Iconic Watches: Timeless Design and Brand Impact

What do the following things have in common?

Omega Speedmaster. Porsche 911. Rolex Submariner. Audemars Royal Oak.  Patek Philippe Nautilus. Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso.

There are, to my mind, some defined links between them.

Design icons of the 1950-70s era. Yes, this era has more than its fair share of iconic design marvels. There was clearly something quite special about the era that led to this burst of design creativity.

Style that transcends time and fashion. What I mean by this is that the basic design from 50-60 years ago has transcended time and fashion to be as appropriate today as it was 60 years ago. Of course, the design does change but the basic DNA of the original shines through clearly in today’s modern variant. I think this is the area that interests me most. I call it a Factor X.

When a company manages to create a Factor X, it can be so profound that it almost becomes synonymous with the brand. Perhaps it even overtakes the brand to the point that the brand becomes highly dependent and dominated by it. Either way, a phenomenon is born that becomes synonymous with the success of the brand. Now, I can certainly think of icons that have transcended time and fashion but that have not become dominators. The VW Beetle is an example. Likewise, the Mini. These design icons persist but are not what I would call dominators. To be fair, there are very few “dominators”, but where they do exist, it is very obvious.

Not every manufacturer can claim the accolade. I will have a stab at manufacturers and models that seem adept at creating iconic watches.  And i will leave the forum open for others to add to the many gaps that I have left…..

Omega : I would argue that despite all the success of the Seamaster and Railmaster variants, it is the Speedmaster that has been the pivotal model.

Jaeger LeCoultre : As a recognisable icon, I think only the Reverso qualifies.

Rolex: The Submariner is the obvious candidate but I would also argue that the GMT is in the arena too.

Audemars Piguet: Royal Oak.

Patek Philippe : Calatrava and Nautilus.


I have deliberately left this quite vague as I think the subject is both interesting and deep. Hearing the thoughts and views of others will be fascinating as different concepts develop…..my list is not meant to be definitive......