Tbh,
One brand is not yet mentioned and it’s probably the only one that really deserves it.
Parmigiani!!
Please do look at them and read their history. Look at the manufactures that belong under the parmigiani/Sandoz foundation umbrella and you will understand they are a top tier players
They make cases , movements, dials…. For the entire industry.
And I mean THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY
Do some research
Most of the others mentioned I simply can’t agree and I’ll try to explain why.
Dufour and smith … top notch but with a production of less then 10-15 per year they are just not acceptable to be put in a holy trinity group.
They should at least be available to thousands of collectors just like the PP/VC/AP brands do
So for the same reason I exclude MB&F, Urwerk and archer similar top brands. 150 or so per year is imo still unacceptable
Again, nothing wrong with these brands, I even wish I had one or more but they are just to tiny
Greubel… also a no go for that reason and on top of it… their price.
Sorry bit if you can’t offer a great watch between 20 and 50 k you’re imo not worthy
Richard mille…. Unbelievable people still buy that joke. The are not a watch brand but a marketing brand. They pretend to be the best and most exclusive.
But for some models the use Vaucher movements ( and BTW Vaucher is aboard of parmigiani)
At 1/5 th of their listprice it would be acceptable.
Again, great marketing but that’s about it.
Czapek and Moser?
Great and will buy them but definitely not enough high end. Good finishing but on par with for example JLC. So imo not good enough to be called “superior “
And therefore not good enough to replace patek , Vacheron or Audemars
Besides they also use movements from Vaucher and Aghenor.
Really, put some time in reading about parmigiani , it’s not the most recognised brand today but if you would know who they work for and what level of finishing they can deliver…. I bet you’ll agree
Or please start with this
Buy this book and read it, you’ll learn about hand finishing and real haute horlogerie.
It’s a must have book
https://watchprint.com/fr/techniques...-de-gamme.html
There is a reason why I made a post a week ago about the parmigiani ionica and there is a reason why I said it blows away Patek, Vacheron and Audemars