In this article we will take a look at the 15 most valuable watch companies in the world.
Thanks to the emergence and widespread acceptance of smartphones and smartwatches all over the world, the use of classic watches is declining worldwide. Although the main function of a watch is to tell the time, watches have never been used for merely this purpose. Ever since pocket watches were invented, timepieces were carried for both practical and aesthetic reasons. All through the evolution of watches, fashion and aesthetics have been present hand in hand with technology to guide its makers and inventors. Moreover, like jewels, watches never go out of fashion. In a way, watches can ironically be described as timeless.
In the present age where every individual is expected to have a unique identity, every single part of a person’s outfit contributes to the image that the person portrays for the world. Hence, sporting a watch is fashionable even today. Even more so, wearing a timepiece in the present day and age is more than just a fashion statement, it is a part of one’s physical identity.
Like any other accessories that help the owner express themselves, watches come in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and styles. Even wearable watches are available in the form of wristwatches and watches fitted inside rings to be worn on a finger. Moreover, detailing and precision in their design make watches beautiful. As watches of fine quality last their wearer for years upon years, watches designed in a classic style never go out of fashion. Even now, antique watches have an entire market dedicated to them, in which buyers enthusiastically purchase used watches that were manufactured several decades ago.
Furthermore, a new segment of watches in the form of smartwatches has emerged over the past few years. Contenders like Alphabet Inc Class A (NASDAQ: GOOGL), Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), Samsung, Fossil Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: FOSL), and Xiaomi Corporation (HKSE: 1810.HK) have competed in the smartwatches segment, while the company Fitbit offers fitness smartwatches to its health-conscious customer segment. Although smartwatches offer the same features as wristwatches in addition to other benefits such as synchronizing with the user’s other smart devices, they remain in a category different from wristwatches due to their distinctiveness.
On the other hand, the luxury watches market is valued at a massive $23.6 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow by 3.25% annually until the year 2026. The growth in the luxury watches market is driven primarily by the enhanced fashion-consciousness of the customers. Moreover, their desire to own and adorn unique fashion accessories that help define their brand also increases the demand for luxury watches. Some people even view luxury watches as symbols of achievement as the watches let them display their expensive taste and financial strength. Furthermore, as with jewels, watches are used as precious gifts to loved ones, due to which there is significant sentimental value attached to the products.
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In the current article, we list the 15 most valuable watch companies in the world. The designing and manufacturing of watches have made the watch companies gain immense value themselves, and companies such as The Swatch Group AG (SIX: UHR.SW) and Fossil Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: FOSL) are known primarily for their wristwatches although they offer other products such as jewelry and handbags respectively. Moreover, companies such as Casio Computer Co., Ltd. (TSE: 6952.T), Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. (TSE: 7762.T), and LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton, Société Européenne (EPA: MC.PA) also produce technology and accessories such as cameras, apparel, and shoes; however, they are especially popular for their line of watches.
However, the following 15 most valuable watch companies in the world remain unmatchable due to their range of watches with superior designs and precise manufacturing.
With this context, and industry outlook in mind, let’s now discuss our list of the 15 most valuable watch companies in the world.
Most Valuable Watch Companies in the World
15. Fossil Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: FOSL)
Market Capitalization: $680.7 million
The Fossil Group, Inc. is a publicly-traded American fashion company that was founded by Tom Kartsotis in 1984 in the city of Richardson, Texas. The company is a designer and manufacturer of watches and sells its products under their brands, which include Fossil, Relic, Michele Watch, Skagen Denmark, Misfit, WSI, and Zodiac Watches. Moreover, the company makes accessories for brands such as Michael Kors, DKNY, Armani Exchange, Puma, Tory Burch, and BMW.
Furthermore, the company manufactures customized items for international football teams and also produces collectible items for pop culture characters such as Pokémon, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Star Wars.
Like Richemont, Ralph Lauren Corp (NYSE: RL), Movado Group (NYSE: MOV), Alphabet Inc Class A (NASDAQ: GOOGL), Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), Fossil Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: FOSL) is one of the most valuable watch companies in the world.
