Watch brands: a list of well-known watchmakers by country

Many well-known watch brands come from Switzerland, Japan, Germany and the USA. Switzerland is home to expensive mechanical watches, Japan is strong in everyday watches and technology, and smaller European brands offer design and interesting stories. Below is a list of watch companies with the country associated with each brand, its founding year and its character. Linked brands are available in our shop; the others are included for general interest.

Watch brand list: country, beginnings and character

The year indicates when the company or brand began. The country indicates the brand’s historical or current association, not necessarily where each watch is made. Some companies started in another field and added watches later; we discuss this below.

Brand	Country	Founded	Character
Longines	Switzerland	1832	classic and elegant
Patek Philippe	Switzerland	1839	high-end mechanical watches
Omega	Switzerland	1848	luxury, sport and classic style
Tissot	Switzerland	1853	mid-priced Swiss watches
TAG Heuer	Switzerland	1860	sporty luxury
Rolex	Switzerland	1905	luxury, recognisable classics
Swatch	Switzerland	1983	colourful designer watches
Aviator	Switzerland	2000	pilot’s watches
Seiko	Japan	1881	a wide range from basic to luxury
Citizen	Japan	1918	light-powered Eco-Drive watches
Casio	Japan	1957	digital watches, G-Shock, Edifice
Q&Q	Japan	1976	an affordable brand in the Citizen group
Lorus	Japan	1982	an affordable brand in the Seiko group
Junghans	Germany	1861	German classics and design
Zeppelin	Germany	–	classic style inspired by the age of Zeppelins
Jacques Lemans	Austria	1974	classic and fashionable watches
Vostok Europe	Lithuania	2003	space- and expedition-themed watches
Cluse	The Netherlands	2013	minimalist women’s watches
Timex	USA	1854	affordable American classics
Guess	USA	1981	glamorous fashion watches

Swiss watch brands

Many of the oldest and most expensive watch brands come from Switzerland. The Longines story began in 1832 in Saint-Imier, while Patek Philippe started in Geneva in 1839. In 1848, Louis Brandt opened a small workshop in La Chaux-de-Fonds that would grow into Omega. Tissot comes from Le Locle and has operated since 1853, while TAG Heuer’s roots go back to 1860, when Edouard Heuer opened his watchmaking workshop in Saint-Imier.

Rolex’s story is slightly different. Hans Wilsdorf actually founded the company in London in 1905, moving it to Geneva in 1919. Swatch was founded in Biel in 1983. The manufacturer says it was a response to the quartz crisis, which had severely shaken the Swiss watch industry. Rolex, Omega and other luxury brands are not part of our range. Among Swiss watches, we stock Aviator pilot’s watches, designed in Switzerland’s Jura region.

Japanese watch brands

Seiko’s story began in 1881, when Kintaro Hattori opened a watch sales and repair shop in central Tokyo. Lorus, the Seiko group’s more affordable brand, arrived in Europe in 1982.

Citizen’s roots go back to 1918. The company took its name from its first pocket watch, named by the mayor of Tokyo in 1924. Q&Q, part of the Citizen group, began in 1976, and its name stands for ‘Quality and Quantity’.

Casio Computer Co., Ltd. was founded in 1957 as a calculator manufacturer; its predecessor, Kashio Seisakujo, began in 1946. The first Casio watch, the digital Casiotron, appeared in 1974. Today, Casio’s range includes durable G-Shocks, sporty yet elegant Edifice models and retro-design Vintage watches.

German and other European brands

• Junghans – founded by Erhard Junghans in 1861 in Schramberg, in the Black Forest region.
• Zeppelin – the watches are produced by the German family company POINTtec and, according to the manufacturer, are made in Germany. The collections bear the names of Zeppelins, such as LZ129 Hindenburg.
• Jacques Lemans – an Austrian family company founded by Alfred Riedl in 1974 in St. Veit an der Glan.
• Vostok Europe – a Lithuanian brand based in Vilnius, with the company founded in 2003.
• Cluse – started in Amsterdam in 2013 and makes watches and jewellery with simple designs.
• Police – this Italian brand began with eyewear in 1983, later adding watches and jewellery.

American brands

Timex has operated since 1854 and is known for simple, affordable watches. Guess was founded in 1981 by the Marciano brothers, who had moved to America from the south of France. Guess is a fashion brand, and its watches are more about accessories than technology, with plenty of gold and rose-gold tones, crystals and logos.

How do you choose between watch brands?

The brand name alone does not tell you whether a watch suits you. Three questions can help:

• Where and when will you wear it? A durable watch, such as a G-Shock, suits everyday wear and exercise. A simpler metal watch, such as a Citizen or Jacques Lemans, suits the office. For evenings or parties, the watch can be more like jewellery, such as a Guess or Cluse.
• Does the story matter? If you like watches with a theme behind them, consider Zeppelin or Vostok Europe.
• Which movement? A quartz watch is accurate and affordable. An automatic watch’s spring is wound by the movement of the wearer’s arm. A solar-powered watch charges from light and does not need regular battery changes.

Which watch brands do we stock?

In addition to the brands linked in the table, we sell Police, Pierre Cardin, Timberland, Lee Cooper, Paul Hewitt, Kenneth Cole and GC watches, plus Tikkers children’s watches. We are an authorised retailer for every brand we sell. All watches come with a 2-year warranty and a 14-day right of return. If you cannot decide between brands, write to info@kaekellad.ee and we will help you find a suitable watch.