14 legendary luxury watches

There are relatively few luxury watches that have managed to cross and mark eras to such an extent that they have become legendary … These legendary watches have risen to the rank of an icon over the years thanks to innovation, an unorthodox design, or even a new functionality sometimes represent for some lovers of beautiful watches a real holy grail.
From the Rolex Submariner to the Tank de Cartier or the Reverso from Jaeger-LeCoultre, today’s overview of these iconic luxury watches that have marked the history of the brands that gave birth to them, but also more generally watchmaking as a whole.

Rolex Submariner

At Rolex, the mythical watch, the queen of queens is undoubtedly the Rolex Submariner, the first diver signed by the Geneva house, a watch waterproof to 100 meters born in 1953 under the reference 6204. After giving birth in 1926 to the Oyster (the world’s first waterproof wristwatch), Rolex is positioning itself with the Sub ‘as a brand that innovates and offers models dedicated to professionals … The fact that big names like James Bond in 1962 have adopted this model also plays a role without any doubts about the status of the Rolex Submariner.

Omega Speedmaster

Created in 1957, the Omega Speedmaster is certainly one of the most famous chronographs in the world simply because it is the first watch ever worn on the moon. On July 21, 1969, the Omega Speedmaster took his first steps on the moon on Buzz Aldrin’s wrist and has since been nicknamed “The Moonwatch”. Selected to accompany all NASA manned flights since March 1965, the Omega Speedmaster has distinguished itself since its launch for its precision, readability, and robustness.

Cartier Tank

First presented in 1917, the Cartier Tank draws its inspiration from the First World War and more precisely from tanks, from tanks … This square or rectangular model represents an assault tank seen from above. This cult model with a relatively classic Cartier design was marketed in 1919 and adopted by many personalities such as Jacky and John Kennedy, Alain Delon, and Andy Warhol.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso saw the light of day in 1931 and responds to the request of a British officer for a watch capable of withstanding the shocks inflicted on a watch during a polo match… The Reverso watch is a prestigious watch capable of withstanding to slide in its support and being able to turn over on itself, a watch whose dial can be sheltered. Immediate success for the model which then experienced a certain disaffection before its rebirth during the 1970s.

TAG Heuer Monaco

It was in 1969 that the Heuer Monaco saw the light of day for the first time, a now-famous watch with an astonishing design with its square dial and its new movement, the famous caliber 11. Despite a remarkable presence at the handle of Steve Mc Queen in 1971 in the film “Le Mans”, Monaco did not find its audience until 1985 and the takeover of Heuer by TAG. It was not until 1999 with the takeover of TAG Heuer by LVMH that the TAG Heuer Monaco (the world’s first square automatic chronograph) really took off, helped by more sustained marketing …

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak

Presented at the Basel Fair in 1972, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak is the first luxury stainless steel watch, a stroke of genius for this model with its original design! The Royal Oak, which takes its name from the warships of the British Royal Navy, is easily recognizable thanks to its unique design created by Gerald Genta, an octagonal dial with eight hexagonal screws. A sporty and chic luxury watch, a daring but successful bet for the Swiss brand from Le Brassus.

Panerai Luminor

In 1949, Luminor (luminescent substance based on tritium) succeeded Radiomir (based on radium) and thus hardly logically precedes the birth of the Luminor range by Panerai which was launched in 1950. An Italian watch with an atypical design and recognizable thanks to its bridge protecting the crown, its cushion-shaped lugs, and its flat and enlarged bezel.

Breitling Navitimer

The Breitling Navitimer (a contraction of Navigation & Timer) is arguably Breitling’s best-known watch, an aviator’s watch designed in 1952 for pilots and aviation professionals. The design of the Breitling Navitimer is easily recognizable thanks to the presence of a slide rule, a tool designed to facilitate in-flight calculations for airplane pilots. An iconic watch that for a long time was the choice of aviators …

Zenith El Primero

At Zenith, there is no question of a mythical model, but above all of a mythical caliber since Zenith El Primero first refers to a movement presented in 1969! A chronograph capable of measuring short times to 1 / 10th of a second, which makes it the most precise production chronograph in the world. A collection of watches now bears the name of this legendary caliber (9 months on average are required to produce a single watch from the El Primero Collection) and it is moreover with an El Primero chronograph on the wrist that Felix Baumgartner has become October 14, 2012, the first man to cross the sound barrier in free fall.

Piaget Altiplano

Specializing in extra-thin luxury watches, the Swiss house Piaget has been showing since the end of the 1950s its work to miniaturize movements, with finer calibers, but still just as robust and precise. From this spirit of conquering the ultra-thin, the Altiplano watch collection was born in the early 1990s. A collection that notably gave birth to the Altiplano 900P, the thinnest mechanical watch in the world with its 3.65 mm thickness, a watch fusing manual winding caliber and casing.

Blancpain Fifty Fathoms

Blancpain’s Fifty Fathoms saw the light of day in 1953, it is considered the first true modern diver’s watch, a prestigious watch originally designed for combat swimmers. A watch that takes its name from its vintage water resistance, 50 fathoms, or 91.45 meters deep. Adopted by the military and then by scuba diving professionals such as Jacques Yves Cousteau, the Fifty Fathoms also met with success with civilian divers.

IWC Portugaise

The history of the Portuguese IWC started in 1939 or even in 1938 when two Portuguese watch dealers expressed to the brand their regret at not being able to wear on their wrists one whose precision would be equivalent to that of the chronometers of pocket watches. The next step was the birth of the Portuguese, a classic watch with a refined style that still represents the brand’s know-how today.

Vulcain Cricket

The Vulcain Cricket which saw the light of day in 1947 represents a real technical advance thanks to the integration of an alarm function producing a high sound volume, this thanks to a hammer striking a wall, and another wall forming a resonance chamber to amplify the noise. An astonishing watch nicknamed “Presidents Watch” following the adoption of the model by US Presidents Trumann, Eisenhower, Johnson, Nixon, Reagan …

Patek Philippe Calatrava

Inspired by the Bauhaus movement (which lays the foundations for reflection on modern architecture), the Patek Philippe Calatrava is a legendary luxury watch that is particularly refined in terms of both technique and design. Created in 1932, the Calatrava is a classic watch, the result is the brand’s own words “of an avant-garde philosophy favoring purity of lines and understated elegance”.