Deciding which watch brand makes the most beautiful mechanical movement of all time is nearly impossible, and incredibly subjective. It’s essentially the same as asking who makes the most beautiful painting of all time. A high end mechanical watch movement and a painting are both pieces of art in their own form, and one persons preference is going to vary immensely depending on their taste in art, engineering, and style.
It’s a lot easier to decide which watch brand makes the most beautiful movement than it is to answer which single watch does. Narrowing the answer down to one, or a few brands is possible – but putting a winning label on a single watch would just be wrong. This is a question that we won’t be capping with a price tag, lets proceed and take a look at the top watch brand contenders, and our ultimate choice.
The Top Contenders
When thinking about the topic of this question there’s a fleury of haute horology watch brands that come to mind for me. Let’s rattle off a series and discuss why they’re the current contenders.
- Patek Philippe
- Vacheron Constantin
- Laurent Ferrier
- Audemars Piguet
- A. Lange & Söhne
- F.P. Journe
- Jaquet Droz
- H. Moser & Cie
- Daniel Roth
These are all haute horlogerie watch brands, some from the most renowned and famous brands in the world, and a few from very special independent watchmakers. They have one thing in common, their movements are made entirely by hand and are all absolutely stunning to look at. I have not even included all the brands that should be on this list, as it would simply be too long.
A tourbillon from one of these brands will differ greatly to the next. One could be constructed from completely different material to the other, and use different parts. Sometimes the engineering can be totally different as well especially if there’s a patent involved.
Leaving the different types of parts out, all of these brands will have various types of decorative hand finishing done to complete the look of the movement. This is like finishing a painting with different sizes, shapes, and strokes of a brush. A few types of decorative finishings to look out for would be: Geneva Stripes, Beveling, Perlage, Anglage, Gold Chatons, and various forms of engravings. This is quite the menu to work with, and using a select mix of these techniques will always result in something unique and beautiful.
Ultimate Winner
If we’re going to pick one ultimate winner in this category, for myself personally I’d have to go with Patek Philippe. They might be the obvious choice, and some watch enthusiasts might prefer to lean towards a more independent brand like Daniel Roth – but I personally believe you’re getting extra from an intricate hand finished Patek Philippe movement.
Patek Philippe makes a watch called the Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A which is quite mind boggling in its beauty, and it’s really this specific watch that’s winning me over. It’s famous for being one of the most complicated watches ever produced, housing the Caliber 300 GS AL 36-750 QIS FUS IRM movement.
The Grandmaster Chime has 20 complications. Including a Grande and Petite Sonnerie, a minute repeater, an alarm with a time strike, a perpetual calendar with a 4-digit year display, a second time zone, and a 24-hour and minute subdial. Most impressively, it features a date repeater that chimes the date on demand and a leap year cycle indicator.
The movement alone is made from 1,366 different parts, and the case uses another 214 parts. This is a watch created by Patek Philippe to show how they can really push the limits in fine watchmaking and artistry. The auction price you may ask? CHF 31,000,000.
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