the thing with Casio and Seiko is that they introduce and bring people into the watch community. Without Seiko, I would not be into mechanical watches (or watches at all).
EXACTLY!! I couldn't agree more! My first mechanical was an Orient, then a Seiko and a Casio, and that's how I got into watches. These brands introduce you to the beautiful world of horology.
@@botrytis_cinerea just because you own breitling right? He put vacheron in meh category and ap in just i want one, and it didn’t bother you, but it bothers you that he puts some decent watch in waste of money? He also explained why.
Most real watch guys don't have high regard for Rolex mainly because of the reasons he stated about the snobbery surrounding the brand and how the dealers or at least most of them treat their customers. Great watches but not the best customer service
Breitling is in the same category as Gucci..... c’mon, you can’t be serious. 50’s Breitling Premier, Navitimers, Chronomat (matte Blackbird!)... They are not a waste of money. These are great watches with a lot of history.
Tissot has many historic horological achievements under their belt. You wouldn’t own a watch with a date, or any ana-digi dual face without them. They invented the antimagnetic watch, they were the first to mass-produce a pocket watch so that everyone could own a watch, and they made the first widely available world-time. Tissot is a legit brand that everyone should own at least a single piece from, just to pay respect to everything they’ve done to help preserve the watch industry, especially during the quartz crisis.
I don't like how he didn't (in fact couldn't) justify his "meh" judgement on Tissot watches. That just shows that his ranking of watches in this video sucks; no consistent criteria is used.
@@ImissSaganCarl Take everything this "watch expert" says with a grain of salt. He is either very biased, some sort of marketer for a company, or he got in to watches as a hobby and read a few forum posts. Tissot is an incredible company with connections to Omega since 1930, when they merged.
The funniest part is him saying that Zenith “make watches to make money” - does he really think that Rolex and the rest are doing this for fun?? Rolex make a good product, but every poser under the sun wants one. To compare Lange with Rolex and rate the latter is simply a joke and betrays a complete lack of understanding about how true watch collectors think…….
The fact you rate Cartier and Bulgari above Vacheron Constantin tells me you are not a connoisseur. You criticized Vacheron for being owned by Richemont - well who do you think owns Cartier, Lange & Söhne, and Jaeger-LeCoultre?
Ulysee Nardin - The pioneer of using silicon parts in watchmaking. Zenith - One of the best watchmaker in the world which supplied chronograph movements to Rolex in the past. Piaget - Created the thinnest mechanical watch in the world. And you rated these brands Meh and Waste of $ lol
History and legacy is all good and all but would you actually pay for their watches? I would and do own a Zenith, but the other two? Hell no. Waste of their heritage and my money imho.
We have Breitling with freaking Gucci... he even said out loud, Gucci isn't even a watch brand. Breitling came out with the first like analog computer in the navitimer and lets face it, we all wanted one growing up. lol I own one, it actually keeps better time than the rolex's, omega, glashute, etc and the bracelet is like silk. At least put it in freaking meh
Exactly, this guy knows nothing lol. And also Ulysse Nardin is not a cheap or affordable brand that he can see “popularity” with it you have to be rich to afford one of them which is why only rich Russians our of the Russians he refers to own them. He’s full of ish.
@@chrishammer5925 no Breitling really is shit, I admit this guy doesn’t know his own ear to his arse but I have to agree on Breitling. It’s just a watch for poor people who like to show off a chunky watch. Terrible brand.
@@mosheshaul7025 yeah, not like a ROLEX... It is a brand for really smart people, who liked to be treated like shit and are desperately to show other people their mass produced, over-prized, mediocre watch. "Look", I own a Rolex, muh
Crazy that you say Zenith is a "waste of money", the brand offers some remarkable pieces that are well respected. Indeed, it was Rolex that was relying on Zenith movements for the original Daytona; so Zenith has every right to design the current watch this way. Also, as a watch expert, it is surprising that you do not mention Blancpain or Tudor, both of which are big players with strong offerings which cannot simply be written off. Even Oris is worthy of being discussed, which has an extensive history, is still owned independently and has not succumbed to the Swatch Group etc.
@@fpl66 tbh brietling, tag, and longiness is for young adult who cant afford higher artistry. Dont hold value, and meh quality material. Sorry daddy man reality hurts.
