Alright, let’s talk about how I ended up trying to rank watch brands. It wasn’t some grand plan, really. People just kept asking me, you know, “What watch should I buy?” or “Is Brand X better than Brand Y?”. It got kinda tiring saying “it depends” all the time, even though it really does.
So, I figured I should try and sort it out for myself, at least get my own thoughts straight. First thing I did was just grab a notebook. Started scribbling down every watch brand I could think of, from the big fancy Swiss names everyone knows to the cheap ones you see everywhere.
Getting Started
The list got long, fast. Real long. Rolex, Omega, Patek, sure. But then Seiko, Citizen, Casio, Timex… and all those smaller guys, microbrands popping up everywhere. It was a jumble.
Then the real headache started: how do you even compare these? It’s not like ranking cars based on speed or something simple. There’s so much stuff involved.
Things I thought about:
- History: How long has the brand been around? What have they done?
- Making Stuff: Do they make their own movements? How good is the finishing?
- Price: Obviously. From ten bucks to house money.
- Reputation: What do people generally think of them? Are they respected?
- Looks: Yeah, subjective, but it matters.
Trying to Make Sense of It
I tried making a spreadsheet. Put brands down the side, criteria across the top. Started filling it in. That kinda worked for the facts, like history or if they make their own parts (mostly). But then you hit stuff like “reputation” or “craftsmanship quality”… how do you put a number on that? It’s mostly just opinions floating around.
I spent a bunch of time reading forums, blogs, watching videos. Man, people argue about watches! Like, really argue. Everyone’s got their favorites, everyone thinks they know best. Trying to find objective truth in all that noise? Forget it.
It felt like trying to rank music genres or something. You just can’t say rock is ‘better’ than jazz definitively.
Shifting Gears: Tiers, Not Numbers
So, I ditched the idea of a strict number 1, 2, 3… list. It felt wrong. Instead, I started grouping brands into tiers. Like rough categories.
- Top Tier Luxury: The crazy expensive, handmade stuff. Art pieces almost.
- High-End Luxury: Still super pricey, amazing quality, well-known brands.
- Entry-Level Luxury / Mid-Tier: Good Swiss and Japanese brands, solid value, well-respected.
- Affordable / Everyday: Brands that make great watches for normal people, reliable workhorses.
- Fashion Watches: Brands more focused on looks than the watch part itself.
- Microbrands: Cool little independent guys doing interesting things.
This felt more honest. It shows there are different levels and types, without pretending one is definitively ‘the best’ in some absolute way.
What I Ended Up With
So, what I have now isn’t some official ranking carved in stone. It’s just my personal take, based on messing with watches, reading a lot, and trying to filter out the hype. It’s basically those tiers I mentioned, with brands slotted in where they seem to fit, based on a mix of all those factors.
It helped me organize my own thoughts, and now when someone asks, I can explain these different groups instead of just shrugging. It’s still subjective, yeah? Someone else might group them differently. But it’s a start. It’s my record of trying to understand this crazy watch world a little better. That’s the process I went through.
