These Were the Top 5 Watch Brands of 2021 on Chrono24

Karlsruhe, Germany—Luxury watches enjoyed a strong 2021, capturing consumers’ attention and spending dollars.

Shortly after the new year, direct-to-consumer watch marketplace Chrono24 dug through its data, collected from 100 million users, to list the most sought-after watches of 2021.

As for the most popular brands searched for and bought on the website, Rolex was, not surprisingly, in the first spot, followed by Omega, Seiko, Breitling, and Audemars Piguet.

“These top 5 most sought-after brands not only reflect popularity, but also prove that watch buyers are looking for a sustainable investment,” said Tim Stracke, co-CEO and founder of Chrono24, in a press release about the results.

While Rolex, Omega, and Audemars Piguet have been “exceptionally stable” in value, he described Seiko as an “interesting newcomer” to the top five list.

The Japanese brand “offers high-quality mechanics ideal for everyday use, especially for watch fans of all income groups,” said Stracke.

Breitling is also new to the top 5 list, which the company credits to its “interesting innovations” and lauded the strategy of CEO Georges Kern.

The Breitling Chronomat, as well as the Endurance Pro and the Superocean, were in high demand.

Chrono24’s report also highlighted the top five most popular models of luxury watches searched for and bought on the site.

Rolex snagged three of the top five spots with the two remaining spots going to Omega.

The Rolex Datejust and Submariner were two of the most popular among Chrono24 customers, followed by the Omega Seamaster and Speedmaster, with the Rolex Daytona in fifth place.

The Daytona model was in first place last year, but has since slipped to the last spot, which the company attributes in part to market availability.

“The Rolex Daytona is not only considered a legend of timekeeping, but also difficult to obtain. The model can only be bought at a Rolex dealer with exceptionally long waiting times,” said the company.

Chrono24 had about 5,000 Daytons for sale at the time the report was released earlier this month, but the prices reflect the high demand and far exceed the list price of a new model.

A search of Chrono24’s website for a Rolex Daytona pulls up a little more than 4,300 results with many prices in the six-figure range.

In contrast, the Omega Speedmaster, notable for being the first watch worn on the moon, earned a higher spot on the top 5 list this year.

The model benefited from the limited market availability of other brands, said Chrono24, and was searched for and bought more this year than in previous years.

Patek Philippe, which did not make the top 5 lists, saw waning demand, due in part to the discontinuation of the Nautilus model in stainless steel, said Stracke, which has led to a significant price jump.

The list prices of the Patek Philippe Nautilus have tripled, said the company, making them available only to a select group of collectors.

Stracke noted that the demand for the limited edition Patek Philippe Ref. 5711/1A-018 with a “Tiffany Blue” dial is especially high with only 170 created, and made available only to those hand-picked by Patek and Tiffany.

The company has more than 500,000 watches from 128 available on its website, selling new, vintage, and second-hand watches from more than 3,000 certified dealers and private collectors.

For more information, visit Chrono24’s website.