For unquestioned quality and luxury, the most desired brands of watches encompass a long legacy of watch making, integrity, innovation, value, and design. Hundreds of years ago, watchmakers took the idea of the clock and miniaturized parts to create the wristwatch. Since then, the luxury watch has evolved into a symbol of prestige and wealth.
Today, expensive, luxury watches are more than a convenient timepiece, they’re also highly valued jewelry pieces that perfectly complement the luxury experience of a new BMW vehicle. Check out BMW of Freehold’s list of some of the most popular brands.
A relative newcomer to the industry of luxury watchmaking, Franck Muller, nonetheless, produces some of the world’s most desirable watches. Muller, who started out as a watch restorer, introduced his first watches in 1983. Dubbed the “watchmaking genius” by many of his peers, Muller is unparalleled in his creativity and innovation. In 1992, he established his own company, Franck Muller Geneve in the village of Genthod near Geneva. In 1998, he created what many regard as the most complicated wristwatch in the world.
A family-owned company in Geneva, Switzerland, Patek Phillipe was founded in 1839 by two Polish immigrants, Antoni Patek and Franciszek Czapek. Known for innovation and developing the latest technology in watchmaking, Patek Phillipe has more than 70 patents. Some of the inventions relate to movements and others relate to cases, hands, dials, and other elements in the external structure and appearance of a watch. Among Patek Phillipe’s more notable introductions are the perpetual calendar, minute repeater, split-seconds hand, and chronograph. Some the company’s more popular watches are Calatrava, Gondolo and Patek Phillipe’s Ref. 5146.
A Swiss watchmaker since 1875, Audemars Piguet has several high-profile endorsers such as golfers Rory McIlroy and Darren Clarke and soccer player Leo Messi. It also produces special and limited edition watches for athletes and celebrities. Among those include Shaquille O’Neal, Jay-Z, Quincy Jones, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Some of its more popular selections include Royal Oak, Millenary, Jules Audemars, Promese, and Edward Piguet watches.
Arguably the most well known of luxury watch brands is Rolex, which has been a symbol of wealth, prestige, and performance for more than a century. Each of Rolex’s watches undergoes strict examination and testing. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, Rolex relies on 4,000 watchmakers in over 100 countries and sells about 700,000 watches per year. The average Rolex watch sells for around $7,000 to $8,000, with some costing as much as $40,000. Some of Rolex’s top-selling watches include the Rolex President Day-Date, Rolex Datejust, Rolex Submariner, Rolex Oyster Perpetual Sea Dweller 4000 Men’s Watch, and Rolex Yacht-Master Men’s Watch 16622.
Founded in 1755, Vacheron Constantin is the oldest watch manufacturer in the world. Based in Geneva, Switzerland, the company has been a luxury favorite with a slew of celebrities and dignitaries. Among those who owned a Vacheron Constantin watch are Harry Truman, the Duke of Windsor, and Napoleon Bonaparte. Among its more notable watches are the Patrimony: Power Reserve, Les Essentelles: Ladies 1972, and Malte: Perpetual Calendar Chronograph.
