The 5 Most Popular Luxury Watch Brands in 2022
Personal taste makes a big difference in the popularity of luxury watch brands. Some people like the timeless elegance of a classic brand while others prefer a certain brand’s association with high-quality timekeeping. Of course, all chronographs, whether they are wristwatches or anything else, should have something that sets them apart and gives them an individual sense of appeal. That said, the market will ultimately decide which brands are the most popular. Right now, the British watch-buying public find these five brands to be the most appealing.
Rolex
It is fair to say that Rolex would make the list of the most popular luxury watch brands in any year and this certainly remains the case in 2022. The Swiss brand has been among the most sought-after by collectors for decades and the simple fact is that this shows no signs of stopping. In fact, Rolex watches remain the ones dealers are most often asked about in both the men’s and women’s luxury categories.
Rolex Daytona watches typify what this brand stands for. After all, there is no denying that this particular watch typifies 1960s cool. However, Rolex watches include many other highly sought-after models that remain on-trend long after they were first issued including the ever-popular Submariner. According to some reports Rolex plans to discontinue certain models in 2022 including the Pearlmaster and the Yacht-Master II. If that turns out to be so, then these ones are likely to become even more popular than they were before as collector’s items.
Cartier
With a very different sort of aesthetic than you find with most Rolexes, Cartier is the brand to opt for if you want something to set off an outfit or a dressed-up look to the hilt. Even better, especially when you consider ladies’ watches, the affordability – by luxury watch standards, at least – of some of Cartier’s timepieces is a key underpinning of their continued popularity. In the end, however, it is the almost limitless appeal of French design ideas that are so often united with haute couture fashion that makes Cartier among the most popular watch brands year after year.
Of course, Cartier doesn’t suit everyone’s tastes and some question the brand’s devotion to horology by comparison to other watchmakers on this list. However, this isn’t really fair and few could question the ultra-high standards Cartier’s Drive series of watches reach, for example. Perhaps one of the most sought-after watches of all this year will be the Drive de Cartier Flying Tourbillon which surely must contain one of their most revered mechanisms ever.
Breitling
With a rich Swiss heritage that goes back to 1884, Breitling stands for elegance, charm and sophisticated timekeeping. According to Bonds of Brentwood, a luxury watch dealer based in Essex, the latest model that Breitling enthusiasts are most interested in these days is the Superocean 44. Built for divers and the ability to withstand some pretty impressive depths, this functional timepiece certainly doesn’t look like a tool as its design positively oozes sophistication.
Nevertheless, it is perhaps the pre-owned market where there is the most activity in Breitling watches these days. Simply put, more and more people see Breitling’s brand image as one that they can get behind and want to associate themselves with by wearing their watches. As many movie fans know, the Breitling Top Time was featured as a Q gadget in the 1965 Bond film Thunderball. Just about any Breitling watch made around that time remains popular to this day, such was its effect on the cinema-going public.
Omega
Often associated with airmanship and space exploration, Omega is a luxury watch brand that is for serious collectors. Numerous classics have been produced by the Swiss brand over the decades. Perhaps Omega’s popularity is down to so many notable celebrity associations. Icons like Elvis Presley and Daniel Craig have sported Omega wristwatches before which may account for part of the brand’s ongoing success.
Of course, Omega watches are very well produced, too. In fact, they have so often been chosen for their engineering excellence that it is easy to underestimate their aesthetic appeal. That would be a shame, however, because something like the Omega Speedmaster Professional Chronograph – as worn by Buzz Aldrin when he stepped out on the moon in 1969 – is a simply gorgeous watch to look at.
Patek Philippe
Noted for its clockmaking as well as its luxury watches, Patek Philippe is last – but not least – on this list. The Geneva-based brand has gained in popularity in recent years, not least because of improving market performance among collectors over the course of the last decade. Above all, however, luxury watch fans revere the attention to detail and sheer craftsmanship that goes into their watches.
Another aspect that seems to feature in Patek Philippe’s popularity is that it remains a family firm. This can be traced back right to when it was founded in 1839. It seems that the watch-buying public like this sort of timepiece-based lineage as well as the undoubted fact that so many of Patek Philippe’s watch designs just look so appealing to the eye.
