Apple Watch is the best-selling watch in the world in 2026, ahead of every traditional brand by tens of millions of units; among Swiss brands, Tissot sells the most watches (about 2.5 million) and Rolex earns the most (about CHF 11 billion). This list ranks 12 watch brands by units sold in 2025, with sales value alongside. The whole Swiss industry made about 14.6 million watches in 2025.
| Rank | Brand | Signature watches | Units, 2025 | Sales, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple Watch | Series and Ultra lines | Tens of millions (estimate) | n/a |
| 2 | Tissot | PRX and T-Race | About 2.48 million | About CHF 720 million |
| 3 | Rolex | Submariner, Datejust, GMT-Master II | About 1.1 million | About CHF 11 billion |
| 4 | Longines | HydroConquest and Master Collection | About 780,000 (estimate) | About CHF 920 million |
| 5 | Cartier | Tank and Santos | About 695,000 | About CHF 3.5 billion |
| 6 | Omega | Speedmaster and Seamaster | About 460,000 | About CHF 2.2 billion |
| 7 | Tudor | Black Bay | About 180,000 | About CHF 460 million |
| 8 | Breitling | Navitimer | About 155,000 | About CHF 820 million |
| 9 | Patek Philippe | Nautilus and Calatrava | About 72,000 | About CHF 2.5 billion |
| 10 | Audemars Piguet | Royal Oak | About 53,000 | About CHF 2.6 billion |
| 11 | Vacheron Constantin | Overseas and Patrimony | About 30,000 | About CHF 914 million |
| 12 | Richard Mille | RM 011 and RM 67 | About 5,950 | Not reliably reported |
The 12 best-selling watch brands, ranked by units
1. Apple Watch: Tens of millions (estimate) a year
Apple Watch is the best-selling watch in the world by a wide margin. Market trackers reported smartwatch shipments growing roughly 4% worldwide in 2025, with Apple back to growth and holding a share we put at around a fifth of the market.
No traditional watchmaker comes close in volume. Apple does not publish unit sales, so the exact number is an estimate.
How we valued it: Apple does not report Watch units, so we use the market share and growth reported by market trackers and treat the volume as an estimate.
2. Tissot: About 2.48 million a year
Tissot sells more watches than any other Swiss brand in the industry study. It belongs to the Swatch Group and sells at price points that start under $500.
The PRX, a revival of a 1978 design that returned in 2021, is its most talked-about line. Sales value fell about 5% in 2025 in one industry estimate.
How we valued it: unit and revenue estimates for 2025 in the annual Swiss industry study.
3. Rolex: About 1.1 million a year
Rolex is the largest watch brand by value, with 2025 sales we estimate above CHF 11 billion, up about 4%. It made roughly 1.1 million watches, about 2% fewer than in 2024.
Its revenue is about three times that of Cartier, the second-biggest brand. By our estimate Rolex alone accounts for a third or more of Swiss watch industry revenue.
How we valued it: wholesale turnover and unit output for 2025, with year-on-year growth for context.
4. Longines: About 780,000 (estimate) a year
Longines was founded in 1832 and belongs to the Swatch Group. Its volume is the third highest among Swiss brands.
The study reports a sharp fall in 2025, so this is the entry with the least stable number. We kept it because even after the drop it sells more watches than Cartier or Omega.
How we valued it: reported unit estimate, which we flag as volatile because it changed sharply year on year.
5. Cartier: About 695,000 a year
Cartier is the second-largest watch brand by value and the fastest-growing of the big names, with sales up about 10% in 2025. The Tank dates to 1917 and the Santos to 1904.
Unlike most luxury watchmakers, Cartier sells jewelry too, so its watch business sits next to a much larger brand.
How we valued it: turnover and units for 2025, plus the reported growth rates.
6. Omega: About 460,000 a year
Omega is the Swatch Group’s largest brand. It fell to fifth place by value in 2025, with sales down about 8% and volume down about 9%.
The Speedmaster Moonwatch remains its core product. The 2022 MoonSwatch with Swatch was a big volume driver in earlier years.
