The watch Journey – Watch Brand Tier List Summary

To conclude this year’s watch brand tier list I have to reiterate that there are many more notable watch brands that can be covered. However this is not a watch or horological website merely an automotive biased blog. As a result this tier list covers the Mall brands aka watch brands you see in the larger general shopping centres, malls, shopping strips and duty free at the international airports. 

So for 2024/2025 my current watch brand tier list and summary is as follows: 

1 – Grand Seiko:
The watch brand if you want quiet luxury watch. It meets all the things you can think off a Japanese brand should be making. They are very rare too.
2 – Casio – G-Shock:
The watch brand if you want durability and tech. Unique and unmatched designs and materials.
3 – Seiko:
The watch brand that covers everything you’d want except smart watches. 
4 – Omega and Longines:
Traditional swiss made watches that are almost affordable to most people. 
5 – Hamilton and Tag Heuer:
Popular Swiss made watches, one American and one Swiss built on pop culture in the movies and war. 
Citizen:
Makes good watches but design and materials often let it down. 
6 – Tissot:
Want to be Swiss version of Seiko but falls short due to quality shortfalls in real life presentation and overly exaggerated aka ‘glowing’ reviews by ‘independent’ influencers that say send me watched to try. 
7 – Swatch:
Niche market for the trend setter and the fashion focused. Great collab models let down by over pricing. However the collab marketing in particular can be measured and priceless influence for the hard to reach younger crowd. 
8 – Fashion Brands:
Only if a fashion brand means more to you than actual time or an actual watch brand. 
9 – Tudor:
For those who can’t afford the equivalent Rolex. Arguably a fashion brand as the brand has no real horological impact. They are overpriced under engineered especially for a Rolex copy manufacturer.  
10 – Rolex:
Nice watches but really for those who simply are willing to buy into the marketing. They make millions of the same watches every year so way too common and generic for me. To be honest it is about the second hand dealers believing their own hype. It’s like a high ground stance built on a pillar of ice in a world of climate change.