Nixon started in Encinitas, California, in 1998, when Andy Laats and Chad DiNenna launched a small watch collection aimed at surf, skate, snowboard, and fashion shops. Instead of copying traditional watch brands, Nixon built its name around bold designs, oversized cases, action-sports culture, music collaborations, and casual everyday watches. Popular collections now include the Time Teller, Sentry, 51-30 Chrono, Regulus, and Siren.
Ralph Lauren started as a necktie business in New York in 1967 and grew into one of America’s best-known luxury lifestyle brands. The company entered serious Swiss watchmaking decades later, introducing its first major watch collections in 2008. Its watches mix Swiss movements with unmistakably Ralph Lauren themes, including polo, classic cars, equestrian style, the American West, and the famous Polo Bear.
Vacheron Constantin began in Geneva in 1755 when Jean-Marc Vacheron hired his first apprentice and formally started passing on his watchmaking skills. François Constantin joined the business in 1819, helping create the name recognized today. Now considered the world’s oldest continuously operating watch manufacture, the brand is famous for exceptionally finished movements, artistic dials, complicated watches, elegant dress pieces, and the sporty Overseas collection.
Burberry began in 1856 when Thomas Burberry opened an outfitting shop in Basingstoke, England. Best known for gabardine, trench coats, and its famous check, the British luxury house later expanded into accessories and Swiss-made watches. Most modern Burberry watches were produced under license by Fossil Group until 2017, so today shoppers usually find them as pre-owned, discontinued, or older-new-stock pieces through specialist dealers and resale marketplaces around the world today.
Van Cleef & Arpels began in Paris in 1906, growing from the marriage of Alfred Van Cleef and Estelle Arpels and the combined talents of their jewelry families. Famous for the Alhambra motif, poetic complications, secret watches, gemstones, and imaginative dial work, the Maison treats watches as wearable works of art rather than simple timekeepers. Its collections now range from elegant quartz models to extremely elaborate mechanical masterpieces.
Hanhart is a German watchmaker best known for rugged pilot chronographs, precision stopwatches, and its instantly recognizable red chronograph pusher. Founded in Switzerland in 1882 by Johann Adolf Hanhart, the company later moved its operations to Germany’s Black Forest. Today, collectors especially appreciate Hanhart’s military-inspired Pioneer models, historically styled 417 and 415 chronographs, modern Primus watches, and limited-production aviation pieces.
Timex traces its history back to 1854, when the Waterbury Clock Company began producing affordable clocks in Waterbury, Connecticut. The company later became Timex and earned a reputation for making durable, practical watches for everyday people. Today, Timex offers simple classics, rugged outdoor watches, retro reissues, sports watches, chronographs, and increasingly popular mechanical models.
Christopher Ward started in 2004 after Mike France, Peter Ellis, and Christopher Ward came up with the idea for an internet-first watch company. The British-Swiss brand became popular by selling directly to customers instead of relying on traditional dealer markups. Its watches combine British design with Swiss manufacturing, covering affordable automatic divers, GMT watches, integrated-bracelet sports models, moonphases, and award-winning chiming watches.
Invicta began in Switzerland in 1837 when Raphael Picard set out to make dependable Swiss watches available at more approachable prices. After being revived under new ownership in the early 1990s, Invicta became known for bold cases, colorful designs, dive watches, licensed character editions, and a huge selection ranging from inexpensive quartz models to elaborate Swiss-movement and diamond watches.
GUESS began in Los Angeles in 1981, when brothers Georges, Maurice, Armand, and Paul Marciano turned their European-inspired denim ideas into an internationally recognized fashion brand. GUESS entered the watch market during the 1980s and became known for bold cases, oversized logos, crystal accents, colorful dials, and trend-focused designs. Today, its watches range from affordable everyday quartz models to statement-making chronographs, automatics, and limited editions for men and women.
