Switzerland is known as the watch capital of the world. Almost every watch enthusiast on the planet associates Swiss-made watches with quality and reliability. In this article, I’ll be looking at 10 companies that make watches in Switzerland.
How Many Brands Sell Watches Made in Switzerland? (The Short Answer)
As you can probably imagine, there are lots of Swiss made watches out there. Here are ten for you to check out. They are Blancpain, Rolex, Swatch, Tissot, Omega, Breitling, Armin Strom, TAG Heuer, Oris, and Certina.
Swiss Made Watches Currently On The Market (Here’s What I Found)
Now that we have all of our Swiss watchmakers, let’s take a look at each one in a little more detail.
Blancpain
Blancpain was founded in 1735 by Jehan-Jacques Blancpain. It is officially the oldest surviving watchmaking brand in the world. Its rich and lengthy history is just one of the reasons why the company is seen as one of the best watch manufacturers on the planet.
With it being such a well-known and popular brand, demand is high for its products. Because of this, Blancpain has a few facilities dotted throughout Switzerland that handle everything from testing and design to manufacturing and even custom decoration. The company’s main place of operation is in Vallee De Joux, Switzerland.
The company is so proud of its expertly made timepieces that it offers a virtual tour of its Valle De Joux workshops for those wanting to see the inner workings of the company. Here’s a link.
For those wanting to take a look at what Blancpain has to offer, here are some links to its watch collections for you to check out.
- The Fifty Fathoms Collection
- The Air Command Collection
- The Villeret Collection
- The Ladybird Collection
Rolex
Rolex is the most sought-after watch brand on the planet. Rolex is worn by A-list celebrities, socialites, and wealthy individuals alike. As you probably already know, Rolex watches aren’t cheap. These luxury watches are considered to be some of the best watches on earth.
One of the reasons why Rolex is so highly sought after is that each watch is manufactured using only the highest quality materials available. Also, the company exclusively manufactures all of its watches in Switzerland.
Every step of its watch production is carried out in Switzerland, from designing and testing to manufacturing and assembly, it all happens in Switzerland.
To be more precise, Rolex’s headquarters is located in Geneva and its manufacturing facilities can be found in Geneva and Biel/Bienne (Western Switzerland). For more on the company’s manufacturing, check this out.
Rolex offers a wide range of stylish luxury watches. Here’s a link to its product page, and here are a few options for you to check out.
Swatch
Now let’s look at a more affordable Swiss watch manufacturer. Swatch was founded in 1983. It offers watches that are considerably cheaper than many other companies on this list. But despite being cheaper, Swatch’s watches are made to last. Each one is designed and manufactured in Switzerland using high-quality materials.
The company offers watches for men, women, and children, so there’s something to suit everyone. Swatch also has a section on its website dedicated to gifts making it the perfect place to go for an affordable yet stylish watch for someone special in your life.
Swatch offers more watch options than most of the other entries on this list. Here’s a link to its watch product page. For those wanting a little extra help, here are a few of the company’s best sellers for you to check out.
Tissot
Tissot is another Swiss manufacturer that offers affordable and stylish watches. It was founded in 1853 by Charles-Felicien Tissot and his son Charles-Felicien Tissot. It’s a proud Swiss company and it manufactures all of its watches in Switzerland.
Tissot is a part of the Swatch Group, the Swatch Group is the world’s largest Swiss timepiece manufacturer. The company’s headquarters can be found in the Swiss mountain town of Le Locle.
For those wanting to take a look at Tissot’s watches, here are some links to each of its product categories.
Omega
Omega is on a similar level to Rolex. It’s a luxury Swiss watch manufacturer and its products are sought after by affluent people all over the world. It was founded in 1848 and for around 170 years it’s been manufacturing its watches in Switzerland.
The company operates ultra-modern facilities in Biel/Bienne. It’s possible to book a tour around the facility to see exactly how the company produces its products. This location is also home to Omega’s museum where you can learn more about its history and see some of its older products. Here’s a link.
Something worth keeping in mind is that Omega, like other luxury brands has counterfeit companies that produce knock-off goods that try to sell them under the Omega name. Luckily, Omega offers an in-depth guide on its website showing how you can avoid purchasing a counterfeit Omega watch.
Here are a few of Omega’s watches for you to check out.
Breitling
While Breitling isn’t as well known as some of the other entries on this list, it is still an incredibly popular brand with all the watch aficionados out there. Founded in St-Imier, Switzerland in 1884, it is a proud Swiss company.
Breitling’s watches are all made in Switzerland. They are made at its manufacturing facilities in La Chaux-De-Fonds. The company’s headquarters can be found in Grenchen, Switzerland, meaning that the company’s entire operation is carried out within Switzerland.
At the time of writing this article, Breitling offers free express delivery on all orders which is a nice little extra touch for its customers. Here’s a link to its watch page. And here are a few of its best sellers for you to check out.
Armin Strom
Armin Strom was founded in 1967 in the town of Burgdorf, Switzerland. It is a popular brand with those who love luxury watches. Since its inception, it has manufactured its products in Switzerland, and today, the company’s products are manufactured by a highly trained team of watchmakers at a facility in Biel, Switzerland.
Armin Storm is proud of its products and is always keen to show off its manufacturing methods to the public. For more on Armin Strom’s manufacturing, check this out.
According to co-founder and master watchmaker Claude Greisler, “We do not compromise in the development, production, or decoration of our watches.” Basically, Armin Strom’s watches are built using the highest quality materials by some of the most experienced watchmakers out there.
For those eager to take a look at what Armin Strom has to offer, here are a few of its timepiece collections.
TAG Heuer
TAG Heuer was founded back in 1860 by Edouard Heuer. Since the company’s inception, it has focused on producing luxury high quality Swiss watches. What makes this company a little different from the others on this list is that while it is a luxury watch brand, its prices are in the middle. Basically, you have the cheaper luxury watch brands, TAG Heuer, then the top-end brands like Rolex.
TAG Heuer is very serious when it comes to producing Swiss-made products. Its products are made at the company’s watchmaking workshop in Cornol and Chaux-De-Fonds. Both of these locations are in Switzerland.
Here are some of TAG Heuer’s watch collections for you to check out.
Oris
Oris was founded in 1904. The company is based in the small village of Hölstein in the North-West part of Switzerland. All of Oris’ watches are made in Switzerland and are held to the highest standard of quality possible. By keeping all of its manufacturing in Switzerland, Oris can keep a close eye on product quality ensuring nothing but the best for its customers.
Each of Oris’ watches is designed to last a lifetime. While its watches aren’t cheap, they are pricey for a reason! The sheer quality of the craftsmanship is something that people are more than willing to pay top dollar for.
Here are some of Oris’ watch collections. all of which are Swiss-made.
Certina
Finishing off this list we have Certina. Certina has been manufacturing watches in Switzerland since 1888. The company is deeply committed to its roots and has no plans of moving to manufacture overseas any time soon. Certina is another company that’s owned by the Swatch Group.
Its products are made at a facility in the Swiss town of Grenchen. Its facility has grown over the years and it now occupies over 10,000m3 of land.
For those eager to take a look at what Certina has to offer, here’s a link to the company’s watch collection product page.