You're a watch expert? You said about the Piaget that the Polo is nice, that's their base watch. They make some the finest tourbillon, skeleton and other haute horology watches in the world. You said Zenith copies the Daytona when Rolex used the El Primero movement for years and obviously Zenith makes some of the most accurate and reliable movements in the industry. Not to mention their Defy Classic series is just really cool. You get a lot of watch for the money, especially if you buy used. I am not even going to get into the things you said about Vacheron Constantine it is so ridiculous. The fact the watch of theirs you know is the overseas shows you are just a normal everyday watch collector and only know the mainstream hyped watches in Instagram. I would recommend doing some studying before your next video and leave the rankings to actual watch experts or say rankings by a watch enthusiast, which is fine, but you are definitely not an expert. I am not trying to be mean, just honest feedback.
@@watchcraft I think you can not like whatever you want to not like, for whatever reason, but when you say rankings by a watch expert you would assume the best watch brands would be judged and listed on a variety of non-objective things that most, if not all watch experts would agree on. With some personal opinions about style preference here and there having some impact. And maybe some hot takes that others disagree with, but backed with some facts not just style opinion. You just judged some of the industry's more well know brands and their most mainstream / hyped watch based on whether or not you like how it looks. Lol. There's a lot more to a watch brand than that. And for some of the bigger names in haute horology like Breguet, or Blancpain; just for a few of the names that start with the letter B that should have been on this list, shows you are an enthusiast at best, judging some of the well know watches you know. Again, nothing wrong with that, but not an expert.
I would bet a great deal of money that he deliberately placed some of these watches in much lower categories than what his actual opinion of them would rank them. To make a successful RU-vid video, you need a lot comment activity, and for a RU-vidr the dislike button is just as good as the like button.
@@eugenekalashnokov1525 that may be, but I haven't watched a single other video from this channel. He completely discredits himself as an expert with some of the rankings and wild comments.
Grand Seiko should be in the grail category for the development and availability of spring drive. Greatest innovation in the last 50 years and their quality in producing extraordinary time pieces is up there and indeed higher than the best.
@@romteb My collection consists of about 25 watches of all types. I have 3 GS's. They indeed are superior to my Rolex, and Omega. But yes the bracelet could be improved (a bit harsh to say it's worse than a $200 watch) 😁 but the spring drive is incredible. Most of my Japanese watches are better than the Swiss counterparts. My Casio Oceanus collection is superior to the Swiss as well. The Japanese make a superior time piece and the relentless pursuit of perfection (save the slight drawback on the Snowflake bracelet regards no microadjust) is apparent. But your comment is well taken and that's the fun part of collecting and supporting given brands or favorite concepts. Modest Seiko are/can be impressive. But the largest watchmaker in the world is Apple! So lots of ways to look at it. 🤣
@Sarfaraz Is that because your favorite tennis player or celebrity wears a Rolex and you want your sorry ass to be like them? Rolex made in massive quantities by machines for wannabees who don't appreciate quality time pieces but rather artificial hype. All of the GS movements are technically superior and their pursuit of perfection puts the Swiss to shame. OK, wear your Rolex and pretend your Roger Federer because in most other ways you're simply a loser. You'd be better off saving your money and getting a "Folex" out of a China hot shop that will go well with your "I need an image piece to make me a man".
I agree. I have a Tag Carrara for over 10 years that looks great with zero problems. Don't listen to these idiots! They get paid to hype certain brands and shit on others.
Kripperino. Why do serious watch collectors ALWAYS have numerous Rolex's in their collections then? Maybe it's you who doesn't know much about watches..
Zenith El Primero has a Hi-Beat 36000 bph movement, which makes it possible to measure 1/10 second with the chronograph. Grand Seiko is the only other company that has that in a large scale.
rating zenith badly is nonsensical. not only do they produce 36,000vph movements regularly for chronographs, but they also produce the 360,000vph chronographs for 1/100th second timing. and rolex used zenith movements in the first daytonas, and zenith's automatic chronograph was the first of its kind, and the company has existed since 1865. absolutely undeniable importance that zenith has had in the watchmaking industry
I bought a Rolex while my Breitling was being serviced (takes a couple of months) and the Rolex was losing time from day 1! Took it back to the Rolex authorized dealer and the reply was: "...if you wanted a watch to tell you the precise right time you bought the wrong watch!". And for those who have not had the pleasure service cost run four figures! Prefer my Breitling anyday ( and the titanium is light and warm). Also prefer my Longines to my Rolex. But that's just my experience and humble opinion.
