Ranking in watch brands

[exiger77]

Does anyone knows the order of the rankings between the top watch makers, in terms of quality.

[HL65]

Very subjective but most would have Patek at top. The big 3 are Patek, AP and Vacheron. To each his own and at the upper level they are all high quality. To me though Patek and AP are special as they have rich histories and are both independently owned as they have not sold out to the big 2 Richemont and Swatch like others have including Vacheron....JMHO.

PS. And yes that is excluding some of the other upper end small independents like Philippe Dufour etc.

[texex91]

Originally Posted by SteelerFan65

To me though Patek and AP are special as they have rich histories and are both independently owned as they have not sold out to the big 2 Richemont and Swatch like others have including Vacheron....JMHO.
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[DreambreaX]

Originally Posted by SteelerFan65

Very subjective but most would have Patek at top. The big 3 are Patek, AP and Vacheron. To each his own and at the upper level they are all high quality. To me though Patek and AP are special as they have rich histories and are both independently owned as they have not sold out to the big 2 Richemont and Swatch like others have including Vacheron....JMHO.

PS. And yes that is excluding some of the other upper end small independents like Philippe Dufour etc.

when you are talking about history, breguet and vacheron has more history.

its also since 1755 and 1775. Patek are 18's,

[HL65]

Originally Posted by DreambreaX

when you are talking about history, breguet and vacheron has more history.

its also since 1755 and 1775. Patek are 18's,

Perhaps you didn't see the words independently owned--something both Patek and AP share and Breguet and VC don't.

[FeelingTheBlues]

Originally Posted by SteelerFan65

Perhaps you didn't see the words independently owned--something both Patek and AP share and Breguet and VC don't.

Being independently owned is indeed something special about those two watch brands. Speaking for myself I really, really don't mind if a company is owned by a big group as for me it always comes down to what this small company does and the quality control their watches go through, however, knowing that AP is still owned by the descendants of the very people who started it and knowing that Patek hasn't been owned by many other people since its debut sure is nice to know, it gives a little traditional je ne sais quoi to the history of the brand.

I still have an awful lot of respect for Breguet and Vacheron though. Vacheron Constantin's vintage models have been known to be quite sought after by collectors (obviously not as much as Patek watches but a vintage chronograph or minute repeater will make your heart skip a beat methinks...) and Abraham Louis Breguet's passion for innovation and desire to make precise, complicated and beautiful timepieces has clearly been an influence on the Hayek's. Even as a part of the Swatch Group you can tell it's one of their favorites and the company kept getting back to the roots of the brand by trying to find collectibles all around the world and making watches that would always have a little something to remind us of its founder.

[HL65]

Originally Posted by FeelingTheBlues

Being independently owned is indeed something special about those two watch brands. Speaking for myself I really, really don't mind if a company is owned by a big group as for me it always comes down to what this small company does and the quality control their watches go through, however, knowing that AP is still owned by the descendants of the very people who started it and knowing that Patek hasn't been owned by many other people since its debut sure is nice to know, it gives a little traditional je ne sais quoi to the history of the brand.

I still have an awful lot of respect for Breguet and Vacheron though. Vacheron Constantin's vintage models have been known to be quite sought after by collectors (obviously not as much as Patek watches but a vintage chronograph or minute repeater will make your heart skip a beat methinks...) and Abraham Louis Breguet's passion for innovation and desire to make precise, complicated and beautiful timepieces has clearly been an influence on the Hayek's. Even as a part of the Swatch Group you can tell it's one of their favorites and the company kept getting back to the roots of the brand by trying to find collectibles all around the world and making watches that would always have a little something to remind us of its founder.

No question Carl on older Vacheron's. Having owned several newer ones in last 5 years I can say though I was quite disappointed with them and not impressed at all. As for Breguet they make some amazing upper end watches. As I stated though rankings are subjective and there are plenty of high end watches I would have zero interest in owning and therefore they would rank quite low on my personal list. The good news is at these levels there are plenty of options for those searching and we all can have the best watches we want that rank high on our own lists.

[powerfunk]

There is no correct "ranking" but in addition to the aforementioned holy trinity I personally consider Breguet, Lange, and frankly JLC to be top-notch brands. JMHO.

[exiger77]

I was wondering if there are any official ranking being published in terms of quality other than the ranking of the most number of watches sold. Any opinions shared is appreciated!

[Cc1966]

PP. VC, AP (Top 3 in that order) IMHO.

[One Ping Only]

I don't think there is a published quality ranking as there is for automobiles. As noted, PP, VC and AP are generally considered the trinity with PP almost always first and the next two based on personal preference.

[Audemars Piguet]

Yes there is one and I will publish tomorrow when I get home.

