What is the history of luxury watchmaking?

Luxury watchmaking is a centuries-old tradition of crafting highly complex and beautiful timepieces. The first luxury watches were created in the late 16th century, with the advent of the pocket watch. This type of watch was typically crafted from precious metals, such as gold or silver, and featured ornate decorations and intricate mechanisms. As the years progressed, watchmakers developed a variety of different styles, sizes, and complications for pocket watches, such as repeaters, chronographs, and perpetual calendars.

With the invention of the wristwatch in the late 19th century, the luxury watchmaking industry began to flourish. Wristwatches were more practical than pocket watches, and soon became popular among the wealthy and fashionable. As a result, watchmakers began creating more intricate and luxurious timepieces, with intricate details and decorations.

Today, luxury watchmaking is still going strong, with many of the world’s leading watchmakers producing highly complex and beautiful watches. Many of these watches have become collector’s items, with some pieces fetching prices in the millions of dollars. Luxury watchmaking is a craft that has been passed down through generations, and is still going strong today.