Started collecting this year 2/3 of my collection are chronographs,now I hear servicing can be half the value of the watch. I think ill just wear mine as jewelry & get the time off my phone! Lol
A. Lange, while not Swiss, has easily replaced Constantin in the Trinity. Rolex is the LAST watch I want on my wrist. If you show me your Rolex, what am I seeing that I haven't seen for the last 20 years? It's a mass-produced, factory-line watch. And don't say it has "Heritage." It's boring, uninspiring, and trite. Ranking it with Patek is criminal.
Rolex is not the best made product, but it is the best brand and for many reasons as he rightfully mentioned. Everything you said about Rolex is wrong, the opposite is in fact true.
You've failed to say which watch you wear??? If you would never wear a Rolex because they are "mass produced, factory line" watches, then your own watch must be something very special indeed. Would Love to know what it is???
A Lange & Sohne should be on top for sure. Rolex is a mass marketed watch. The top 3 should be Lange, Patek and Journe without a doubt. These are superlative examples of watchmaking by any horology metric. Agree with most everything else.
Lange is the only watch maker in the world that build watches, run them and then dismantle them and inspect for flaws! For this reason alone Lange should be the only grail watch. The Ultra High Level engineering that goes into it’s hand made watches Is simply unparalleled in the industry! Rolex Will Never be at this level. Heavy advertising primarily make rolex what it is today
It doesnt always have to be about horology, its about waht that watch represants and we all know that A lange and Jaeger are nowhare near as desirable as a rolex.
mostly agree with everything but Zenith to the bin, really, a prestigious brand with history that powered some Rolex Daytonas till recently? and to me thryre priced well although they are way underrated
with Breitling you get so much more in terms of complications and functions vs rolex. best rolex has to offer is a annual calender in sky-dweller while for less you can get the super chronomat 44 which has a semi perpetual calender for example
Breitling is a true Swiss legend. Rolex is a modern legend and the current kings of mass produced watches. Breitling just needs to update their stuff(and stop making watches over 43mm). They kinda stuck in the 2000s. The brand isn't going anywhere. They will come around again and everyone is going to act like they were always huge fans.
@@christopherlee4648 I've just bought the Navitimer B01 in green, it's 46mm and I love it, there's a lot going on so the large format works, IMHO, I've a decent sized wrist at 20mm but I accept it's not for everyone
I agree with most of the things you're saying except for the fact that zenith is not a waste of money it's pretty well made watch, and they have strong designs. They just don't advertise for s***, I don't know the single celebrity or athlete who has a zenith deal
@@watchcraft you've never seen a Ulysses nardin in person huh? Makes a Rolex look like a Walmart watch. Also zenith is far better than Rolex. Your not a watch guy more of a lifestyle value guy. It's not a problem. Take care
If you do your homework you'll find that Zenith didn't rip off the Daytona.... they were the ones producing the Daytona movement for many years! It's kind of ridiculous to accuse them of ripping off their own work. If you have Rolex on your Holy Grail list...Zenith is there as well via Rolex. Rolex makes a beautiful bracelet....not a great timepiece!
What’s your criteria? Horology? Brand value? Historical significance? Your list is nothing more than a watch geeks personal taste. Your list ignores heritage, horological mastery, prestige, brand status, value ….. everything that Should be considered when compiling a list. Just call this “watches I like”
You almost pulled off providing a convincing and credible rating but by putting Rolex in the holy grail category you exposed yourself as having drank the Rolex cool aid.
Did not think of Breitling being so low on the list. I love the Super Avengers, Hurricanes. Really hard to find a good alternative in the 48mm or more segment. Oh well, maybe some day i will be able to afford one :)
Definetly dont agree with Zenith. A brand very well known for their interesting beat frequencies and iconic movements. As a "watch expert" he should know that Zenith even made movements for his holy grail Daytona at one point and he should never judge a whole brand based of of one watch, while i dont even see big resemblances to the Daytone in the El Primero, like yeah its a chronograph with a white dial and a black bezel, if thats copying then you could call a sea dweller a copy of a submariner and a yacht master a copy of a sea dweller. 🤦♂️
Agreed. Zenith was treated a bit unfairly here and maybe should have been left out of the rankings as the expert clearly hasn't taken the time to do his research to provide an informative opinion...or facts.
