THE JOURNAL

How many independent watchmakers are left?

News centrePublished 2014-04-04

The new-generation king of watches, Patek Philippe 6002

You may also know that Vacheron Constantin and Cartier belong to the same group, and Omega and Longines belong to the same group as well. Modern watch management tends towards conglomeration. However, in the personality-driven watch world, there are certainly maverick brands that follow their own path. Outside of the three major watchmaking groupsLVMH, Richemont Group,Swatchthereare still many well-known independent watchmaking brands, such as Patek Philippe, Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Girard-Perregaux, Parmigiani Fleurier, Franck Muller, and Chopard. Compared with those brands within the groups, these independent brands are just as popular. In fact, brand conglomeration is more market-oriented because many of their designs and productions remain independent.

LVMH Group: Hublot, Zenith, TAG Heuer, Dior, Fred, Chaumet, Bulgari

Richemont Group: Vacheron Constantin, Baume & Mercier, Jaeger-LeCoultre, A. Lange & Söhne, Cartier, Panerai, IWC, Piaget, Dunhill, Van Cleef & Arpels, Montblanc, Roger Dubuis

Swatch Group: Swatch, Breguet, Blancpain, Jaquet • Droz, Glashütte Original, Omega, Longines, Rado, Hamilton, Tissot, Certina, Mido