Most underrated watch maker?
Rolex gets all the attention. They have been a dominant watch brand for decades and occupied mindshare for both watch enthusiasts as well as the casual observer. And some casual observers might also know about haute horology brands like Patek or even AP. But for most people, they probably only know about brands that get mentioned in pop culture or songs, like (shudder) Hublot.
So - what are some of the most underrated or under the radar watch makers, in your opinion?
For me, it’s Cartier and Grand Seiko. Grand Seiko is an easy one to pick on, because the casual observer gets thrown off by the inclusion of Seiko in the name. They perceive it as an affordable (and therefore, or poor quality) brand. But of course, that couldn’t be more wrong. And Cartier - because most people associate it with fashion jewelry, their historical contributions to watch making often get overlooked and most people don’t recognize their chops in the watch game.
So…who do you consider to be some of the most underrated or under the radar watch makers?
Pictured here is my Cartier Santos in Large size.
Lifelong watch lover. Learning more every day about this hobby. See more photos on IG @morebillablehours
Rolex has the variety the others don't. Cartier has the tank and Santos worth mentioning and GS has only a couple popular models. Casio outsells them all with crazy variety and not a lot of fanfare
That Tom Brady is pretty underrated too.
There is no understanding of the word "underrated" that would include Cartier or Grand Seiko. What company displaced Omega as the second most popular Swiss brand last year:
That little underdog Cartier.
What brand has captured the most market share worldwide since 2012? Why it's that horological food truck that is Grand Seiko.
And its not just sales, but also reputation and buzz. Those two brands have been the most written about and discussed non-Rolex brands for the past few years.
There are lots of underrated brands, just not these two.
I dunno but it's not Cartier or Grand Seiko, both of which are beginning to suffer from waitlist-itis and above retail price stupidity in many models.
It's probably something like Piaget or Breguet. Exceptional quality, truly amazing movements in many cases and you never really have an issue getting it new at a massive discount to MSRP.
But according to most watch nerds.....Breguet is probably a century out of date stylistically and Piaget just makes nautilus clones....or some such.
I dunno but it's not Cartier or Grand Seiko, both of which are beginning to suffer from waitlist-itis and above retail price stupidity in many models.
It's probably something like Piaget or Breguet. Exceptional quality, truly amazing movements in many cases and you never really have an issue getting it new at a massive discount to MSRP.
But according to most watch nerds.....Breguet is probably a century out of date stylistically and Piaget just makes nautilus clones....or some such.
I almost mentioned Breguet and Blancpain. Piaget is like Richemont's other jewelry brand. How about Zodiac being underrated? Some folks write them off because they are owned by Fossil.
Chopard is a excellent one. I occasionally forget that they create some lovely watches. The LUC GMT one in black is pretty cool.
I almost mentioned Breguet and Blancpain. Piaget is like Richemont's other jewelry brand. How about Zodiac being underrated? Some folks write them off because they are owned by Fossil.
Try other, other, other jewelry brand.
Cartier, then Van Cleef, Buccellati and finally.... Piaget.
Which is a shame because of their awesome history as a super thin movement maker.
I always say this applies to Chopard as well.
I Citizen and Timex are underrated in the watch community, but not outside it. In the watch community people fall over themselves to heap praise on Casio, and Seiko, forgetting that they have competition.
To echo @Aurelian neither Cartier nor Grand Seiko have been “underrated” for a few years now and rightly so. Both have done very well. One does not have to scroll down very far on WC to see that both brands have won a significant share of the hearts & minds of WatchCrunchers.
A more provocative thing would be to say on WC that Rolex is underrated. There. I said it.
... while I wait for blowback to my "Rolex is underrated" statement, looking at brands where Cartier and GS were a few years ago, one could argue that Bvlgari or even Gerard-Perregaux are underrated.
Longines, Grand Seiko (outside of us nerds), Citizen.
To echo @Aurelian neither Cartier nor Grand Seiko have been “underrated” for a few years now and rightly so. Both have done very well. One does not have to scroll down very far on WC to see that both brands have won a significant share of the hearts & minds of WatchCrunchers.
A more provocative thing would be to say on WC that Rolex is underrated. There. I said it.
LOL.
As with many things in life, provocative =/= correct. I would never say Rolex is overrated but given the number of threads daily complaining about the waitlists for submariners I'm going to say the balance of evidence is towards, at the very least, properly rated. 😉
I think you crunchers have called out all of the brands that came to my mind with the exception of Zenith, Jaquette Droz & Gerald Genta. Newer brands like H. Moser & Cie and F. P. Journe may not be underrated.
I agree with this pick...though I don't think they did themselves any favors with that line of erotic watches (which I'm pretty certain are against community TOS to post).
Not that there's anything wrong with them per se, but it doesn't really lend itself to people taking you seriously if that's what you want.
I agree that Grand Seiko is underrated, even by quite a few watch enthusiasts. It's not Swiss and that's a cardinal sin for some people. Plus they make quartz watches. I had a guy give me grief for owning a Grand Seiko with a 9F quartz movement until I asked how he was enjoying his Seiko Arnie. :-)
Dredging up @HotWatchChick69's pie charts, Grand Seiko market share was 5th in 2020, and it has only grown since. What's interesting is that the top seven brands didn't change, except Grand Seiko, which came from nowhere to number 5 in four years. Anyone who thinks that Grand Seiko is overlooked, or a niche watch geek thing, is behind the times.
And Grand Seiko came in just behind Cartier, so they weren't exactly a sleeper either. For all but one of the years shown, Cartier was in the top four, so they were never overlooked, except by enthusiasts, who just decided to start noticing them. Watch nerds live in a bubble, and we think that what we talk about in forums reflects the wider world.
