In the fast-paced and often cyclical world of luxury timepieces, a fascinating paradox continues to define the collector community. While prestigious accolades are routinely handed out at glitzy industry ceremonies, and the market continually chases the next grand complication or viral release, public acclaim does not always align with secondary market realities or broader mainstream appreciation. In an era where resale value, waiting lists, and celebrity endorsements frequently dictate a brand’s standing, many extraordinary watchmakers—ranging from historical powerhouses to innovative independent studios—find themselves overlooked by the broader public.
This complex and shifting landscape of recognition prompted a simple yet revealing inquiry among prominent figures in the watch community: What is your favorite underrated watch brand, whether modern or vintage, and why does it deserve greater appreciation?
The wide variety of responses received by In the Loupe—singling out independent makers that remain obscure to casual enthusiasts, as well as firmly established pillars of horology that may not be receiving their due credit—suggests that recognition is an increasingly controversial concept in modern watchmaking. Even brands that produce objectively beautiful, highly sophisticated, and masterfully crafted timepieces can occasionally struggle to make waves on the secondary market. Yet, according to a panel of dedicated collectors, founders, and industry experts, this underappreciation presents a golden opportunity for those willing to look past the mainstream noise.
Asher Rapkin on Laurent Ferrier and Marco Tedeschi
Among those weighing in on the conversation is Asher Rapkin, cofounder of Collective Horology, who points to two distinct entities that he believes deserve significantly more attention from contemporary collectors.
"Laurent Ferrier and Marco Tedeschi both deserve more attention," says Rapkin. While acknowledging that Laurent Ferrier is a well-known name among seasoned connoisseurs, Rapkin emphasizes that in an industry constantly obsessed with the next new thing, the brand does not receive enough credit for what it has quietly done best for years: refined design and phenomenal, classical movements that make some of the finest dress watches available today.
At the same time, Rapkin highlights the contrasting, future-forward vision of Marco Tedeschi. "Marco Tedeschi is doing something entirely different: future-forward tourbillons that are as technically impressive as they are aesthetically new," Rapkin explains, pointing to the MT1.1 as a prime example of this innovative approach. For collectors who only know Tedeschi’s work through his involvement with Kross Studio, Rapkin argues that diving deeper into his independent endeavors is well worth the effort.
Courtney Bachrach on Vintage Chopard
Shifting focus from modern independents to the rich archives of established houses, watch enthusiast Courtney Bachrach—known online as @tinywristcheck—draws attention to a period and a collection that she feels has been unfairly sidelined by the modern market.
Bachrach points specifically to vintage Chopard, with a particular emphasis on the brand’s women’s watches from the 1970s. During this era, she notes, Chopard’s designs were incredibly bold, utilizing hard stone dials, sculptural gold bracelets, openwork construction, and strong geometric shapes that were frequently built around serious mechanical movements. There was an unmistakable focus on groundbreaking design, ranging from oversized ovals and circles to unconventional case shapes and highly articulated bracelets, with striking splashes of color brought by a wide variety of hard stones.
While acknowledging that other watch brands from the same historical period have achieved much stronger auction results, Bachrach believes that Chopard possesses an aesthetic that translates far more naturally to modern fashion today. Because these historical pieces still feel remarkably chic, modern, and wearable, she argues that the true depth of Chopard’s women’s archive remains surprisingly underrated, at least for the time being.
Georgia Benjamin on Bueche Girod
That sentiment is echoed by collector Georgia Benjamin, who highlights another brilliant yet frequently forgotten name from the same transformative decade.
"Bueche Girod is one of those brands where you say the name and people say, ‘Come again?!’" Benjamin observes. For Benjamin, the pieces produced by the brand during the 1970s are nothing short of spectacular, showcasing incredible gold craftsmanship and a magnificent use of stone on both the dials and cases. "Just really distinctive design-forward pieces," she notes.
Sharing a personal connection to the brand, Benjamin mentions owning an ornate gold family heirloom with a diamond-shaped case passed down from her grandmother, a piece that consistently attracts compliments whenever she wears it. Whenever similar pieces appear at auction, Benjamin admits she gets genuinely excited, describing them as wildly underrated and incredibly chic, with a personal desire to snap up every single one she encounters.
Paul Engel on Vacheron Constantin’s Vintage Era
Even the upper echelons of traditional Swiss watchmaking are not immune to being overlooked, according to Paul Engel, founder of the Aircooltime Substack. While many might not associate words like underestimated, unappreciated, or unrecognized with Vacheron Constantin—a proud member of horology’s prestigious "holy trinity" alongside Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe—Engel makes a compelling case that the brand, at least within the vintage realm, is worth far more attention, money, and acclaim than the marketplace currently gives it.