[singe89]

I would say quality among the top watch brands is pretty even. Comparing an AP grand comp to a PP, VC or ALS grand comp would be pretty equal.

I give extra points for independent brands with rich history. PP is the top luxury dress watch company and AP is the top luxury sport watch company in my book. Although I really love ALS lately.

[AK797]

Originally Posted by singe89

I give extra points for independent brands with rich history. PP is the top luxury dress watch company and AP is the top luxury sport watch company in my book. Although I really love ALS lately.

My fav three as well with Rolex.

[HL65]

Originally Posted by AK797

My fav three as well with Rolex.

Rolex, PP and AP my favorite as well!

[SixPak]

Originally Posted by SteelerFan65

Rolex, PP and AP my favorite as well!

Those are also my top three. What a coincidence!

With an honorary mention to JLC.

[Soly20]

Originally Posted by singe89

I would say quality among the top watch brands is pretty even. Comparing an AP grand comp to a PP, VC or ALS grand comp would be pretty equal.

I give extra points for independent brands with rich history. PP is the top luxury dress watch company and AP is the top luxury sport watch company in my book. Although I really love ALS lately.

This.

[subtona]

too subjective, too many variables.

[s14roller]

Nope...top 3 watch houses are more of less agreed upon but that doesn't exactly equate to "quality" per se.

[travisb]

I agree with Ken also.
For me: Patek is #1 followed by AP

[robisan]

As others said, it is subjective. Patek is #1 for me then followed by AP, Vacheron, JLC.

[subtona]

Considering that most would agree that Patek is #1 ...
To me the question is what are the criteria for this consensus?

Is it the movement? If so ALS is quite competitive here, yet it is not mentioned in the top 3.
Is it resale? If so then rolex has to be next to Patek, immediately above or below.
Is it beauty? This is totally subjective as we know it is in the eye of the beholder, swatch could be #1 for some?


What Is it ... What is the consensus to the criteria for creating this list?


Finally the biggest issue imho, is that not all watches in a particular brand (like most things) are created equal, take the Omega Speedmaster Pro for example, it has many qualities that most of the Omega line do not share... To rate Omega soley on the speedy pro would be misrepresentative of the brand, & likewise to rate the brand soley on their newer products would also be less than the whole story.

[Kevin.S]

Originally Posted by subtona

Considering that most would agree that Patek is #1 ...
To me the question is what are the criteria for this consensus?

Is it the movement? If so ALS is quite competitive here, yet it is not mentioned in the top 3.
Is it resale? If so then rolex has to be next to Patek, immediately above or below.
Is it beauty? This is totally subjective as we know it is in the eye of the beholder, swatch could be #1 for some?


What Is it ... What is the consensus to the criteria for creating this list?


Finally the biggest issue imho, is that not all watches in a particular brand (like most things) are created equal, take the Omega Speedmaster Pro for example, it has many qualities that most of the Omega line do not share... To rate Omega soley on the speedy pro would be misrepresentative of the brand, & likewise to rate the brand soley on their newer products would also be less than the whole story.

I agree

[mimo5000]

Not much argument about the holy trinity. Ranking brands 4 through 10 and so on can be much more of a debate.
There's also old vs new manufacture history to consider. That's when newer houses like ALS (reincarnated), and FP Journe (Richard Mille for some) start getting solid discussion.

[mimo5000]

I'll give you my opinion. And take it with a grain of salt as I've only been collecting watches for a year now.

1. PP
2. AP
3. VC
4. ALS
5. Rolex
6. JLC
7. FP Journe
8. Glashütte Original
...then I lose interest.

[Yoda]

Ranking is subjective. To me Richard Mille is a top brand and backed by AP.

[conkers]

Surely if outright quality is the main criteria then Greubel Forsey and Laurent Ferrier and perhaps even Roger Smith might get a look in? On an overall list than they wouldn't figure clearly.

[toph]

Originally Posted by conkers

Surely if outright quality is the main criteria then Greubel Forsey and Laurent Ferrier and perhaps even Roger Smith might get a look in? On an overall list than they wouldn't figure clearly.

Exactly right. Yet everyone puts AP as 'up there' when it is nowhere near
IMHO JLC outstrips AP by a fair way too.

[PatekCollector]

If we're talking about quality, then PP, Lange, AP, VC, JLC & Breguet comes on the top.

But if it is about quantity, then Rolex, Omega, Rado & Cartier comes on top.

Forgive me if I forgot some well known brands either in quality or quantity.

[exiger77]

Originally Posted by khalidss

if we're talking about quality, then pp, lange, ap, vc, jlc & breguet comes on the top.

But if it is about quantity, then rolex, omega, rado & cartier comes on top.

Forgive me if i forgot some well known brands either in quality or quantity.

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