I definitely agree with your choices. Cartier and Grand Seiko have true luxury presentations. And they don’t need hypebeasts to help the brand.
Zenith in my humble opinion is the most underrated brand. They don't get the attention they deserve. However, off late, they are being big on promos and doing a good job in marketing which I welcome. "Those who know, know" ;)
Dare I venture Tudor? Yes, I dare. The Black Bay line has had its day in the sun, but now attracts some derision for the number of iterations, but there is a range of other models still flying well under the radar. As for under-rated, look at the battering the new Ranger has taken - seems harsh when the quality offered is compared to the price point. Tudor has marketed well to up their profile but the products are pretty awesome and many underrate the ‘wannabe Rolex’.
I couldn't agree more - #cartier and #grandseiko would be my 2 choices as well! But I have to admit, wearing my Tank Must XL and having it recognized by watch people in the "know" is pretty special. A bit like everyone's attention being pulled towards the Rosso Corsa SF90 (Rolex) while the silver Jag XJ220 (Cartier) sits quietly parked, undisturbed, confident and content with itself 😊
Here's mine:
This thread is giving me a migraine, and I still do not believe we have drilled down on what constitutes underrated, and from whose perspective we should reliably take this from. Perhaps it is more which brands do we forget about, or do we not see regularly amidst the swell of Seiko, Tudor, Timefactors Smiths and Christopher Wards - and perhaps the answer might not be so mysterious as you may think.
Looking at a lot of names thrown forward it seems that they all fall into a similar category: mostly over £2500, not trinity, and long-established that may or may not be part of a larger conglomerates portfolio. They may not be volume producers. These are not regular purchases, and they may not specialise in certain things that a lot of you are into (tool, diver, field…) or are more bold or niche takes on the format that you would not take the risk on, so they are unlikely to be on your radar. They may not really have a foothold in your local market, and therefore your exposure to them is lacking. To say they are underrated is not fair, they just fail to register on your radar for reasons that may or may not be in your control. The watch market is pretty saturated now, I’d be surprised if you knew every watch at every price point. I will admit that every now and then I do have to remind myself that Zenith and UN make glorious watches I like, but I don’t see them on my travels anywhere near as much. I barely see Corum, so it’s a miracle I even know about them and picked up a Bubble I wanted on my travels.
I’ve tried the Santos once, had it for a full day. Loved it. However it’s readily available where I’m at, that’s why I don’t really want one🫠
To get a Rolex, you either need to be able to pay a premium, or to be a high-spender at AD, which means exclusivity. That’s what I love about it.
Underrated? Exclusive? not a templated, uniformed finance bro wannabe investor watch? Precious metal watches.
Platinum Cartier Cloche/bejewelled Cartier Crash/GS KODO? Hello, Alpha.
those are rarely seen in the wild and few in numbers for crazy prices. Fashion watches with few uses.
Well, the Cartier pieces were most likely made for those who appreciate the artistry and revel in the exclusivity of them, not necessarily prioritising its “use”.
i’m pretty sure its easy to make a Rolex though hence their variety, just ask Pagani, Steinhart or Tudor 😉
Cartier should get more recognition as a watchmaker. I would also state Montblanc (no surprise).
I think most German independents don't get enough hype. Dornbluth and Benzinger both offer superb handmade watches, with their entry models available under 5k. Only downside is that most watches will be made to order, so you'll have to wait a little bit for them to build your watch after you order.
This thread is giving me a migraine, and I still do not believe we have drilled down on what constitutes underrated, and from whose perspective we should reliably take this from. Perhaps it is more which brands do we forget about, or do we not see regularly amidst the swell of Seiko, Tudor, Timefactors Smiths and Christopher Wards - and perhaps the answer might not be so mysterious as you may think.
Looking at a lot of names thrown forward it seems that they all fall into a similar category: mostly over £2500, not trinity, and long-established that may or may not be part of a larger conglomerates portfolio. They may not be volume producers. These are not regular purchases, and they may not specialise in certain things that a lot of you are into (tool, diver, field…) or are more bold or niche takes on the format that you would not take the risk on, so they are unlikely to be on your radar. They may not really have a foothold in your local market, and therefore your exposure to them is lacking. To say they are underrated is not fair, they just fail to register on your radar for reasons that may or may not be in your control. The watch market is pretty saturated now, I’d be surprised if you knew every watch at every price point. I will admit that every now and then I do have to remind myself that Zenith and UN make glorious watches I like, but I don’t see them on my travels anywhere near as much. I barely see Corum, so it’s a miracle I even know about them and picked up a Bubble I wanted on my travels.
I've yet to see a Corum in real life. How would you say they stack up quality wise compared to major brands?
I've yet to see a Corum in real life. How would you say they stack up quality wise compared to major brands?
I think they are pretty good - a Bubble is a work of art in itself with the crystal and the dial. Some are better than others, but they are solid. I’ve taken chunks out of door frames and walls with it. I think they are good watches, personally, but it depends what you want to put them up against as a reference… Tag maybe, but not Omega or JLC.
I’m surprised no one mentioned Glasshutte Original. IMO the fact that it’s manufactured almost entirely in-house and in limited batches is a huge plus. Not to forget that it has an interesting history, of which ALS branched out later.
I’m surprised no one mentioned Glasshutte Original. IMO the fact that it’s manufactured almost entirely in-house and in limited batches is a huge plus. Not to forget that it has an interesting history, of which ALS branched out later.
Probably because they are not underrated, sell-out their limited runs without fail, and German watches have a following of hardcore fans?