Engel points directly to Vacheron Constantin’s watches from the 1950s. While the storied manufacturer has certainly enjoyed renewed interest and heightened market enthusiasm following the successful reissue of its historic 1970s Reference 222 model, Engel notes that many other vintage references still lag behind in market appreciation.
During the 1950s, Vacheron Constantin produced remarkably avant-garde designs defined by daring cases, unusual proportions, and exceptionally refined dial details. For Engel, these striking artistic choices were among the primary traits that initially drew him to vintage watch collecting. Despite their undeniable historical importance and genuine rarity, he believes that some of Vacheron Constantin’s most distinctive vintage watches continue to be underappreciated by collectors today.
William Massena on Breguet’s Timeless Credibility
William Massena, founder of Massena LAB, takes a similar view when examining the historical depth of Breguet, a brand he argues deserves a thorough second look from modern collectors.
According to Massena, Breguet offers a direct and tangible connection between an extraordinary historical legacy and a deeply recognizable design language. Abraham-Louis Breguet did far more than merely lend his famous name to a dial; his pioneering work fundamentally helped shape the mechanical watch as we know it today. Even centuries later, the house continues to speak in a distinct visual vocabulary defined by guilloché dials, blued steel hands, discreet secret signatures, and carefully balanced proportions.
Yet, Massena points out, Breguet is frequently overlooked in a modern marketplace that is far too often driven by artificial scarcity, celebrity endorsements, and short-term resale value. For Massena, this oversight is precisely what makes the brand so interesting. A classic Breguet timepiece can be fully appreciated for its understated elegance and serious technical substance without requiring the owner to justify their place on an endless waiting list. Even the brand’s more assertive designs retain an unmistakable identity. For collectors who are genuinely willing to judge a watch on its merits rather than its hype, Breguet offers profound depth: historical credibility, serious watchmaking prowess, and the quiet, enduring pleasure of owning a timepiece that does not need to shout to be noticed.
John Pankauski on Nicolas Delaloye
For those looking toward the cutting edge of contemporary independent watchmaking, collector John Pankauski directs his admiration toward Swiss independent maker Nicolas Delaloye.
Having visited Delaloye in his studio during the summer, Pankauski admits he remains baffled as to why the maker’s waiting list isn’t significantly longer. Beneath the exterior lies a world of technical precision, featuring 100 percent designed and finished complications and mechanisms that are framed like fine works of art, visible through transparent casebacks as masterpieces in the making.
Pankauski notes that even major established brands likely look at Delaloye’s workshop and wish their own watchmakers possessed a similar level of artistry. Beyond sheer aesthetics, Pankauski highlights the physical experience of handling a piece like the Tantalum Renaissance, where the comforting heft of the metal signals that something important is taking place on the wrist. Delaloye, who spent years handling the most complicated and precious pieces at Patek Philippe, represents a master class in modern independent watchmaking. While his global waitlist is steadily growing and industry respect is mounting, Pankauski reminds enthusiasts that visitors touring the Patek Philippe Museum can still spot Delaloye featured prominently in the tour’s presentation videos—a testament to his rightful place among contemporary horological greats.
Stephen Pulvirent on Bulgari’s Enduring Creativity
Rounding out the perspective of modern industry watchers, Stephen Pulvirent, founder of Rime & Reason, argues that despite substantial commercial and critical success, one major player in Italian-designed, Swiss-made watchmaking still does not receive its full dues.
Despite all of its accomplishments, Pulvirent maintains that Bulgari remains criminally underrated within the broader collecting community. In his view, the Octo Finissimo—in all of its myriad forms, materials, and configurations—stands firmly as one of the defining timepieces that will be looked back upon as entirely representative of this current era in watchmaking and watch collecting when the future history books are written. Furthermore, Pulvirent emphasizes that the brand effortlessly manages to ooze style, technical ambition, and unbridled creativity across its broader watch catalog, ensuring that a Bulgari timepiece can never be mistaken for anything else on the market.
As these diverse perspectives from collectors, founders, and historians demonstrate, the true value of a watch often lies far away from the predictable rhythms of mainstream hype and secondary market speculation. Whether through the forgotten geometry of 1970s women’s dress watches, the avant-garde lines of 1950s Swiss icons, or the meticulous hand-finishing of modern independent ateliers, the horological landscape remains vast, rewarding those who dare to look beyond the obvious choices.