@@watchcraft hey man, its my opinion, im not the "expert" here i dont know why you are so sensitive about someone having a different opinion compared to yours. Grow up
My collection, Seiko got 50%. I wear a great Seiko at about 70% of the time. Seiko brand is very special and offers a variety of completely different technologies that satisfies any Men’s wristwatch enthusiast.
The watches made by Roger W Smith (on the Isle of Man) are the ultimate in handmade watches. He not only designs and builds the watches, but actually makes every single part himself.
It’s so nice to know that I am not the only one who knows nothing about watches. VC has just has just one model ?? Rolex is holy grail ? What a silly video
Rolex - For me, Rolex is the Mercedes C-Class of watches. People like to shout about the name, but what they're actually getting, is a Renault with a Merc badge ru-vid.com?search_query=renault+mercedes For the money, I want to be individual, I want to feel that my purchase is special, I don't want to run with the crowd, I don't want what everyone else has! Rolex, is just too common!
For me I would say Grand Seiko is the most beautiful mechanic watch as it's movement is the best. Patek is cool in presentation and finish but I would say Grand Seiko is the best (patek is the 2nd ofcourse). Rolex is for the brand name I would say, everybody love Rolex, owning a rolex like you say is have a new record in life. If I would chose a watch to go for business I would wear a Grand Seiko, so that they know I being serious and not come there for show off. If I will be on a date with a girl, I would chose a Rolex cause most girl only know about Rolex. and finally If I'm enough success and will hangout with successful friend, the Patek will be the one. :v easy to understand.
Damn… citizen didn’t even get a mention…. I have in my collection a original stainless “ Nighthawk “ that has been running since 2003 I never opened it don’t know if it even takes a battery it is an eco drive….18 years 💪 u tell me any other watch that can say that!!!
I agree with most of what you said. My first automatic watch was a Seiko. And I still have it, wear it, love it. After a few Rolexes and one VC, I just took delivery of a Tudor BB GMT. And I adore this watch. Value for money it must be up there with Seiko. Not sure why Tudor wasn't on your list here.
Facts. I own the Tudor BBGMT as well and it’s pure class (maybe besides sightly large). Tudor is mostly class and is deserving to be on any luxury list.
Vacheron Constantin ''Meh'', Breitling and Zenith ''Wast of $?'' TAG Heuer ''better replica?''...you can't do this! (Ok, TAG Heuer today has really no concept anymore but a good old Carrera with an ETA-Movement is still a good watch for the price... )
Seiko was established in 1881, and it started Grand Seiko in 1960. But it didn’t sell it overseas for long time. I discovered GS when I visited Japan in mid 2000s, I recall. Then I had a chance to ask Seiko people why I couldn’t find GS overseas. They replied “Because it’s troublesome to sell it overseas, i.e., providing maintenance services, etc.” I told them “GO_TO_HELL…..” I am now very glad that Seiko has learned to sell GS overseas.
I know there's not a lot of love for Tag but as a motorsport fan, I really love their racing inspired models: Monza, Monaco, and Carrera. Not exactly high horology but definitely in my want one tier.
@@jimbaxter8488 Agree with that, love them too, I have a Link Chronograph Calibre 16, I will buy a Carrera on a black leather strap when I found a piece for the right price..
VC and apple watch in the same category?! That’s a bit ridiculous to me, other than that I think it’s a good ranking in general with a few disagreements, but thanks for your insightful video.
Not to lower the achievements that Rolex did for the industry, but one can also bring up the same negative point as with hublot, even more so. If you ask a non watch-person, "I want to show off my money, what watch should I buy" you will 95% hear Rolex as an answer. I personally prefer Omega/Zenith/Grand Seiko and even Breitling over Rolex. Btw: I know its subjective but Oris definetily deserves a place in the Video - at least for me the Aquis was the entry-ticket into well-done mechanical watches and convinced me that it's worth to spend more for a watch than the usual fashion watches I bought before :D.
