A. Lange & Söhne
Ferdinand Adolph Lange founded A. Lange & Söhne in 1845 in Glashütte, Germany. A. Lange & Söhne watches are instantly recognizable as a different style in movement construction. The characteristics are closer to classic British watches than Swiss. Three quarter plates with engraved balance cocks are often seen, along with screwed chatons for the jewels.
Founded - 1990 By Walter Lange
Headquarters - Glashütte, Germany
Audemars Piguet
Founded in 1875 and located in Le Brassus, Audemars Piguet is considered to be one of Swiss watchmaking’s Holy Trinity. They are known for high-end complications with incredible finishings and are highly regarded as being an independent watchmaker that still has the founding families on the board of directors. The cornerstone of Audemars Piguet today is the Royal Oak, considered the first luxury steel sports watch.
Founded - 1875 By Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet
Headquarters - Le Brassus Switzerland
Bell & Ross
A young brand founded in the 1990s by two Frenchmen, Bell and Ross first launched with help from Sinn in Germany, and then with Chanel in Switzerland. Taking inspiration from three different watchmaking cultures and a hefty dose of aviation influence, they have achieved the rare feat of creating a distinctive style that stands out from other watches.
Founded - 1992 By Bruno Belamich and Carlos Rosillo
Headquarters - Paris French
Blancpain
Blancpain traces its origins to Jehan-Jacques Blancpain, who registered as a watchmaker in Villeret, Switzerland, in 1735. A pioneer in modern watchmaking, Blancpain produced the first modern dive watch with Fifty Fathoms. Today, the company is at the forefront of the rebirth of mechanical watchmaking, leading the way with beautifully crafted high complications.
Founded - 1735 By Jehan-Jacques Blancpain
Headquarters - Le Brassus Switzerland
Bovet
Breguet
Breguet was founded in 1775 in Paris, France by Abraham-Louis Breguet, an outstanding scientist and technician, always on the lookout for innovations that would bring precision and reliability to timepieces.
Founded - 1775 ByAbraham-Louis Breguet
Headquarters - L'Abbaye Switzerland
Breitling
Breitling invented the modern chronograph layout and never looked back. The Navitimer, Chronomat, and Top Time are all chronographs that make up the core of Breitling. In recent years Breitling has brought new designs to their entire catalog, a move that has been a success in getting a new generation to wear a Breitling.
Founded - 1884 By Léon Breitling
Headquarters - Saint-Imier, Switzerland
Founded in Lucerne in 1888, Carl F. Bucherer has concentrated in recent years on developing and refining its own family of in-house, peripheral rotor movements.
The company is the first in the history of watchmaking to successfully design, develop, and produce automatic movements with a peripheral rotor winding system, in which the automatic winding system's oscillating mass is at the periphery of the movement plate and on the same plane, rather than above it
Founded - 1888 By Carl Friedrich Bucherer
Headquarters - Luzern
Switzerland
Cartier
Cartier began as a bespoke jewelry business in Paris in 1847 that quickly evolved into one of the most formidable luxury empires, introducing watches in the early 1900s with the brand’s famous Santos. Since then, Cartier has carried on a tradition of creating instantly recognizable designs. While Cartier’s official headquarters remain in France, the brand produces its watches entirely on Swiss soil.
Founded - 1847 By Louis-François Cartier
Headquarters - Paris, French