One of our customers recently emailed me, asking me to write a little more about the luxury goods companies producing jewelry and watches. As it turned out, many people, especially those who are new to the hobby, are a bit confused about watch brands that are „on their own” and those that belong to a certain holding group.
Actually, I’ve been emailed with similar requests a couple of months ago, but I kind of disregarded them, thinking it wasn’t as relevant. But, with the recent email, I concluded that people do care about the membership of a watchmaking house to a certain corporation. If you think a little bit deeper, it makes sense. Some corporations have gained profound knowledge and expertise. And once you hear that a certain (unknown) brand belongs to it, you automatically associate it with the quality standards of the big holding. Thus, the little brand gains credibility and public appreciation.
Similarly, some customers adore the idea that some brands are „on their own”. A good example is Rolex, obviously. A brand that created its history from scratch and developed its own craftsmanship is worth all the attention.
Either way, I decided to begin by enumerating the watch brands belonging to the Richemont Group. This Switzerland-based company owns a wide spectrum of luxury goods including jewelry, leather goods, and accessories like watches.
Most iconic Richemont watch brands
This conglomerate includes watch brands with unique historical highlights and specific aesthetic DNA. Even though each of the brands has its peculiar distinctive characteristics, all of them share the same premium-level quality. There are more than 20 watch brands under the Richemont Group ownership. Each one of them deserves to be on the radar of watch lovers due to their impeccable quality and expertise. Here are the most remarkable brands from the Richemont Group that made history.
Lange & Sohne
Lange & Sohne is actually a German watchmaking brand, even though many beginners in the watch realms confusingly think of it as being a Swiss brand. Its roots began in 1845 in Glashutte. World War II and the Cold War period seriously affected the development of this brand, making it interrupt its production for a certain period of time. Luckily, the brand resumed its activity in 1990, and due to the grandson of the brand’s founder, A. Lange & Sohne regained its confidence, as well as its leading position in the horological realm.
Despite the long cease, the brand invested all its forces and knowledge into the creation of spectacular collections. As a result, line-ups like Lange 1 and the recent Odysseus proved that the brand never lost its artistry. More than that, notable models like 1815 and Zeitwerk also represent remarkable brand flagships, making it one of the most sought-after watchmaking houses.
Baume & Mercier
We rarely had Baume & Mercier replicas in our store. And my question is: Why? I shall probably bring up the question to AAAReplica managers. I truly find these timepieces spectacular, and I think people know too little about them. At least, watch enthusiasts that embrace the replica watch hobby.
Either way, the current version of the Baume & Mercier brand has existed since 1918 but joined the Richemont group only in 1988. Looking from the technical perspective, the brand is by no means inferior to most reputable brands. It creates pretty decent chronographs and perpetual calendars.
In addition, most (if not all) of its watches run on Swiss-made modules and calibers. More than that, the brand has recently taken the challenge to build its own in-house mechanisms. If you are curious to test a watch with an in-house brand’s movement, consider the Clifton lie-up. This one is a masterful sporty-elegant collection. Similar remarkable collections include the Classima, Riviera, and Hampton.
Cartier
Plenty of watch enthusiasts (probably, all of them) know about the iconic Cartier. Though, few are familiar with the fact that it belongs to the Richemont Group. Many refer to this French brand as the „King of Jewelers and Jeweller of Kings”. I will not explain this affirmation in detail, as I think it’s all pretty clear. Though, I think I must remind you once again that the Santos collection has made history in 1911 when it first appeared and still makes it nowadays. More than that, this line is among the favorites here in our AAAReplica store.
This brand’s unique Art Deco spirit has substantially influenced the horological design concept. In this context, I must not omit mentioning the Tank line, as well as the Pasha collection. While other Richemont watch brands seem to predominantly focus on the technical aspect, Cartier brings about a strong sense of style to the forefront.
Another ground for excelling is the development of in-house complications on which the brand has been deeply focused lately. In this context, check it out for the recent „Mysterious” complications that make the dial elements visually „float”.
On the whole, Cartier has a specific and atypical design. Even though it preserves a strong sense of classics, each timepiece comes with a unique design approach. The most resounding collections include the Ballon Bleu, Panther, and Santos, among others.
IWC
I was surprised to discover that many watch enthusiasts embracing the replica watch hobby think that the IWC brand is on its own, just like the Rolex. Sorry, guys, it’s not just like that.
Its beginning was a humble one; the brand started by building ornate pocket watches. Further on, it continuously improved and upgraded its watchmaking skills, becoming one of the most prominent names in the industry. The „selling point” of IWC is tits aviator watches. At least, for me. IWC makes it like no other. To prove my point of view, take into account the Big Pilot and Top Gun families. What I like the most about the IWC strategy is that it always looks to partnering with strong associates to create phenomenal collections. In this context, the Top Gun collection has been designed in association with the U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School. Doesn’t it sound powerful?!
Another distinctive IWC advantage is its courage of taking the lead in using new materials. Therefore, this brand has been a pioneer in opting for ceramic and titanium materials. The courage led to phenomenal success, as most of us know. Other collections worth mentioning include my favorite Portugieser, Aqua Timer, and Portofino. Glad to let you know that most of these collections are available in the store currently.
Jaeger LeCoultre
The next precious watchmaking brand is Jaeger LeCoultre. „Precious”- is due to the iconic Reverso, Atmosphere Clock, Master control, and Polaris one-ups. Similar to Cartier, Jaeger LeCoultre has a specific description in the watch world: The Watchmaker of Watchmakers.
I had the chance to visit its headquarters in the Swiss Jura mountains recently. I’ve exposed my experience in one of my recent posts, so take a look if you’re curious to find out why Swiss watchmaking brands are so expensive.