Rolex as holy grail ?? A mass produced assembly line watch with next to zero innovation- over priced and an average watch.. a marketing company that people buy into.. ranking AP and vacheron and A.Lange below Rolex.. this guy - joke .. even zenith and glashutte are above Rolex as well..
Seiko and Casio are 2 brands that are categorise as affordable down to earth time pieces that gives you the impression that they will just last forever!😂💪💪💪
The holy grails are the cliche value watches. Omega makes money, but Rolex isn't. Why? Because it's not a corporation? Rolex literally increases its prices for no apparent reason.
I’m glad he said meh to Longines only because he didn’t careless about the brand, and not because it’s rubbish. I love them, but I respect his opinion. I own 1 Seiko Prestige Limited Edition. Frozen Margerita. Gorgeous beautiful watch. I absolutely love his Flik F Swatch and suit combo! Great video.
Puts Bulgari at the same level as A. Lange & Söhne and rates Vacheron at "meh" for being owned by the Richemont group, when A. Lange & Söhne is also be Richemont. I cannot take this list seriously.
Zenith are a great watch brand, to not class Lange as holy grail watches makes this guy look stupid, especially having rolex up there… in-house brands like vacheron and ulysse nardin in “meh” and hamilton in “want one”?! donkey
I love watching these watch ranking videos mainly for their meh categories, so I can get an idea which brands is good enough to start a collection with but not needing to mortgage my house. I already have a few Casio watches that I wear to specific occassions and one daily drive.
I am in agreement with the exception of Lange. For me, it is one of the holiest of the grail watches The complexity and novelty of the movements along with finishing places it high into the stratosphere of exceptional watches being made in the world today.
Why are some watch enthusiasts so stuck up, Longines has more history than most of the other brands you mentioned then you said ‘I don’t care about the brand’. OK guess you don’t care about the history of watchmaking, meanwhile Hamilton is great 🙄.
You're dead on about Rolex; every time I've made a significant amount of money in business I've always bought one for myself as a reward for winning. Growing up it was the carrot that I chased and always told myself I'd buy myself one when I hit a certain dollar amount. I have 3 now (16613, 16263 and a 116660) and alternate wearing them because I love the watches and could give a shit what people think. Liked and Subbed, nice work.
I know more about watches than you mate ??/ what are you doing here putting jacob and co in the same category as HUBLOT??? also omega and cartier WITH BVLGARI??? THIS IS NOT A PROPER WATCH BRAND AFTER ALL THEY MAKE PERFUMES
Seiko is what pulls me into understanding about watches, love watch collecting and Rolex what makes me become so called “watch addiction.” Patek what makes me stop thinking “is there anything better? “
He mentions Casio, Seiko, Swatch, "designer" watches. and even toy, cartoon watch, but leaves out *Citizen* . Some "watch expert" 😆. And that's why this video has 1/3 Dislikes. (+1 more now) 👎
I always think of Hamilton as the American equivalent of Rotary: a perfectly good enough watch brand but which is virtually unknown outside of its parent country. Apparently Hamilton watches have appeared in over 40 Hollywood films, but you could have fooled me - until I started to take an interest in watches, which was quite recently, I'd never heard the name. I just have the impression that they have been pushed outside of their genuine status as a brand by the sheer power of the American marketing machine. For this reason I personally don't regard Hamilton as a genuine "status" brand, and would never buy one.
Hamilton made great watches. American watches were of the same caliber as Swiss watches in their day. Just because you know nothing about them doesn't negate their place in history.
I'm sure Hamilton watches are perfectly fine. So are Accurist watches, even still today. But neither is truly a "prestige" brand. I stand by my original comment: Hamiltom owes its "status" to relentless product placement. And since when were American watches mentioned in the same breath as the Swiss and Japanese?
@@nobbynoris In their heyday, they were on par with any watch in the world. Their pocket watches were renown for their accurate time keeping and ruggedness. Again, I'm not talking about the Swatch iteration but the American brand. If you do your research, American brands were indeed in the same league. Hamilton also produced the first electric watch in the 50's and digital Pulsar in the early 70's, as well as supplying marine chronometers to the US military.
