In recent years, wristwatches have evolved from merely timekeeping devices into luxury accessories that express personal style and taste. Watches are statements of style, craftsmanship, and status. In this guide, we’ll explore five tiers of watches: entry-level luxury, basic luxury, luxury, high-end luxury, and ultra-luxury.

Entry Luxury

Entry luxury watches offer a gateway to high-end craftsmanship and style without the substantial investment of higher tiers. These brands balance quality and accessibility, making them perfect for beginners.

Christopher Ward

Christopher Ward is a relatively new brand famous for bringing high-quality Swiss watchmaking to a broader audience. Christopher Ward uses Swiss-made automatic movements, such as the in-house Calibre SH21, and combines modern design with traditional watchmaking. Their C60 Trident series is particularly noted for its quality and affordability. The brand’s confidence in its products is evident in its 60|60 Guarantee, which includes a 60-day free return period and a 60-month movement guarantee.

General Price Range: $360 to $8,000

Longines

Established in 1832, Longines is celebrated for its timeless elegance and precision. Longines employs Swiss automatic movements and classic looks. Notable collections include the Master Collection, famous for its classic looks and complex complications; the Conquest and HydroConquest lines, which offer robust sports watches; and the Heritage Collection, which pays homage to historical Longines models with modern updates. In addition to being the official timekeeper of the Kentucky Derby, Longines has been timing other high-profile sports events since 1878.

General Price Range: $200 – $5,000

Tissot

Known for its Swiss craftsmanship and innovative spirit, Tissot’s T-Touch series was the first to feature a touch-sensitive sapphire crystal. This allowed wearers to access functions like altimeter, barometer, and compass by touching the glass. Notably, the brand also offers a range of automatic watches with classic designs.

General Price Range: $200 – $2,500 

Basic Luxury

Basic luxury watches offer superior craftsmanship and brand prestige. They often feature more refined materials and advanced watchmaking techniques.

Omega

Omega is known for space exploration and precision. It was the first watch on the moon, and its Co-Axial escapement technology improves accuracy and reduces maintenance. The Seamaster and Speedmaster collections are iconic.

General Price Range: $1,000 – $70,000

Breitling

Synonymous with aviation, Breitling offers robust and precision-engineered chronographs. Breitling’s SuperQuartz™ movements are ten times more accurate than standard quartz movements. These thermo-compensated quartz movements adjust for temperature changes, maintaining exceptional precision. The Navitimer’s slide rule bezel and the Superocean’s water resistance showcase Breitling’s technical prowess.

General Price Range: $4,000 – $50,000

Rolex

This brand symbolizes prestige and reliability and is often seen as the epitome of luxury watches. Rolex uses in-house movements with innovative features like the Perpetual rotor and Oyster case. Rolex’s Superlative Chronometer Certification exceeds standard chronometer certification criteria. Each watch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure precision, power reserve, waterproofness, and self-winding efficiency.

General Price Range:$5,000 – $75,000

Luxury

Luxury watches represent a significant investment and showcase superior craftsmanship, heritage, and exclusivity.

IWC Schaffhausen

Synonymous with engineering excellence, IWC combines Swiss precision with American industrial design. IWC uses in-house movements and sophisticated complications, such as perpetual calendars and tourbillons. Their Ingenieur collection, introduced in 1955, was designed to withstand magnetic fields. Soft iron inner cases protected the movement from magnetic interference, resulting in precise timekeeping.

General Price Range: $4,000 – $200,000

Cartier

Popular for its sophisticated and elegant styles, Cartier is a hallmark of French luxury. Many Cartier watches feature mechanical movements, such as the caliber 1847 MC, which ensures precise timekeeping and a touch of elegance. Many Cartier models feature curved glass, crafted using handmade minerals like Sapphire crystal, which contributes to the watch’s alluring appearance.

General Price Range: $2,500 – $250,000

Jaeger-LeCoultre

Known as the “watchmaker’s watchmaker,” it provides movements to many high-end brands. Famous for its Reverso and Master Ultra Thin models, Jaeger-LeCoultre excels in creating complex movements and elegant styles. The brand is famous for its watches with grand complications such as tourbillons, perpetual calendars, and minute repeaters. The brand has perfected the greatest technological challenges of watchmaking, including the creation of a two-level movement, the Duoplan.

General Price Range: $4,000 – $2.5 million

High-End Luxury

High-end luxury watches are characterized by exceptional craftsmanship, limited production, and often bespoke customization.

Patek Philippe

The name is synonymous with top-tier watchmaking, combining tradition with innovation. Patek Philippe’s watches feature intricate complications like perpetual calendars and minute repeaters. The brand has been a pioneer in watchmaking innovations, including the creation of the first double chronograph in 1902 and the first wristwatch with a perpetual calendar in 1925. Their watches have broken records at auctions, with the Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A-010 selling for 31 million USD and the Henry Graves Supercomplication selling for 24 million USD

General Price Range: $12,000 – $2 million

Audemars Piguet

A hallmark of Audemars Piguet watches is the revolutionary Royal Oak, which features a distinctive octagonal bezel and intricate “Tapisserie” dial. Audemars Piguet also excels in high complications like tourbillons. The current lineup of Audemars Piguet watch collections include Royal Oak, Royal Oak Concept, Royal Oak Offshore, Millenary, Jules Audemars, Haute Joaillerie, Classique, and Code 11:59.

General Price Range: $10,000 – $1 million

Vacheron Constantin

One of the oldest watchmakers, Vacheron Constantin, is celebrated for its intricate designs and complications. The Patrimony and Overseas collections exemplify their dedication to elegance and technical excellence. Their Reference 57260, introduced in 2015, is the world’s most complicated mechanical watch, having 57 complications and taking eight years to develop.

General Price Range: $12,000 – $1.5 million

Ultra-Luxury

Ultra-luxury watches represent the pinnacle of exclusivity, featuring the highest levels of craftsmanship, rare materials, and unique designs.

Richard Mille

Richard Mille is well-known for its cutting-edge technology and futuristic designs. It uses innovative materials like titanium and carbon nanotubes to create lightweight, durable watches with skeletonized movements. The brand has designed its own in-house automatic calibers, including the first in-house automatic tourbillon caliber (CRMT1).

General Price Range: $90,000 – $2.4 million

A. Lange & Söhne

This German watchmaker is celebrated for its precision engineering and elegant looks. The brand’s watches are characterized by their high-quality movements, decorated with intricate engravings and unique aesthetic. Known for their Lange 1 and Datograph collections, A. Lange & Söhne focuses on hand-finished details and precision movements. 

General Price Range: $20,000 – $2.4 million

Greubel Forsey

Greubel Forsey is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of horological innovation. Making only 200-300 watches annually, this brand sits at the top of exclusivity. The brand is famous for multi-tourbillon mechanisms and handcrafted finishes, making each piece a work of art. It has won numerous awards, including the Gaïa Prize, Grand Prix de l’Aiguille d’Or, and the International Chronometry Competition.

General Price Range: $100,000 – $1 million