14. Movado Group (NYSE: MOV)
Market Capitalization: $732.48 million
The American watchmaking company’s name literally translates to “always moving” in the language Esperanto. Established originally in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland by
in 1881 and later purchased by North American Watch Corp in 1983, the company is currently headquartered in Paramus, New Jersey, United States. The Movado Group has a market capitalization of $732.48 million and stands in 12th place in the list of 15 most valuable watch companies in the world. The company’s watches are easily recognizable because of their signature metal dot at the 14th place on the clock’s face. The Movado Group is most popular for its Museum Watch.
Like Richemont, Ralph Lauren Corp (NYSE: RL), Alphabet Inc Class A (NASDAQ: GOOGL), Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL), Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN) and Fossil Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: FOSL), Movado Group (NYSE: MOV) is one of the most valuable watch companies in the world.
13. Breitling SA
Market Cap: $945.57 million
Like Franck Muller, Breitling SA is also a Swiss luxury watchmaker. The company is based in Grenchen and was founded in 1884 by Léon Breitling in Saint-Imier, Switzerland in the year 1884. Breitling was named after its founder Léon Breitling is known for precision-made chronometers designed for aviators.
Breitling SA takes pride in its superior quality products and precisely and perfectly crafted watches. Each of the company’s watches contains either mechanical or quartz movements that are chronometer-certified by the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC), the official Swiss chronometer testing institute. However, the pieces produced by Breitling SA cater to a specific customer base; the company markets its SuperOcean and Navitimeter products to divers and aviation specialists, respectively. The watches hence have complicated features that help the professionals in their duties. The company also caters to customized group orders for squadrons and their military customers, and hence stands 13th in the list of 15 most valuable watch companies in the world.
12. Audemars Piguet Holding SA
Market Capitalization: 1.048 billion
The Swiss company manufactures luxury watches and clocks. The foundation of the company was laid in 1881 by Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet, both of whose surnames have a place in the company’s name. Audemars Piguet Holding SA has its headquarters in Le Brassus, Switzerland with more than 1450 employees, and has been family-owned since its inception. The most popular watch made by the company was its Royal Oak wristwatch that was introduced in 1972 and helped Audemars Piguet Holding SA gain prominence and success in the luxury watches industry. Currently, the company is in 12th place in the list of 15 most valuable watch companies in the world. Moreover, the company is famous for designing and producing the thinnest watches that have ever been worn, such as the extremely thin Calibre 2870 that was launched in 1986.
11. Patek Philippe SA
Market Capitalization: $3 billion
This Swiss luxury watch and clock manufacturer was founded in 1839 by Antoni Patek, Franciszek Czapek, and Adrien Philippe. However, since 1932, its ownership has been by the Swiss Stern family. The company is one of the oldest in the watchmaking industry and is able to design and manufacture the most complicated mechanical watches. Patek Philippe SA operates over 400 retail outlets worldwide and introduced the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva in 2001. The notable personalities that used watches manufactured by Patek Philippe SA include Queen Victoria, Princess Diana; artists such as Pablo Picasso; scientists such as Albert Einstein and Marie Curie.
10. Rolex SA
Market Capitalization: $7.9 billion
The luxury watch manufacturer Rolex SA was founded in England in the year 1905 by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis and is currently headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. Since 1960, the company has been privately owned by a family trust, the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation. Rolex is one of the most prominent names in the watchmaking industry. The company operates the brands Rolex and Tudor to design, produce, market, distribute, and even provide after-sales services to its customers. The title of the second most expensive wristwatch is held by Rolex as it was given to Paul Newman’s Rolex Daytona. Currently, Rolex SA is in 10th place in the list of 15 most valuable watch companies in the world.
9. Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE: RL)
Market Capitalization: $8.629 billion
Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE: RL) is one of the most valuable publicly traded American fashion companies. It was founded in 1967 and is named after its founder, who was a fashion designer himself. The market capitalization of Ralph Lauren Corporation is $8.629 billion, and the company is 9th on the list of 15 most valuable watch companies in the world.
The company manufactures fashion products such as apparel, accessories, fragrances, and home-care items for the middle range and luxury segments of the market. One of its popular products lines is that of watches. The company launched its watches and jewelry lines, and subsequently, the subsidiary company is known as Ralph Lauren Watch & Jewelry Co. in 2009. The product line consists of a collection of several highly intricate timepieces.
8. The Swatch Group AG (SIX: UHR.SW)
Market Capitalization: $16.149 billion
The Swatch Group AG (SIX: UHR.SW) is 8th on the list of 15 most valuable watch companies in the world and has a market capitalization of $16.149 billion. Its inception occurred in 1983 by the merger of the French company Allgemeine Schweizerische Uhrenindustrie AG (ASUAG) and the Swiss watchmaking company Société Suisse pour l’Industrie Horlogère (SSIH). The newly formed Swiss company is publicly traded, is based in Biel/Bienne, and primarily manufactures watches and jewelry for its clientele.
The list of brands under which the Swatch Group (SIX: UHR.SW) sells its luxury products includes Rado, Omega, CK Calvin Klein watches and jewelry, Swatch, Centina, Tissot, and Léon Hatot, among several others.
Like Richemont, Fossil Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: FOSL), Ralph Lauren Corp (NYSE: RL), Movado Group (NYSE: MOV), Alphabet Inc Class A (NASDAQ: GOOGL), Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), The Swatch Group (SIX: UHR.SW) is one of the most valuable watch companies in the world.
7. Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN)
Market Capitalization: $28.8 billion
The company was founded by Gary Burrell and Min Kao in 1989 and has its headquarters in Olathe, Kansas. The multinational technology company was formerly known as ProNav until its founders came up with a portmanteau of their first names. Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN) produces and markets a range of watches for its customers.
The brand is known for its GPS technology that it incorporates in marine, automotive, aviation, and sports activities. The company also manufactures high-quality sports watches, fitness trackers, and smartwatches. The brand’s watches are sold in over 100 countries such as the UK, Taiwan, Canada, and Belgium. Its products Vivofit and Vivosmart are activity trackers while the Forerunner series is for runners, and the Quatix is specifically designed for water sports.
Like Richemont, Fossil Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: FOSL), Ralph Lauren Corp (NYSE: RL), Movado Group (NYSE: MOV), Alphabet Inc Class A (NASDAQ: GOOGL), and Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL), Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN) is one of the most valuable watch companies in the world.
6. Compagnie Financière Richemont SA (SIX: CFR.SW)
Market Capitalization: $63.342 billion
Compagnie Financière Richemont SA, known commonly as Richemont, is 6th on the list of 15 most valuable watch companies in the world and has a market capitalization of $63.342 billion. The Swiss luxury goods company was founded in 1988 by Johann Rupert, who was a businessman of South African origin. The company owns several subsidiaries and primarily offers watches, jewelry, apparel, and luxurious leather goods. The most well-known brands owned by Richemont include Dunhill, Baume & Mercier, Piaget, Montblanc, Cartier, and Chloé, to name a few. Moreover, the company is the third-largest luxury goods company in the world, just falling after LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton, Société Européenne (PA: MC) and The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE: EL).
As the demand for smartwatches soar, watch companies like Richemont, Fossil Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: FOSL), Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), Ralph Lauren Corp (NYSE: RL), Movado Group (NYSE: MOV), Alphabet Inc Class A (NASDAQ: GOOGL) and Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) are striving to pack as many features as possible in their watches to give ease and usability for their customers.
