World Watch Rankings (Categorised)

1. Special-class watches: Renowned for producing complicated movements with exquisite finishing, these watches fully demonstrate the technical prowess of the manufacturer. They possess high brand prestige, limited production, and are generally priced above one hundred thousand yuan. Patek Philippe; Audemars Piguet; Vacheron Constantin; A.LANGE&SOEHNE; Breguet; ROGER DUBUIS; PARMIGIANI; Blancpain (complicated models, standard models are class one, grade one); Ulysse Nardin (complicated models, standard models are class one, grade one); FRANK MULLER (complicated models, standard models are class one, grade one); GLASHUETTE ORIGINAL (GUB39 automatic movements and ladies' watches are class one, grade one); Girard-Perregaux (complicated models, standard models are class one, grade one).

2. First Tier, First Class: Classic watches suited for high-earning individuals in China.
Rolex; IWC; Jaeger-LeCoultre; Cartier; Chopard; Piaget.

3. Class one, grade two: Suitable for high-earning watch enthusiasts in China. Zenith; KELEK; Corum; DANIEL ROTH; GERALD GENTA; UNION (Germany); CHRONOSWISS; Panerai; Omega; DUBEY&SCHALDENBRAND; EBEL.

Note 1: Many products within the same brand vary, so they are categorised by proportion. Those listed as Special Class are noted for their expertise in complex complications, which constitute a significant portion of their output, or for their high-standard movement finishing and brand positioning. For example, while standard Ulysse Nardin and Frank Muller models are based on ETA2892, this does not affect their overall image. Glashütte Original has moved beyond the image of GUB39 movements by introducing tourbillons, flyback chronographs, and dual-swan-neck fine adjustment movements, allowing them to compete with LANGE.
IWC is also known for its complicated watches, but since most of its products are relatively standard, it is classified as class one, grade one; the same applies to Jaeger-LeCoultre. Chopard is classified as class one, grade one due to its in-house LUC movements and high-end jewellery watch designs.
Zenith could have been ranked higher, but it still requires effort from its new president. KELEK's technology is special-class, but its movement materials are class two. DANIEL ROTH relies on design. Although GERALD GENTA has complicated limited editions, it is not mainstream. UNION's movements and finishing are average, but they are all in-house and include complicated models. CHRONOSWISS movements are standard, but they possess creativity and skill; their new single-button chronograph won a Swiss watch magazine award, showing promise and potential to enter class one. Omega was originally only class two, but with the co-axial escapement and 3303 movement, it can enter class one. EBEL relies on its chronographs, which use reasonably in-house movements.

4. Class two, grade one: The backbone of watches using ETA, mostly leaning towards high-end ETA movements with certain modifications and finishing techniques or designs that highlight specific features. They occupy the mid-to-high-end sector and are suitable for middle-class individuals in China with a distinct personality. Breitling; Tudor (benefiting from Rolex); TAG HEUER; PAUL PICOT; MARTIN BRAUN; Baume & Mercier; Maurice Lacroix; PORSCHE DESIGN (manufactured by Eterna, design-led); IKEPOD (designer watches, mostly chronometer-grade); ALAIN SILBERSTEIN; EBERHARD (strong movement modification capabilities, CHRONO4 is stunning); VULCAIN (in-house alarm movement); BVLGARI; HUBLOT; VENTURA (designer watches, mostly chronometer-grade).

5. Category Two, Second Grade: The backbone brands using entry-to-mid-level ETA movements. These feature minimal modifications, standard finishing, and high utility. Priced between five thousand and fifteen thousand, they are suitable for the Chinese middle class. Rado; Movado; Eterna (quality differs from Porsche Design); Xemex; Revue Thommen; Perrelet; Schwarz Etienne; Longines; Fortis; Minera; Jacques Etoile; Daniel Jean-Richard; German brands: Tutima; Sinn; Nivrel (one of the few brands still using LEMANIA8810); Muehle; Nomos; Rainer Brand; Hanhart; Stowa (Joerg Schauer); Sothis; Temption.
Note 2: There are high-end pieces within Category Two, such as those with 2892 perpetual calendar modules or those using Zenith movements, which are also quite expensive. The classification primarily refers to their overall standard and market positioning.

