's most-wanted creation. Tough, refined, and technically-advanced mechanical sports watches are what this brand does best, and there are many to choose from—with or without ties to Apollo 11.

Hublot was the first brand to put a solid gold watch on a rubber strap, which in 1980 was as revelatory and transgressive as wearing sneakers with a suit. Forty years later the brand is still experimenting with materials, recently figuring out how to carve an entire watch case out of a single block of lab-grown sapphire.

Gerald Genta’s designs for Patek and AP are now some of the most sought in the world, but they only represent a fraction of the legendary designer’s output. Among his other hits is the “BVLGARI BVLGARI” watch he designed for this Italian jeweler in 1975. Bulgari continues to tweak the details of this iconic piece (inspired by an antique Roman coin) most recently re-imagining it with a black and white aluminum case.

As their famous tagline says, you never actually own a Patek Philippe, you just take care of it for the next generation. And if your grandkids want to flip your cloisonné enamel World Time to pay for college someday, they probably could.

Watch nerds, like music nerds, enjoy nothing more than geeking out over the stuff no one else has heard of. These are the watchmakers that get them fired up.

If you have the desire to own a high-end vintage Swiss chronograph, but find your bank balance lacking in several commas, co-founders Andrea Furlan and Hamad al Marri feel your angst. That’s why they created this beloved micro-brand, whose wares capture the look and feel of vintage grails at prices collectors of more modest means can afford.

The watch fam loves this Italian micro-brand for its dive watches inspired by classics from the 1950s with clean, ultra-minimalist dials. Functionally, they’re as far from an Apple Watch as it gets, but Steve Jobs would still approve.

“Grand feu” enamelling (the process of fusing powdered glass to metal) is one of those antique crafts practiced by only a handful of the world’s top watchmaking craftsmen. That makes this Scottish brand, whose made-to-order watches feature expertly enamelled dials in a rainbow of hues, an outlier in the best kind of way.

Its name might sound like something you should order in a swanky restaurant in Florence, but to those who stalk the halls of haute horlogerie, Parmigiani Fleurier signifies indie watchmaking at its highest levels. Founded in the ‘90s by master watch restorer Michel Parmigiani, the brand earned a reputation for top-drawer quality along with a loyal following of high-end watch enthusiasts, including King Charles III of England.

Watches had been more or less the same for a century or more until this brand came along. By using a series of rotating discs, Ressence's watches tell time in an entirely new way—without hands or a traditional winding crown. And they look as unconventional as they are.

It’s been a long time since the biggest names in American watchmaking were American-owned (much less American-made). In recent years, however, a handful of brands are moving production back onshore and providing a bunch of ways to show your patriotism without bumper stickers or T-shirts with eagles on them. While most “made in America” watch brands still rely on Swiss and Asian manufacturers for key components, the ones below are committed to doing as much in-house as possible.

This indie brand founded by a couple of watch-obsessed New Yorkers specializes in tickers that evoke the golden era of mid-20th century timepiece design. Its tight catalog of divers, GMTs, field watches, and chronographs covers all of the major genres with tasteful aplomb, and features like Miyota automatic movements, marine-grade stainless steel, and Hesalite crystals stand testament to their quality. Surely all of this must come at a hefty price, you say? Think again.