The Oldest Watch Brands

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Blancpain – 1735

The oldest watch brand is Blancpain, founded in 1735 by Jehan-Jacques Blancpain. Jehan-Jacques was born in 1693 in Villeret, Switzerland, where he made precision watch parts for other manufacturers from a workshop in his house.

Vacheron Constantin – 1755

Vacheron Constantin was founded in Geneva in 1755 by 24-year-old Jean-Marc Vacheron. While many craftsmen specialised in making components for other master watchmakers, the Swiss horologist decided to complete the whole watch himself instead.

Breguet – 1775

The 18th-century watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet is credited with inventing the tourbillon, the hairspring and the keyless winding system for pocket watches. Many of the innovations used in luxury watches today may never have been invented without his creative genius.

Patek Philippe – 1839

Patek Philippe was founded in 1839 in Geneva, Switzerland, by Polish

immigrants Antoni Patek and Franciszek Czapek. They had both left the military to start a new life in Switzerland, where they met.

Piaget – 1874

Piaget has a reputation for creating ultra-slim watches with exceptional precision. The brand was launched in La Côte-aux-Fées, Switzerland, in 1874 by Georges-Édouard Piaget, who set up his first workshop at 19. He lived by the ethos, “Always do better than necessary.”

Audemars Piguet – 1875

Audemars Piguet was launched in 1875 in Le Brassus, Switzerland, by local watchmakers Edward Auguste Piguet and Jules Louis Audemars. Piguet, aged 22, and Audemars, 24, were known for creating complex watch movements. The brand has always been known as an innovator, creating new techniques and complicated mechanisms.

Bvlgari – 1884

Bvlgari was launched in 1884 by Greek silversmith Sotirios Voulgaris, who was born in the village of Kalarites in 1857. One of 11 children living in an impoverished region, he learned his trade from his grandfather, Constantine.

Rolex – 1905

Rolex watches have been adorning the wrists of the rich and famous since 1905 when the company was founded in London by German watchmaker Hans Wilsdorf.

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