Who makes the best Swiss watches?

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Many people travel through Switzerland with the intentions of purchasing anything ranging from a fine collector’s timepiece to a much less expensive Swatch-style watch. In terms of styles, there are basically two to consider: the quartz movement kind which are accurate to approximately one minute variance per year, or the mechanical styles which generally are composed of well over 100 plus parts. 90% percent of all watches made are of quartz movement while the remaining 10% mechanical styles are either manual (which need to be wound) or automatic (self-winding). The latter is what most of the high-end, expensive models constitute. In fact, it was Rolex who introduced the first such self-winding model called the Perpetual in 1931 which utilized the wearer’s arm movements to keep ticking.

In recent years the popularity of Swatch watches has allowed them to acquire the illustrious firms of Longines, Omega, and Rado. Many other major brands exist such as Audemars-Piguet, Pierre Balmain, Baume and Mercier, Bedat, Blancpain, Breguet, Bulgari, Cartier, Certina, Chaumet, Chopard, Corum, Ebel, Eterna, Franck-Muller, Girard-Perregaux, Gucci, Hublot, Jaeger-Le Coultre, Mechel Jordi, Parmigiani Fleurier, Jacob Jensen, Sector, Ulysse Nardin, Vacheron-Constantin, Van Cleef & Arpels, Patek Philippe, and Zenith.

  1. TAG Heuer - Switzerland (Founded in 1860)
  2. Rolex - Switzerland (Founded in 1905)
  3. Breitling - Switzerland (Founded in 1884)
  4. Longines - Switzerland (Founded in 1832)
  5. Movado - Switzerland (Founded in 1881)
  6. Omega - Switzerland (Founded in 1848)
  7. Patek Philippe - Switzerland (Founded in 1839)
  8. Piaget - Switzerland (Founded in 1874)
  9. IWC (International Watch Company) - Switzerland (Founded in 1868)
  10. Rado - Switzerland (Founded in 1917)
  11. Raymond Weil - Switzerland (Founded in 1976)
  12. Swiss Army Watches by Wenger Co. or Victorinox - Switzerland (Both companies are Swiss)
  13. Swatch - Switzerland (Founded in 1983)
  14. Oris - Switzerland (Founded in 1904)
  15. Tissot - Switzerland (Founded in 1853)

All of these brands have a strong heritage in Swiss watchmaking and are renowned for their quality, precision, and craftsmanship.

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