Rolex – Since 1905
Since its formation in 1905 by the Bavarian entrepreneur Hans Wilsdorf and his brother-in-law Alfred Davis, the brand that would later become Rolex first started out in London’s Hatton Garden and has since grown into the worlds most renowned luxury watch brand.
Over the decades, Rolex has countless features in classical movies that have solidified the brand’s timeless watch designs on the market. Some of the most influential celebrities like Roger Federer, Phil Mickelsen, and Jordan Spieth are proudly endorsed by Rolex. Moreover, the brand is globally recognised from sponsoring a number of luxury events on an annual basis like Wimbledon, F1’s Grand Prix, and PGA Tour.
Rolex also leads the rankings for some of the most expensive watches ever sold like Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona which was sold at an auction for the staggering 17,752,500 US dollars in late 2017 to an anonymous buyer who paid 13 times the asking price.
Today, Rolex produces over 2,000 handmade watches per day and continues to be one of the leading timeless watch brands for men.
Patek Philippe – Since 1839
Founded in 1839, the Geneva-based Patek Philippe is one of the oldest watch manufacturers renowned for their uninterrupted watchmaking history as well as designing and crafting of timeless timepieces with some of the most complicated mechanisms to date.
With multi-million dollar celebrity endorsement deals and increased risk of scandals that could harm a company’s magnificent reputation, not all luxury watch brands associate themselves with famous individuals.
Unlike Rolex and Hublot, Patek Philippe is one of the very few luxury watch brands that have never associated themselves with any celebrity endorsements. Instead, the Stem family solely relies on the magnificent reputation that they have established for the brand over the last 181 years.
Considered as one of the most prestigious watch brands in the world today, it is no surprise that Patek Philippe currently holds the record for 7 out of the 10 most expensive watches ever sold. At first place being the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime which sold for over 31 million US dollars in Geneva in 2019 and in second place, the Patek Philippe Henry Graves Supercomplication which sold short of 24 million US dollars in 2014.
Today, Patek Philippe remains at the forefront of luxury watches for men.
Hublot – 1980
Founded in 1980 by the Italian Carlo Crocco, the Swiss luxury watchmaker that is now part of the LVMH group rose to prominence with the release of the Big Bang Red Gold watch and has since become a favourite among men in the field of sport.
In fact, the brand is so famous that some of their masculine pieces were seen on the music’s famous Jay Z, and one of NBA’s biggest stars, the late Kobe Bryant. Furthermore, just 30 years after their establishment, in 2010 Hublot was officially appointed as the official watchmaker of Formula 1.
With a brand as young as Hublot, you wouldn’t think that they are capable of competing with watchmakers that have been in the craft for centuries, however, Hublot sold their most expensive watch ever named ‘The Hublot’ for the staggering 5 million US dollars, making it one of the most expensive watches ever sold.
Today, statement watches by Hublot continue to lead the men’s luxury watch market and are set to soon overtake the largest competitors in the world.
