Buying One Watch From the Top 3 Swiss Brands

According to the Vontobel annual report—one of the most closely watched and reliable sources for estimated Swiss watch brand revenue—the top three Swiss watch brands by sales are Rolex, then a sheer drop, then Cartier, then Audemars Piguet. We're talking about three brands that, combined, represent an enormous share of the entire luxury watch market. Rolex alone clocks in at an estimated 10.47 billion CHF in sales—more than the next four brands combined—which is staggering when you think about it, especially given that the brand has reportedly trimmed production slightly for the second year running.

In 2024, when Omega was still in the top 3 (now at number 5), I wrote about the watches I’d buy from each top brand. Today, I’m doing the same, and I encourage you to do the same in the comments. Let’s get into it.

Rolex: The RLX Titanium Yacht-Master 42

I've written about this watch at some length, and I'll risk repeating myself because I think it warrants the attention. The Rolex Yacht-Master in RLX titanium is, in my opinion, the coolest modern Rolex being made today.

That's a bold statement given the catalog Rolex is working with, but hear me out. What makes the Yacht-Master special—and what has always made it a bit of an underdog within the Rolex lineup—is that it occupies this interesting space between sport watch and dress watch without fully committing to either. The titanium version leans harder into the sport side, and it works beautifully.

The ceramic bezel insert is where it really wins me over. That combination of sandblasting and polishing—matte on the raised numerals and markers, high-polish on the recessed ring—looks better on a sports watch (to me) than the full-polished ceramic found on current Submariners. Plus, it’s totally distinct from anything else Rolex produces. The fact that it's in titanium, not steel or gold, makes the whole package lighter on the wrist and different from the standard Rolex formula in a way that I find endlessly compelling.

If I'm picking one Rolex, this is the one.

Cartier: The Steel Tank Américaine, Large

Cartier Tank Américaine, Large. Image Source: Perpetual Passion

Cartier is a fascinating brand to think about in a horology context, because its watchmaking credentials run much deeper than most people realize. Founded in Paris in 1847 by Louis-François Cartier, the maison became known first for jewelry and fine goods—King Edward VII famously declared them "the jeweller of kings and the king of jewellers" after ordering 27 tiaras for his 1902 coronation. But watchmaking was in Cartier's DNA from very early on.

It was Louis Cartier—grandson of the founder—who designed the Santos in 1904 for his aviator friend Alberto Santos-Dumont, who needed a wristwatch he could actually read while flying a plane. The Santos became Cartier's first mass-produced wristwatch for men. The Tank followed in 1917, inspired by the top-down silhouette of military tanks on the Western Front. From there, a whole design language emerged: the Tonneau, the Baignoire, the Tortue, the Cloche. Cartier Paris was developing its design vocabulary, while the London branch—which Pierre Cartier opened in 1902—eventually became its own creative hub, producing some of the most daring pieces in Cartier's history, including the legendary Crash watch of the late 1960s.

Cartier Privé Tank Normale Skeleton. Image Source: Cartier

In recent years, Cartier has leaned back into serious watchmaking—high complications, in-house movements, the CPCP aesthetic reimagined for a new generation. That's all incredibly cool. But when I think about what I'd actually wear and buy, I keep coming back to the Tank Américaine in steel, large size (44.4mm lug to lug, 24.4mm wide).

I'll be honest about why: I love rectangular and tonneau-shaped watches. My great-great-grandfather's Hamilton Richmond sparked that interest for me, and I've written about it before. The Américaine scratches that itch in a very specific way. It's elongated, a little more dramatic than the classic Tank Louis, and that big shiny bezel is something I'd want to scratch up over years of wear. 

Cartier Santos Dual Time. Image Source: aBlogtoWatch

I'll also acknowledge the Santos Dual Time here, because it deserves a mention. My cousin just got one and loves it, and I understand why. Cartier took one of their most popular men's watches—the new-generation Santos de Cartier—and added a genuinely useful complication. I actually appreciate that it runs on a Sellita-based movement rather than some high horology in-house caliber that would have quadrupled both the purchase price and future service costs.

But for me, it's the Américaine. I know it's a relatively boring pick in Cartier’s illustrious catalog. I just know it's the one I'd reach for most, and at the end of the day, that matters more than anything else. My one gripe: Cartier discontinued the medium size. Now it's the mini or the large. I'm going large.

Audemars Piguet: The Royal Oak Openworked Flying Tourbillon in Sand Gold

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Openworked Flying Tourbillon Sand Gold. Image Source: Hodinkee (Mark Kauzlarich)

I wrote a similar article to this one back in 2024, and when I got to Audemars Piguet, I picked this watch. I'm picking it again, because nothing in the catalog has changed my mind.

Modern AP isn't always the most exciting to me. But I quite like their Sand Gold material—an 18k gold alloy whose hue sits somewhere between white and pink gold. You have to see this material in person to really understand what it looks like. Photos get you close, but they don't capture the warmth of it.

Image Source: Hodinkee (Mark Kauzlarich)

The mostly symmetrical openworked bridge architecture (also in sand gold), the front-and-center gear train, and the flying tourbillon at 6 o'clock are nothing short of marvelous. I also love how the hour indices hang off the rehaut slightly—it's a subtle detail that rewards a second look. If I'm going AP, I'm going Royal Oak, and if the purchase is entirely fictional, I'm going over the top.

Image Source: G&G Timepieces

One small editorial note that I can't help but mention: I think this watch would be ten times cooler without the applied Audemars Piguet logo on the crystal. Nothing against AP—quite the opposite. The Royal Oak is one of the most recognizable and iconic watch designs of all time. That case and bracelet don't need any help. Neither does that openworked dial. Let them do the talking. It's the same reason I find myself frustrated when Grand Seiko applies their logo to display casebacks. We know it's a Grand Seiko. We're looking at the movement precisely because it's beautiful. An applied logo on the crystal is the watch equivalent of someone explaining the joke.

But that's a minor quibble about an extraordinary piece. In a world where I'm picking one watch from AP's entire catalog with no budget constraints, this is still the one.

Final Thoughts

These three brands sitting at the top of the market isn't an accident. Rolex, Cartier, and Audemars Piguet each represent a fundamentally different reason why people fall in love with watches in the first place. Rolex because of what it means— the history, the coronet, the fact that your dad might have worn one. Cartier because watches can be art, and because a rectangular case from 1917 still looks futuristic. AP because horology is, at its best, an almost absurd exercise in human ingenuity—and sometimes you want to see all 300 parts of that absurdity laid bare under a crystal.

Those are three different philosophies and three different entry points into this hobby, all coexisting at the top. I don't think that's a coincidence. Drop your picks in the comments.