What are the top 3 investment watches?
The most sought-after models often come from the Big Three brands: Rolex, Patek Philippe, and Audemars Piguet, which together still account for about 64% of secondary market value. According to data from early 2026, the majority of Rolex and Audemars Piguet models are selling above retail. But I believe in a new holy trinity of watches for the non-billionaire class, composed of three alternative brands: Nomos Glashütte of Germany, Grand Seiko of Japan and Tudor of Switzerland.Both brands represent exceptional quality in the luxury watch market. Patek Philippe wins for traditional craftsmanship and exclusivity, while Rolex excels in innovation, reliability, and accessibility. The “better” choice depends on your personal priorities, lifestyle, and budget.Lange & söhne, omega, glashütte original, rolex, chopard, audemars piguet, or iwc: many of the major watch brands offer models that are suitable alternatives to popular patek philippe watches.The chances of being able to buy a watch from Patek Philippe is the same as trying to walk in and buy a brand new Rolex Daytona… Slim to none. This is because most of the collections from the brand have an extensive waitlist that stem from under a year to around 8 years at the time of writing.
What is the Big 4 of watches?
Today, we are going to take a look at what some have dubbed the watch industry’s big four: audemars piguet, rolex, richard mille, and patek philippe. Each of these hallowed brands has its own distinct story, character, and style. Audemars piguet is the 7th most recognized swiss luxury watch brand in the world, whereas patek philippe is the 3rd most recognized swiss watchmaker. Audemars piguet is considered one of the most prestigious watchmakers in the world and as mentioned earlier, is one of the holy trinity of watchmaking.