6. Class Three: Affordable watches using basic ETA movements, but with guaranteed quality from authentic manufacturers. Most are priced under ten thousand RMB and serve as essential pieces for watch enthusiasts.
ORIS; Tissot; HAMILTON; MIDO; ZENO; MARCELLO C; DAVOSA; and some smaller German brands using ETA (including 7750, UNITAS), such as LIMES, KAUFMANN, LACO, etc.

7. Category Four: Old European and American brands that are still active but have been acquired by Asian companies, along with some low-end brands targeting only the Asian market. They use cheap ETA or Japanese movements. The quality is acceptable, and they are priced around one to two thousand. Most of the "Swiss watches" commonly encountered by the Chinese public fall into this category:
Titoni; Enicar; Mido; Cyma; Ebel; Pronto; Olma; Doxa; Sandoz; Nivada; Alsta; Bulova, etc.
There are also some Swiss quartz watches that should belong to Category Four: Swatch; Certina. German Junghans atomic watches. Russian Poljot chronographs (replicas of Swiss 7734 movements).

8. Category Five: Seiko; Citizen; Orient (Double Lion); Casio; Russian Poljot alarm watches and Raketa (former military watches).
Note 3: I have not had contact with Credor or Grand Seiko; they might be self-aggrandised by the Japanese, or perhaps overly disparaged by some watch enthusiasts. I think they could be classified as Category Two at most.

9. Category Six: Mainland Chinese watches. These watches were previously overrated, and now they should return to their rightful place. However, I would prefer to see a Category One watch brand made in China. Do you think that day will come?

Due to the disappearance of many small Swiss watch brands and the scarcity of French and British watches (of which there are currently a few), my classification has become easier. Overall, the hierarchy in today's watch world remains clear: the low-to-mid, mid, and mid-to-high tiers are occupied by ETA, leaving little room for actual choice for those of us suited to this price range. This highlights the predicament of the modern mechanical watch manufacturing industry and the dominance of the Swatch Group!
The brands I have listed refer to Swiss watch magazines, and most are mechanical watches. Several categories of brand watches have not been included:

1. Works by most independent watchmakers: Because they are not as established as Franck Muller and are highly variable, featuring both complicated and simple models, they are difficult to evaluate. For example, Kiu Tai Yu has both highly sought-after tourbillons and simple ETA-movement watches with his signature dial.

2. Brands not yet familiar to domestic or even international enthusiasts, with relatively low-key promotion, concentrated in small circles. For example: Graham; Urban Jürgensen; Kurth (a German family of watchmakers producing limited editions using old stock movements); Harwood (the old brand that invented the automatic rotor watch); Bovet. Some have unknown movement origins, making quality difficult to judge.

3. Fashion, jewellery, and stationery brand watches: These are not known for watchmaking and often outsource production, resulting in uneven quality. Examples include Dunhill; Montblanc; Bucherer (a watch retailer); Harry Winston; Tiffany; Louis Vuitton; Chanel; Gucci; Esprit, etc. These watches are highly misleading in China; some people believe that if a pen or clothing is good, the watch must also be good. Although some of these brands produce high-quality watches with good movements, my view is that a knowledgeable watch enthusiast would not buy from a non-specialised watch brand. Just as I wear a Rolex, I would feel foolish wearing a Rolex-branded souvenir hat. I believe that anyone dressed head-to-toe in one brand is either an employee or lacks taste.

IV. There are countless quartz watch brands, most of which are not listed here except for a few influential ones. Generally, ETA movements are of a higher grade than Japanese movements. Both belong to the Category Five or Six level.