Switzerland is undoubtedly the epicenter of the watchmaking industry. Be it mechanical automatic watches or quartz-driven timepieces, nowhere else in the world has a greater density of watch manufacturers. The western part of the country has a particularly high population of luxury watch brands, and numerous industry suppliers and movement manufacturers, such as ETA and Sellita, are also based there.
The oldest Swiss luxury watchmakers include Breguet, Vacheron Constantin, Patek Philippe, and Audemars Piguet. These manufacturers are synonymous with traditional methods, premium quality, and superior craftsmanship. The timepieces from these industry greats often contain elaborate calibers with complications such as perpetual calendars, tourbillions, and chiming mechanisms. Their portfolios are chock full of watches crafted from precious metals such as gold and platinum, and are regularly decorated with ornate engravings or gemstones.
Germany has been manufacturing watches since the mid-18th century, with notable watchmaking hubs located in Pforzheim, the Black Forest region, and Glashütte in Saxony. Ferdinand Adolf Lange and Karl Moritz Großmann transformed the Ore Mountains’ struggling mining settlement into a renowned watchmaking center. Their efforts have had a long-lasting effect, as Glashütte is still known as a seat of exceptional watchmaking craftsmanship to this day.
The town’s best-known brands include A. Lange & Söhne, Nomos, Glashütte Original, Union Glashütte, and Mühle Glashütte. While A. Lange and Glashütte Original specialize mainly in complicated and richly decorated timepieces, the Union and Mühle catalogs include sportier watches and tool watches. Nomos, on the other hand, is known for their Bauhaus-inspired watches.
The Black Forest region is where well-known brands such as Laco and Stowa hail from, both of which are widely acknowledged for their pilot’s and marine watches
Japan is another important location in the watchmaking sphere. Kintaro Hattori, a young watchmaker, set up a small shop in Tokyo, which eventually grew into the celebrated watch company Seiko. Manufacturers like Orient Watches and Citizen can likewise trace their origins back to the early 20th century. Citizen, in particular, has achieved great success by offering watches with automatic and quartz movements under the Miyota name. Another prominent player since the 1970s is Casio, an electronics company renowned for its quartz sports watches, notably the popular G-Shock series. Their portfolio ranges from affordable automatic watches in the Seiko 5 series to professional tool watches in the Prospex collection.