VC is my grail ; I almost bought it, but every time I was about to pull a trigger, something happens and I change my mind. I love VC Patrimony and Overseas. It cost big money, every time I was about to pay, when I start thinking how much money I will lose and how bad is the secondary market, I cancel my desire to buy one.
Hublot is doing the exact same thing that Rolex did, literally word for word on how you described Hublot 😂😂 So Hublot should either be a "Holy Grail" or Rolex is "Buy Replica" as well.
Rolex used the movement from the El Primero, renamed by Rolex as the Caliber 4030, for the Daytona. If a watch brand from the Holy Grail category uses a movement developed by a brand that is in the waste of $ category, shouldn't the developing brand be given more credit? Vacheron Constantin also has some of the world's most complicated movements. I do not see what's so "meh" about the brand. Someone should really check this "experts" credibility.
Puts Zenith, Chopard, Piaget, Tag, Breitling below Tissot and Apple watch, and ALS below Rolex.... The guy clearly doesn't know what he's talking about
I would say AL&S is God Tier and without peer.To the average person,nobody knows about watches other than Rolex or G-Shock.To Enthusiasts,AL&S is the gold standard.
Thanks. Yes IWC is interesting because it ticks all the boxes to be considered one of the greats in the business. But it just doesn't speak to me. So yeah, Meh brand for me :-) but that's just personal preference.
You don’t give any examples of specific model numbers and why you like or dislike the brands. You say nothing specific about why the movement is good or bad. Just another Rolex fanboy probably wearing a replica.
Rolex doesn't make a grand complication. Rolex have ZERO heritage as an inhouse movement maker. Zilch. In fact they don't have their own dial or bracelet production in house until they decided to buy the off the shelf parts companies they'd been rebranding as Rolex for decades. Even one better.. a truly inhouse Rolex movement did NOT power the core Rolex lineup until about 8 years AFTER Hublot was founded by Tony Ravioli. And the quality of Rolex watches was nothing to write home about until they recently started to drastically increase their prices. Rolex watches from the 80s had really cheap bracelets that sounded like they were made from Pepsi cans. The first time I held a Submariner in my hand in the 80s I remember being really unimpressed. An as far as accuracy well at least the Oyster Quartz was one reliable Rolex. But ironically those unreliable Rolex movements could be serviced by an experienced watchmaker. Now that Rolex have finally gone inhouse on everything the independent watch makers will all be SOL. Rolex are doing the Apple method of you don't have right to repair because we're going to make it difficult without special Rolex parts and tools that will cost independent watchmakers an arm and leg. And this phoney holding back on production when they are a mass producer is just a clever way of making you think Rolex is exclusively produced like A. Lange or Richard Mille. Here is the correct ranking of watches 1. Patek 2. Vacheron, Breguet 3. AP (one trick pony), JLC, Blanc Pain, and A. Lange. 4. Cartier, IWC, Zenith, Breitling 5. Rolex, Heuer, Omega, FPJ, Grand Seiko, RM (upstarts and Omega king of too many special editions) 6. Hublot, Panerai, Gallet, Mido
In past 5 years Breitling,Zenith and Cartier improved their watches much more than any other brand! Breitling only needs to start making more smaller cases like 40-42mm
Having owned many Patek, including ultra thin perpetual, a few Lange, including Dataograph, many Rolex over many years, FP Journe Calendrier, AP RO, and just about every other brand over the years, Lange is on par with Patek with respect to design, complications and finishing. Datograph movement was finest finish of any watch bar none. Very different aesthetics, and in that aspect, Patek wins for me. Breguet should be in the mix somewhere.
Definitely no Watch Expert ---- he may may be watch enthusiast but is very mainstream and the way he goes on about Rolex he must be smoking something. Rolex are good watch but are boring in terms of movement and advancing technology. He totally forgot to mention Blancpain - the oldest watchmaker in the world and pioneered the Divers's watch. The video was a bit of a waste of time. Zenith and Piaget are definitely should be placed in higher category.
Please comment on the frequently overlooked brand CITIZEN. To me these watches are high quality and what sets them apart is of course the eco drive feature. I am a huge fan of this brand especially their pro master series.
@@condorkon7928 a watch that costs a quarter a million couldn't keep accurate time that of a quartz watch.... It's all about marketting and brand value that goes into the pricing, for this reason I prefer Grand Seiko over Rolex.
