The watch world thrives via brand imagery of talented craftsmen sitting around in their little shops handcrafting every watch that ends up on the market and 100 years ago, that would have been true.
However, the truth is that most watch brands are part of corporate groups now.
From the casual market to the highest quality watches imaginable, the fantasy of a little old man with magnifying glasses and tiny screwdrivers piecing together each watch is more or less gone.
It is simply a necessity for most brands in the modern world if they want to stay afloat. Especially high-end brands that make high-value, low-volume, sales.
This is not how all the top brands are, though. Some maintained their independence and stuck to tradition.
Today, we are going to highlight the most famous brands that have maintained their independence. These tend to be the best watch brands on the market, as well.
1. Victorinox: Owns Victorinox as a Whole and Wenger
Victorinox is a brand that practically everyone has heard of whether you’re into luxury watches or not.
The famous Swiss brand is one of the most recognizable brands on the planet thanks to its famous Swiss Army knives, luggage options, kitchen cutlery and yes, high-quality Swiss-made watches.
In a lot of ways, the company is just like their famous Swiss Army knives; it offers a little bit of everything.
The brand was started in 1884 by Karl Elsener who named the brand after his mother and the Swiss word for steel.
That is because he was focused on producing the multitools everyone knows and loves about the brand. Those knives later became standard issues for the Swiss army.
You are probably wondering why we are talking about knives so much in a watch article. Well, that is because Victorinox actually did not make any watches until 1989.
That’s right. One of the top manufacturers has less of a watchmaking history than practically any other well-known traditional brand.
However, Victorinox puts its watches to the same high standards as its knives and it has quickly become synonymous with quality in the watch world as it did with knives so long ago.
Victorinox does not own any other watch brands, but they have absorbed Wenger; an ex-competitor in the knife industry. So, Victorinox is clearly open to absorbing other companies.
2. Rolex: Owns Rolex and Tudor
Rolex is another brand that you do not need to be into luxury watches to know. The brand has been a pop culture icon for over a hundred years and that is for good reason.
Rolex was founded in 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf in London. This was a point in history when wristwatches simply were not very reliable.
They were inaccurate from the start, and they lost accuracy throughout the day.
Hans sought to change that and by sourcing his movements from the finest makers in Switzerland, he achieved it; skyrocketing Rolex to international stardom.
Today, the lineage of Rolex’s ownership is still small and focused on independence.
The spirit of Rolex’s founding is also still the core of its day-to-day operations. Quality and precision are the utmost priorities for the brand.
You might have also heard of the brand Trudor. Trudor is another watch brand that was trademarked in 1926 by Wilsdorf and in 1946, he purchased the company entirely and absorbed it into Rolex.
Tudor watches are, in fact, made by Rolex to this day.
3. Audemars Piguet: Self-Owned
Audemars Piguet is a brand you probably haven’t heard of unless you’re very interested in luxury watches or extremely rich.
It is one of the 3 top watch brands in the world and a major innovator that led to the style of watch that is present today.
It was started in 1875 by Jules Audemars and Edward Piguet and it is another Swiss manufacturer.
The company made the minute-repeating movement that is still a basis for modern watches, and it was the creator of the Grand Complication; the first watch to have 7 complications in an era where digital watches were not even thought of.
Thus, 7 functions were actually an extremely astonishing feat.
Unlike other top brands, Audemars Piguet is still family-owned, and it has not bothered acquiring other businesses.
It is solely focused on innovating the watch world and crafting the finest watches imaginable.
4. Bell and Ross
Bell and Ross is another brand that is relatively new. It was founded in 1992, and it was originally developed to sell watches to the French Air Force.
Since then, the brand has moved on to more entry-level luxury watches.
These are watches in the $3000 to $5000 range that boast incredible quality but are not as focused on luxurious materials and meticulous handcrafting as the brands that exceed the $20,000 range.
The brand has been used predominantly by the French Air Force and Formula 1 racers.
However, it is not a manufacturer. The brand first outsourced its original production to Germany.
After the partnership was dissolved due to Chanel purchasing the original manufacturer, Bell and Ross changed supply lines to Switzerland.
5. Breitling: Recently Purchased by Partners Group as Sole Watch Brand
Breitling is an odd company in terms of its history. It’s not part of a watch group, but its family-owned history has recently dissolved.
Breitling was started in 1884 by Leon Breitling, and it produced Chronograph watches for airmen.
That is still the main theme of the brand. Breitling SA passed down two further generations before the great-grandchildren of its founder decided not to own it, and the Schneider family purchased it.
The Schneider family owned it until 2017 when the last Schneider to retain ownership sold 80% of his stock, and then the remaining 20% in 2018 to the CVC investment group.
Last year, the company was purchased in full by Partners Group; an investment group that has worked to maintain the brand’s reputation for quality while modernizing its production and keeping the brand alive.
The Breitling brand might not be family owned anymore but it is the only watch brand owned by Partners Group.
It maintains exceptional quality despite the numerous changes in ownership.