How we valued it: sales and units for 2025, with the reported fall in both.
7. Tudor: About 180,000 a year
Tudor is Rolex’s sister brand and sells the Black Bay line, a vintage-style diver. It sits in the middle of this table.
Its volume is a fraction of Rolex’s, but at around 180,000 watches a year it outsells Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet combined.
How we valued it: modelled 2025 units and sales for the Rolex sister brand.
8. Breitling: About 155,000 a year
Breitling was founded in 1884 and launched the Navitimer pilot’s watch in 1952. Its sales slipped about 3% in 2025 in the industry estimate.
It sits at the border between the mass and luxury Swiss segments.
How we valued it: unit and revenue estimates for 2025, flat to slightly down.
9. Patek Philippe: About 72,000 a year
Patek Philippe is independent and family-owned. It made about 72,000 watches in 2025 and had about CHF 2.5 billion in sales, up about 9%.
The steel Nautilus 5711 was discontinued in 2021, which pushed its secondary-market price far above retail. Patek earns a high price per watch, which is how it ranks fourth by value at a low volume.
How we valued it: sales and units for 2025, with the unit figure carrying some uncertainty.
10. Audemars Piguet: About 53,000 a year
Audemars Piguet is third by value despite making only about 53,000 watches. Sales rose about 9% in 2025.
The Royal Oak, designed by Gerald Genta and launched in 1972, is the brand’s core product and the reason its revenue per watch is so high.
How we valued it: sales and units as estimated for 2025, ranked by output.
11. Vacheron Constantin: About 30,000 a year
Vacheron Constantin dates to 1755 and is often described as the oldest watch manufacturer in continuous operation. It sold about 30,000 watches, with sales near CHF 900 million, in 2025.
It is owned by Richemont, like Cartier.
How we valued it: revenue and output estimates for 2025.
12. Richard Mille: About 5,950 a year
Richard Mille is the smallest producer on the list, with about 5,950 watches in 2025. Prices run into six figures and often seven.
It sits last by units but near the top by revenue per watch. We do not rank it by sales because the reported figures are inconsistent.
How we valued it: estimated unit output only, since the revenue figure is disputed.
Special mentions: best-sellers that do not publish unit numbers
Casio G-Shock. Casio has shipped more than 100 million G-Shock watches since 1983, a milestone it announced in 2017. It does not publish current annual units, so we cannot rank it.
Swatch. The Swatch Group had net sales of CHF 6.28 billion in 2025, down about 6% at current exchange rates. The group includes Omega, Longines and Tissot, which are ranked above, plus the plastic Swatch line.
Casio F-91W. The digital watch launched in 1989 and is one of the highest-volume models ever, but there is no reliable annual figure.
What changed from the 2015 list?
Our first version used a 2015 sales chart and guessed, for example, that Patek Philippe sold 36 million watches a year. That cannot be right: the whole Swiss industry sold about 14.6 million watches in 2025, the lowest in decades.
We rebuilt the list on annual brand output. TAG Heuer, Hublot, and Swatch are no longer ranked because we could not find a verified current unit or sales number.
FAQ
What is the best-selling watch in the world?
Apple Watch, by units. Among Swiss brands, Tissot sells the most at about 2.5 million watches a year.
Which luxury watch brand sells the most?
Rolex, with about 1.1 million watches and sales above CHF 11 billion in 2025.
How many watches does Rolex make a year?
About 1.1 million. Output fell about 2% in 2025.
How many watches did the Swiss industry make in 2025?
Roughly 14.6 million, reportedly down about 5% on 2024 and the lowest in decades.
Why do Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet rank so low by units?
They make fewer than 75,000 watches a year each, yet rank third and fourth by value.
Is the G-Shock a best-selling watch?
Yes. Casio has shipped more than 100 million since 1983, but it does not publish annual figures, so we list it as a special mention.
How we put this list together
We ranked brands by estimated 2025 unit output from the annual Swiss industry study, with sales alongside for context. Where a company does not publish units, we list it separately and do not rank it.
Last updated: October 2026.
