For some people, watches are extremely part of their everyday lives. From everyday work to special events and occasions, there’s surely a watch there that serves for these purposes. If you’re looking for your BIFL-quality watch, it may cost you tons of cash if you do not know what you’re searching for or what to search for.
There’s a wide selection of watches for you to choose from just by the hundreds of brands out there in the market today — luxury timepieces, for everyday wear, the most affordable, the most durable, and so on! To help you streamline your choices, we listed in this article the popular brands that currently serve as the talk of the town.
Brands
Citizen
It started with a simple yet revolutionary concept back in 1976: a watch that never needs a battery. Citizen was the first-ever brand to launch the world’s analog light-powered watch — the Eco-Drive. Their watches generate energy even from dim light and keep running for months even in the dark. Each of their pieces has multi-functions that come in different variations compared to other typical watches. Citizen watches are generally smaller, thinner, and more beautiful. Something you can easily relate with!
Seiko
Started out as a shop selling and repairing watches and clocks in central Tokyo in 1881, after more than 130 years of innovation, the company is still dedicated to the perfection that the founder always strove to achieve. With great history, Seiko screams of the world’s firsts from Japan: a wristwatch, a wristwatch with a stopwatch, a diver’s watch, an automatic chronograph watch equipped with both vertical clutch and column wheel, a quartz watch, a six-digit LCD quartz watch, and many more others!
Hamilton
Considered as The Watch of Railroad Accuracy, the precision of Hamilton pocket watches helped solve this problem of American railroads back in the early days where there was no common method of timing and accidents were frequent. In 1892, Hamilton was founded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The brand began producing pocket watches. Their main focus from the very beginning was on quality and accuracy, and these principles have made Hamilton the internationally renowned watch brand it is today.
Omega
From the moon to the Olympic Games, Omega has been there! For more than 170 years, their timepieces have recorded the planet’s history. They have also served with distinction in space, in the oceans’ depths, and on the wrists of world leaders, explorers, and men and women who appreciate OMEGA’s blend of performance and design. Whether it’s space, sports, or pop culture, the brand has easily preserved its reputation as one of the greatest watch brands in the world because of their pieces’ durability, accuracy, and extreme water-resistant properties.
Casio
From calculators to watches, Casio sure has its magic with numbers! The brand capitalized on its technological expertise from developing electronic calculators to create a machine that showed a running calculation of each second that passes along with the number of days in a month in 1974. From a watch that came with an MP3 player to one that had a digital camera, this brand came out with it first. If it helps any better, everyone from Prince Harry to Kanye West has been spotted wearing a G-Shock — Casio’s most popular watch model — at one time or another on his wrist.
Timex
Timex roots date back from 1854 in Waterbury, Connecticut during the time wherein how people made something mattered just as much as what they made. Timex produced their watches by adding American ingenuity to European clockmaking, which, over a hundred years later, is still alive and kicking in the market. They take most pride in two of their creations: the Ironman and the Indiglo, both of which received recognition internationally. The former being the world’s first sports watch, and the latter revolutionizing the world’s blue backlight which makes reading time in the dark a little less complicated.
Skagen
Skagen is a true American success story. From the coastlines of Skagen city to the architecture of Copenhagen and a celebrated fashion scene, Denmark embodies a special kind of energy: Modern. Playful. In the moment— with an appreciation for nature and the wild world. In each Skagen watch review, you’ll notice that there is an emphasis on value and style. Available in 60+ countries today, you can also find a great deal on this Danish-inspired collection of timepieces online as well!
Tissot
Chs Tissot & Fils was founded in Le Locle, in the Jura region of Switzerland in 1853 by the locally born & bred father-son duo of Charles-Félicien Tissot and Charles-Émile Tissot. These days Tissot is known for its unique high-tech and high touch of T-Tech watches. By the 1920s where electricity has been a major part of the people’s everyday lives, traditionally-made watches were placed in the sidelines because electric currents were magnetizing and affecting their precision. It was in the 1930s when Tissot created the world’s first non-magnetic wristwatch. Fast forward to several decades later, the brand still remains as the best-selling traditional, non-magnetic watches.
Best brands for different use cases
Crowd favorite: Citizen
With so many fans from different regions of the world, Citizen surely topped other brands as the crowd favorite! A common observation that owners of this brand has is that with proper care, the battery will likely never need replacing.
People who vouch for the brand have had little to no trouble at all — most especially divers using their diver’s watches. Even after years and years of use, more than 10 or 20 years later, there’s just no sign of it slowing down. This means, in layman’s terms, they could theoretically last your lifetime if properly maintained. How cool and efficient, right? Totally BIFL-quality!
Most affordable watch: Seiko
Are you on the lookout for BIFL-quality that will most certainly meet your budget standards? The crowds have spoken, go for Seiko! For more than 130 years of proven quality and expertise in the creation of timepieces, the brand is known for its casual style, quality, and of course, for being affordable.
With each watch they produce, they’re sure to be one of the best bang for buck (if not unbeatable) in the watch industry, not to mention that their timepieces are automatic — you don’t need to keep thinking about batteries anymore!
Most durable watch: Tissot
With Tissot’s hundred years of watch-making experience, they are popularly known for their extra level of quality as compared to other timepiece manufacturers. Both being classy and minimalist at the same time, they offer watches that have displays of chronograph, date, and tachymeter in an excellently laid out design.
Aside from their interesting design, Tissot watches also come with a Swiss quartz movement and water resistance to up to 100 meters, making it an excellent choice. Tissot watches are exceptional, given their design and build. Many watch enthusiasts consider Tissot as an “affordable luxury” brand that boasts of quality and durability over the years.
Most casual watch: Casio
Are you looking for a casual, affordable yet BIFL-quality watch that you can use on a daily basis? Casio is the way to go! Affordable and stylish timepieces, they surely have one that’ll fit you and your personality — from royals to actors to ordinary citizens of the world.
Casio watches can also withstand everyday wear and tear, which makes it all the more ideal to be used casually. Some people even hardly ever take watches off! This brand offers watches for a fantastic price. What’s not to love, right?
Most “high maintenance” watch: Omega
As a premium brand for luxury watches, Omega watches are BIFL-quality but come in hefty prices. Of course, the natural reaction is to take care of what you just “invested” upon as the servicing fee is also quite hefty. You might even be unconsciously babying and maintaining your watch to extreme extents because of it! Fortunately, Omega offers a 24-month service warranty inclusive of restoration so you might want to cut yourself some slack when thinking about maintenance.
