Last updated on May 11th, 2023
Italy is known for its amazing food, illustrious history, luxury fashion industry, and so much more. However, have you stopped to wonder if they are any good at watchmaking? To quench your curiosity, I’ve compiled a list of the best Italian watch brands that Italy has to offer!
To make my list, the brands must possess 3 things:https://theperfectoutcome.co/are-watches-considered-jewelry/
- Historic Value: The brands on this list must be of historical significance and be of rich heritage, in order to really highlight Italian watchmaking. Brands should have been founded in Italy, by Italians.
- Passion for Watchmaking: The brands must pride themselves on passion and showcase the best of Italian watchmaking. Unfortunately, many fashion brands (not necessarily from Italy), do not possess a passion for watchmaking. Some of these brands even source cheap movements, make their watches in impoverished parts of the world, slap their logo on their watches, and call it “luxury watches”. This is something I cannot condone as a watch enthusiast.
- Italian Contribution: This doesn’t mean that all the brands listed must have a 100% Italian workforce. What I mean is that Italian professionals should be included in some of the watchmaking processes, be it designing, or manufacturing. This is to me important, as it highlights Italian flare, and engineering and showcases what Italy has to offer in terms of the top Italian watch brands.
What are the Top 6 Best Italian Watch Brands?
Bvlgari
Bvlgari (or Bulgari) was founded in 1884 in Rome, Italy. Although Italian in heritage, the founders of Bvlgari, the Voulgaris family were of Greek origin. Originally, Bvlgari started selling jewelry and objects made of silver; Bvlgari started selling watches laced with jewels in the early 20th century.
These Italian watches seem to be in more of the Art Deco style, which was fashionable at the time. It wasn’t until the 1940s that Bvlgari stole the limelight with their unorthodox designs that were reminiscent of traditional Roman bracelets. It was also during this time period when Bvlgari shot up in popularity because their watches were on the wrists of famous celebrities such as Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor.
Although modern Bvlgari watches are made in Switzerland, their headquarters still resides in Rome, the birthplace of this Italian brand. As for achievements, Bvlgari is at the forefront of ground-breaking watchmaking. The infamously thin Bvlgari Octo Finissimo watch line broke 7 world records that include: the thinnest automatic watch, the thinnest tourbillon, etc.
The Bvlgari Octo Finissimo line included simple three-handers, tourbillions, chronographs, etc. Their Octo Finissimo watches ranged from 1.8mm to 5.8mm in thickness; the latter of which belonged to the perpetual calendar version of the watch.
To make things more impressive, this line of thin watches is made of sandblasted titanium, which makes it incredibly light. To put things into perspective, titanium has the strength of stainless steel but only weighs about half of the stainless steel for the same volume.
Unfortunately, Richard Mille broke the record for the thinnest watch in mid-2022, with the RM UP-01 Ferrari. It stands at 1.75mm in thickness, as opposed to the 1.8mm Bvlgari. To be frank, it is quite exciting to see luxury watches from these luxury watch brands compete in this category.
Nevertheless, Bvlgari will no doubt impress the world again with perhaps another feat of watch engineering in the future. With this much heritage and achievements, it’s no wonder that Bvlgari made it onto this list of best Italian watch brands.
Check out my other article on whether watches are jewelry to learn more about Bvlgari!
Panerai
Arguably one of the more iconic entrants on this list, Panerai is definitely a huge Italian watch brand that made its mark on the world of horology. Founded in 1860 by Giovanni Panerai in the historical city of Florence, Panerai was run by a father and son duo for decades. Before the start of the 20th century, Panerai worked with established Swiss suppliers, in order to set up a steady supply of Swiss parts to their headquarters in Italy.
Panerai invested a lot of money into research and development; this paid off because they were earning quite a lot of money from their professional tools. In the early 1900s, Panerai trademarked the ‘Radiomir‘, which was Panerai’s proprietary compound that consisted of Radium and other chemicals. Radium was discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie years earlier. The point of this Radiomir compound was to provide illumination or ‘lume’ for their watches.
In the 1920s, Rolex developed the Rolex Oyster case. A remarkable case that paved the way for watches to be water resistant. This piqued Panerai’s interest, and after some time, Panerai was working with Rolex to create a military-grade watch for the Royal Italian Navy. This is how Panerai got known for making tough and beefy men’s watches.
With World War II looming, it was important for the Italian Navy to get their watches. Fortunately, Panerai and Rolex delivered; and the rest is, as they say, history.
Given that Panerai is filled with such illustrious history and the contribution to the Italian Navy is second to none, it’s pretty safe to say that Panerai more than deserves to be on this list. Celebrity icons such as Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Jason Statham are some of the celebrities often seen with Panerai watches. A watch collection would not be complete if it didn’t have timepieces from this one-of-a-kind brand.
Giuliano Mazzuoli
Giuliano Mazzuoli, the watch brand, and the man behind it, are the perfect embodiment of Italian luxury and spirit. Many say that Giuliano Mazzuoli’s watches are simple in design, yet pique curiosity.