In short, this brand has produced more than 1,200 in-house calibers. Are there any doubts about its impeccable reputation?!
If the answer is yes then you should also know that the Vatican keeps the largest Jaeger LeCoultre collection in the whole world: all of them refer to Atoms clocks. Sounds fabulous, doesn’t it?
Montblanc
Actually, people recognize this brand for its premium luxury pens and luxury leather goods. Lately, the brand has been striving to funnel its premium quality standards into watchmaking. Was it a successful move? Definitely. Especially considering that the Richemont Group took it under its wing. To make it short, just take a look at the 1858 Geosphere. This line-up embodies the best cosmopolitan spirit of the brand. The line takes inspiration from the legendary Minerva watches specifically for the ’20-’30 period, preserving a strong sense of return to nature.
Other inspiring collections include the star Legacy and Timewalker. In the same train of ideas, the Montblanc offers pretty affordable timepieces for its luxury status.
Panerai
Here is another watchmaking brand leading watch enthusiasts into confusion: Panerai. This brand traces to 1860 and takes its roots in Italy. Later on, it was taken over by the Richemont Group. The most popular model from the Panerai collection is the Radiomir, whose replica version remains the most demanded from all the brand’s collections.
History tells us that Radiomir watches were initially addressed to military clientele exclusively. With the affiliation of the brand with the Richemont Holding Group, the line became available to the general audience.
The specific design of Panerai, especially the Luminor and Radiomir lines, made the watches highly attractive to plenty of Hollywood celebrities. Therefore, Sylvester Stalone and Arnold Schwarzenegger have been the indirect ambassadors of these retro-military timepieces, assuring the brand’s success over the world.
Piaget
Piaget is another „sibling” from the Richmont big family. It’s curious to notice how the brand is predominantly recognizable for its jewelry, considering that it has been making watches since its very beginning. In fact, its first vector was movement production. Later on, in the 20th century, it took the challenge to assemble watches „from head to toe”. And the challenge turned out to bring a successful outcome.
Many are Piaget’s accomplishments throughout its history. It built the thinnest self-winding movement in the world, not to mention the invention of the fabulous Caliber 12P. The latest horological victory of the brand is the Altiplano Ultimate concept. The line underwent several iterations and the latest 2020 version came with just a 2mm thick case and movement.
The Polo line should also be highlighted in this context. This collection comes with a delight of design, merging sporty charisma with an elegant one.
Roger Dubuis
This brand appeared in 1995, so it’s a relatively new member of the horological realm. Still, it gained quick recognition due to the craftsmanship of its high complications and tourbillons. You might wonder how such a young brand could achieve such spectacular results in just several years. In fact, the answer is simple: Roger Dubois was a former director at Patek Philippe. Now, you can imagine the expertise and competencies he had at the moment he founded his own brand.
In 2008, the brand owned the big Group, leaving behind its founder. I’m not sure why exactly Dubois decided to retire, but the brand went on striving for high technology and design.
The collection with the most resounding echo is Excalibur, obviously. The brand invested in this line with all its expertise and competencies. We can admire the output of these efforts in the iconic tourbillon and double tourbillon pieces.
A recent iteration of the Excalibur line introduced the Spider Pirelli Ice Zero 2 model- a wonderful result of the Dubois collaboration with the Pirelli motorsports brand.
Vacheron Constantin
Many watch enthusiasts hardly believe that this brand doesn’t operate on its own. Honestly, I was one of those a decade of years ago, when I had no idea about the horological universe. As a matter of fact, this brand is one of those that capture the attention not only with its uninterrupted history and craftsmanship but with its philosophy as well. At least, it worked on me. The philosophy under which the brand builds its history states the following „Do better if possible, and that is always possible”.
I, being somewhat inclined to philosophical thinking, find a powerful meaning in these words. They suggest high ambitions and determination in accomplishing them. Hence, we currently know Constantin Vacheron as one of the most prodigious watchmaking brands. To prove that, it’s enough to explore the Traditionelle and Patrimony line-ups that are nothing else than the expression of watchmaking excellence.
Apart from these iconic collections, the brand is as professional as it can be in building sports high-end timepieces. In this context, the Overseas collection is the embodiment of sporty power expressed by luxury.
If you want vintage-let it be vintage: the Historique series is a premium vintage collection showcasing the retro style in the most modern way possible.
If you didn’t know, this epic watchmaking brand is also part of the Richemont Holding Group.
Van Cleef & Arpels
Most probably, replica watch enthusiasts are not closely familiar with this brand, as we didn’t have Van Cleef & Arpels imitations in our store. But I wish we did. There is a lot to embrace in this brand’s watches.
The brand has dutch roots and is predominantly recognized for its jewelry. And the jewelry-oriented spirit of the brand is expressively met in its watches’ design. To better understand the brand’s DNA, take a look at the Poetic Complications line. Beautiful name, isn’t it? The collection is even more beautiful.
Other notorious models include the Midnight Planetarium, showcasing a complex yet fabulous dial with planets and the solar system, and the Pierre Arpels which exposes the beauty and exquisiteness of the minimalist style.
Final thoughts
I hope I could bring a little light on the matter and that you now know what watchmaking brands form an entire family. The Richemont Holding Group nurtures innovation, creativity, and distinctive craftsmanship in these brands. As a result, we have what we have: impeccable quality and phenomenally artistic design.
Luckily, most of these brands are available in their replica versions in our store, so we can all contemplate their beauty on our wrists. If you are wondering about Omega, Breguet, or Tissot, know that these appear to belong to another corporation: the Swatch Group, which I’ll be talking about in my next post. See you there!