Ten watches worth knowing beyond the obvious choices

By Walty, Pre-owned Watch Specialist at Waltana, Lausanne

Every collector starts somewhere, and for most people that means encountering the same ten references repeatedly: the Submariner, the Datejust, the Royal Oak, the Nautilus. These are exceptional watches and their reputations are earned. But the luxury watch market is considerably broader than its most visible references, and some of the most satisfying purchases come from models that carry equal heritage, genuine technical substance, and a lower profile in the mainstream conversation. The ten watches below are worth knowing precisely because they reward curiosity.

Rolex Submariner

Best for: everyday wear, business casual, outdoor activities

The Submariner is perhaps the most versatile watch Rolex produces, which is a significant claim given the breadth of the catalogue. Introduced in 1953 as the first diver's watch rated to 100 metres water resistance, it established the functional template that most tool watches have followed since. What distinguishes it from its descendants is the quality of resolution: every detail, from the Mercedes hands to the ceramic bezel insert to the Oysterlock clasp, has been refined over seven decades without losing the character of the original. It is a watch that works equally well at a desk, on a boat, or underwater, and it carries that versatility without effort.

Omega Speedmaster

Best for: everyday to business casual, collectors and enthusiasts

The Speedmaster was launched in 1957 as a sports and racing chronograph. Its selection by NASA in 1965 as the official watch for all manned space missions, a designation it retained through all six Apollo lunar landings, gave it a historical significance that few watches at any price point can match. The manual-winding calibre 321 of the original Moonwatch has been reissued in recent years, but it is the pre-owned market that offers the most interesting territory, particularly the tropical dial references and transitional case variants that serious collectors pursue.

Patek Philippe Calatrava

Best for: formal occasions, professional settings, lifelong wear

If the Nautilus represents Patek Philippe at its most directional, the Calatrava represents the manufacture at its most considered. Introduced in 1932 and named after the Spanish architectural order of the Calatrava cross, it established the modern dress watch vocabulary: a round case, clean dial, leather strap, and a movement finished to a standard that rewards close examination. The Calatrava is the reference that Patek Philippe makes for those who understand what finishing means, and it is often cited by specialists as the purest expression of the manufacture's values. A watch bearing the Patek Philippe Seal and no unnecessary complication is a very particular kind of confidence.

Cartier Tank

Best for: dress and formal occasions, elegant daily wear

Created in 1917 and inspired by the aerial view of the Renault FT tanks deployed on the Western Front, the Tank was among the first watches to treat the wristwatch as a design object rather than simply a functional instrument. Its rectangular case, Roman numerals, and the distinctive cabochon crown have remained the defining elements for over a century. The Tank has been worn by figures as varied as Andy Warhol, Princess Diana, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, not because it was fashionable but because its proportions are genuinely resolved. In the pre-owned market, vintage Tank references from the 1970s and 1980s have developed strong collector interest.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore

Best for: statement wear, sporty occasions, bold collectors

The Royal Oak Offshore arrived in 1993 as a deliberate provocation. Emmanuel Gueit's design took the Royal Oak's integrated case architecture and amplified every dimension, producing a watch that was initially criticised by purists as excessive. Over time that excess became its identity. The Offshore now occupies a distinct position from the original Royal Oak: where the latter rewards restraint and finishing appreciation, the Offshore rewards the wearer who wants presence. Certain limited edition references, particularly the collaboration pieces from the early 2000s, have become serious collector targets.

Breitling Superocean Heritage

Best for: casual wear, travel, sport

The original Superocean was launched in 1957 as a professional diver's instrument. The Heritage line revisits that period's design codes, combining vintage dial layouts and broad Arabic numerals with modern movements and materials. It sits in a particular territory that appeals to buyers who want genuine dive watch heritage without the ubiquity of the Submariner. The Superocean Heritage is a Breitling that collectors within the brand's own community tend to rate highly, and it transfers well to pre-owned buying given its robust construction and straightforward service requirements.

Tudor Pelagos

Best for: diving, sport, active daily wear

The Pelagos is Tudor's most technically serious watch, built around a lightweight titanium case, a helium escape valve, and a depth rating that exceeds most professional requirements. Where the Black Bay draws on heritage, the Pelagos draws on function. Its manufacture movement, developed entirely in-house at Tudor's Le Locle facility, brings the same level of horological credibility as references costing considerably more. For an active wearer who wants a genuinely capable instrument with no concessions to fashion, the Pelagos is a strong answer. Read more about Tudor's history and current standing in our article on Tudor turns 100.

IWC Portugieser

Best for: business, formal occasions, collectors

The Portugieser's origins lie in a 1939 commission from two Portuguese merchants who wanted the accuracy of a marine chronometer in a wristwatch format. To achieve the required movement size, IWC used a pocket watch calibre, which necessitated a larger than average case. The result established proportions that now feel entirely natural: a clean white dial, slim Arabic numerals, a small seconds subdial at 6 o'clock, and a case size that was considered oversized at the time but is unremarkable today. The Portugieser is one of IWC's most coherent designs, and it wears its origins without any need for further explanation.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control

Best for: professional and formal wear, daily use for enthusiasts

Launched in 1992, the Master Control was the first watch to carry Jaeger-LeCoultre's 1,000-hour certification, an internal testing programme that subjects each watch to continuous monitoring across temperature variations, magnetic fields, shocks, and positional accuracy. The result is a watch that makes no visual statement about what it has been through, which is itself a kind of elegance. The Master Control's dial architecture is balanced and unhurried, and the in-house calibres it houses reflect a manufacture that has been making its own movements since 1833.

TAG Heuer Aquaracer

Best for: everyday wear, sport, travel

The Aquaracer occupies an interesting position as TAG Heuer's most straightforwardly functional watch: a robust diver with strong water resistance, a unidirectional bezel, and a case design optimised for readability rather than statement. It lacks the historical weight of the Speedmaster or the design drama of the Submariner, but that is partly the point. The Aquaracer is a watch that does everything asked of it without requiring the wearer to justify the choice. For a first pre-owned purchase in the sports watch category, it represents excellent value for money and a low-risk entry into serious Swiss watchmaking.

A note on this selection

These ten watches share a quality that is difficult to quantify but easy to recognise: they are chosen by people who have looked beyond the obvious and arrived somewhere more considered. None of them requires justification to a room full of watch collectors, and none of them will be outdated in five years. That combination of substance, heritage, and quiet confidence is what a watch bought for the long term should provide.

Browse our current selection of new and pre-owned luxury watches available in Switzerland, or contact us if you are looking for a specific reference. If you own one of these watches and are considering selling, our consignment service offers a no-obligation valuation.