It might not be unsurprising, but Giuliano Mazzuoli comes from a family deep-rooted in horology. Mazzuoli’s ancestors were part of a team of craftsmen that were in charge of producing clocks for towers in Chianti Hills, Florence. Mazzuoli still lives and works on his brand there.
Giuliano Mazzuoli is arguably the most famous for his Manometro collection. The eccentric design, paired with a reliable Swiss movement, really makes for a timepiece suitable for anyone. There are choices between colors and styles, but personally, the one with the sky blue dial is really a head-turner to me.
All-in-all, it’s no wonder Giuliano Mazzuoli made it onto this list. Although the brand is relatively new; the fact that horology runs in Mazzuoli’s family kind of makes up for it. Coupled with impeccable quality and having the honor of having their watches ‘Swiss-made’, it’s hard to fault Giuliano Mazzuoli.
Breil
Breil was founded in Milan, in 1939. Initially, they were makers of alarm clocks and only in 1942, they launched their first wristwatch.
Innocente, the founder of the brand, most famously tested his watches by quite literally dropping them off the top of the Eiffel Tower. It was and is considered quite a stunt, as the Eiffel Tower is about 300 meters or around 985 feet in height.
To put that into perspective, the world record for the deepest dive ever made as of the writing of this article was 332.35 meters or 1,090 feet. A pretty impressive feat, considering most of Breil’s watches at the time survived the fall.
Currently, many consider Breil a fashion brand, but it’s hard to deny the brand’s history. However, mostly a fashion brand, Breil’s design is no doubt quintessentially Italian at heart. Breil is known for sponsoring Edward Norton to be their spokesmodel, the actor that played the Incredible Hulk in the 2008 movie, as well as starring in the Oscar-nominated hit, Fight Club. Who knows, perhaps this fashion brand will impress us in the future, just like Bvlgari did.
Anonimo
Anonimo watches, probably one of the newer brands on this list, was founded in 1997. Anonimo was founded when Panerai relocated from Florence, Italy, to Neuchatel in Switzerland, taking over and hiring many of Panerai’s watchmakers. Federico Massacesi, the founder of Anonimo, was a former business partner of the famous fashion brand Salvatore Ferragamo, which means he knows a thing or two about Italian design.
This Italian watch brand only makes mechanical watches, taking on the mid-tier price range in the luxury watch market. Models range from $2,500 – $10,000.
With many of their employees being part of Panerai, there is definitely the essence of Italian watchmaking in every single timepiece. The design that goes into every Anonimo watch is as Italian as any Italian watch can get, with the shapes and the placement of everything on the watches. Federico Massacesi definitely contributed to the soul and spirit of this Italian brand and their watches really do show.
However, in 2013, they were bought by private investors and moved their headquarters to Switzerland. Nevertheless, they still got to remain an independent watch brand, sticking with their bold Italian design and engineering. Watches from Anonimo are sourced from Sellita, which is a company that makes reliable Swiss movements.
In retrospect, despite the age of Anonimo, one has to respect this Italian watch brand for bringing honor to Italian watchmaking, as they make some of the best Italian watches on the market.
Well-known celebrities have been known to rock Anonimo on their wrists, with the likes of Tom Cruise and members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. So, it’s no stretch to call Anonimo the estranged stepbrother of the legendary Panerai.
U-Boat
U-Boat might sound like some sort of German submarine, but you’d be wrong. U-Boat designs stem from the ideas of Ilvo Fontano. For decades, the designs and ideas for these watches were hidden, until Italo Fontana, Ilvo’s grandson, discovered the remnants of what his grandfather envisioned.
In the year 2000, Italo Fontana created U-Boat, based on the inspiration his grandfather left behind. A U-Boat watch can definitely be spot on from a distance, with its big, bold, and brash style.
As a result, many macho Hollywood celebrities are spotted with their very own U-Boat watches such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, David Beckham, Tom Cruise, and Nicholas Cage. U-Boat watches might not be Italian luxury, depending on who you ask; but there’s no doubt that this company made it into the collections of major celebrities.
Although the movements are Swiss-made, the watch models themselves are made in Italy. U-Boat made watches in Tuscany and continues to make them there. The brand’s dedication to its roots in Italy makes its timepieces unique and to a certain extent, a paragon of luxury. Luxury models from U-Boat could rival the competition’s timepieces with ease.
Their timepieces go for up to $6,500. Dive watches from U-Boat, such as the Classico ref. 8038, can be submerged up to 1001 meters, which is crazy. As mentioned earlier, the world record for the deepest dive is barely 1/3 of this watch’s capabilities! Even more established brands find it hard to achieve this tantamount feat.
This company simply doesn’t play around with its style and quality. Although U-Boat might be inspired by other Italian brands, their timepieces continue to be in the collections of celebrities and serious divers.
My Thoughts
Though my list is condensed, I believe that all of the brands mentioned above highlight what Italian has to offer in terms of watch brands and watchmaking. Italian watches symbolize the ‘made in Italy’ spirit, with a style that is, unmatched and impeccable quality. So, the next time you need a new watch for your collection, why not give the Italians a try?