5. Seiko Holdings Corporation (TSE: 8050.T)
Market Capitalization: $91.388 billion
Seiko Holdings Corporation is a publicly-traded Japanese manufacturer of watches, clocks, jewelry, optical products, semiconductors, and even electronics. The company was established by Kintarō Hattori in Tokyo, Japan, in the year 1881. Since its century-old heritage, Seiko Holdings Corporation is known for manufacturing one of the first wristwatches in the world that used the quartz crystal with a complex chronograph function. The company owns several subsidiaries, many of which are responsible for developing, manufacturing, marketing, selling, and providing repairs and after-sales service to its customers. O
ne of the subsidiaries, the Seiko Corporation of America, manages the company’s products in the US and has its headquarters in Mahwah, New Jersey. The company sells its products in its 19 retailers and many jewelry shops in various cities in the US. Seiko Holdings Corporation is the 5th of 15 most valuable watch companies in the world and has a market capitalization of $91.388 billion.
4. Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. (TSE: 7762.T)
Market Capitalization: $128.182 billion
The Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. is a Japanese publicly traded electronics company that is popular for manufacturing watches and electronics such as calculators. Based in Tokyo, Japan, the company was founded in 1918, and is the parent of American watch company Bulova. The company has a market cap of $128.182 billion and takes fourth place in the list of 15 most valuable watch companies in the world. The Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. is famous for synchronizing all its watches to atomic clocks, due to which the accuracy of their products remains the same for a hundred thousand years. Some noteworthy watches manufactured by the Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. include the Parawater, which was the first waterproof watch and was launched in 1959, and the Q&Q Smilesolar range which are solar-powered and do not require their batteries to be changed.
3. LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton, Société Européenne (EPA: MC.PA)
Market Capitalization: $333.153 billion
LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, more commonly known as LVMH, has a market cap of $333.153 billion and is third on the list of 15 most valuable watch companies in the world. The company specializes in luxury products, and, alongside watches, manufactures wine, perfumes, fashion apparel, accessories, leather goods, cosmetics, and even hotels and yachts. LVMH is headquartered in Paris, France, and was established in 1987 by the merger of Louis Vuitton and Moët Hennessy. The company owns 60 subsidiaries, which in turn manage 75 brands such as Bulgari, Christian Dior, Zenith, Marc Jacobs, Givenchy, Celine, and Tiffany & Co. Among these brands is TAG Heuer, which became popular enough to be rated as the second most luxurious watch brand in America in the year 2005.
2. Casio Computer Co., Ltd. (TSE: 6952.T)
Market Capitalization: $450,449 billion
The Japanese multinational electronics and watchmaking company Casio Computer Co., Ltd. (TSE: 6952.T) is headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. The company was founded in 1946 by Tadao Kashio in Tokyo, Japan, and currently has a market capitalization of $450,449 billion. The most popular products by Casio Computer Co., Ltd. (TSE: 6952.T) include its watches, musical instruments, digital cameras, mobile phones, and electronics such as calculators. The company manufactures both analog and digital watches and caters to most customer segments. The company’s watches gained popularity when it made one of the first timepieces to display accurate time in multiple time zones around the globe. Moreover, Casio Computer Co., Ltd. (TSE: 6952.T) introduced features such as recording altitude, atmospheric pressure, and temperature in its watches. Casio Computer Co.,Ltd. (TSE: 6952.T) is hence the second in the list of 15 most valuable watch companies in the world.
1. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL)
Market Capitalization: $2.43 trillion
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) is a multinational company that is famous for its electronics such as smartphones, tablets, and computers. The company was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne in 1976, and is headquartered in California, US. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) ventured into the smartwatches segment in 2015.
Like other Apple products, the Apple watches quickly became popular. The watches include features such as wireless communication, health and fitness tracking, and even smart features such as text messaging and calling. As with all other Apple products, the Apple watches synchronize with iOS devices such as the user’s iPhone, iPad, and Apple computers, and hence are a source of significant value for Apple users. As of December 2020, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) had reportedly sold more than 100 million watches. The most popular Apple watches include the Apple Watch Series 6 and the Apple Watch SE.
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Disclosure: None. 15 Most Valuable Watch Companies in the World is originally published on Insider Monkey.
