The Wrist Watch rankings
Wrist Watch is our new data-driven report pinpointing at a series level the 50 watches that have dominated the market over the past year. We’ve used over 4.5 million data points across seven categories to provide watch buyers with insight and expert commentary on the most significant timepieces available right now.
The result? Watchfinder’s definitive luxury watch ranking, which we hope to publish annually. To come up with our top 50 global ranking we looked at the following seven key considerations:
• Pre-owned pricing - how much the watch’s pre-owned price changed between 2023 and 2024.
• Sales - how many were sold in the pre-owned market in 2024.
• Recognition - how well recognised the watch was by the general public at the end of 2024.
• Social Media - how much positive ‘chatter’ the watch enjoyed online in 2024.
• Editorial - how much favourable press coverage the watch garnered in 2024.
• Celebrity - how much celebrity association and endorsement the watch received.
• Search - how many people looked for the watch online in 2024 vs 2023.
The individual scores for each of these categories were combined to create one composite score for each watch series. We then ranked from highest to lowest to give us our Top 50. Besides long-established series from the likes of Rolex and Audemars Piguet, you’ll find newcomers like Patek Philippe’s Cubitus, and under-the-radar models from Longines and Tudor. Some watches featured in several of the categories, others in just one.
Unsurprisingly, Rolex’s most popular series, the Datejust, came top in three categories, namely Search, Social Media Impact and Sales. Cartier performed well across the board, as did Omega with its two flagship models—the Seamaster and Speedmaster—while the appearance of Hublot was no surprise given its aggressive marketing across the worlds of sport and celebrity in recent years.
Below, you’ll find the top 10 watches from the overall global ranking, focusing on their history and the individual rankings in which they performed strongly.
To download the full Wrist Watch report, click here.
1st | Rolex Datejust
As one of Rolex’s consistently bestselling models, it’s no surprise that the Datejust landed the overall top spot in this year’s Wrist Watch rankings. Introduced in 1945, it was the world's first self-winding waterproof chronometer wristwatch to feature a window displaying the date—a significant milestone. This useful everyday function combined with its timeless looks have made it an undisputed classic.
Enhancing its appeal is the sheer range of models now available in the collection—everything from diamond-set two-tone versions to stainless-steel options, plus a range of case sizes that make it suitable for everyone.
As well as coming out on top overall in our rankings, the Datejust claimed the top position in the Sales, Social Media and Search categories. In Sales, the Datejust dominated, accounting for an impressive 14.9% of all Watchfinder sales of the top 50 watches in 2024. In Search, it was the series with the largest increase in Google searches in 2024 compared to 2023—a huge spike of 28.53%.
2nd | Rolex Submariner
Purpose-built for divers, the Submariner is one of the most recognisable watches around and a firm favourite of watch enthusiasts. Popular models include the “Hulk”, “Kermit” and “Cookie Monster” editions, affectionately nicknamed by the watch community itself. Once offered only in steel, the Submariner now also comes in gold and two-tone, giving a veneer of luxury to this classic sports watch.
Modern-day Submariners are water-resistant to a resilient 300m and feature a unidirectional ceramic bezel and signature Cyclops date window—although a no-frills dateless version is available for those wanting something closer to the 1953 original.
Interestingly, the Submariner earned the most Google searches out of the top 50 in 2024 with over 9.2 million—further proof of its huge influence. However, it ranked at number three in this field behind the Datejust and Cartier Santos, both of which gained a bigger increase in searches in 2024 compared to 2023, which is how the rankings are based. The model was also ranked number two in pre-owned Sales, landing just behind the Datejust.
3rd | Audemars Piguet Royal Oak
Designed by Gérald Genta in 1970, Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak kickstarted the luxury steel sports watch genre. Boasting an octagonal porthole-based design and integrated bracelet, it’s one of the most desirable watches on the market and has inspired countless other watchmakers. The Royal Oak remains hugely popular among A-listers across the fields of entertainment, sport and beyond.
When it came to social posts and media articles connecting the series to a celebrity, it had almost twice as many as its next closest competitor, the Rolex Daytona. Major collaborations with celebrities such as rapper Travis Scott and a high-profile partnership with musician John Mayer, have helped generate just over 6,071 editorial items on the Royal Oak. This places it at number two in our Editorial category, establishing it as a high-profile timepiece that continues to capture people’s imagination.
Interestingly, the Royal Oak is within the top three watches for Recognition in the UK and US, whereas in France it doesn’t even make the top ten, highlighting the cultural differences from market to market.
4th | Rolex Daytona
With its rich motorsport heritage—it’s named after the Daytona International Speedway in Florida—the Rolex Daytona is the world’s most sought-after chronograph. This legendary collection is home to some of Rolex’s most interesting and striking designs, including the glamorous gem-clad “Rainbow” models and the flamboyant “Leopard”.
In 2017, the actor Paul Newman’s personal 1968 Daytona famously became the most expensive wristwatch ever sold at auction, selling for a whopping $17.8 million. The sale of this watch sparked interest not only in the watch community but across those of motorsport, Hollywood and Americana, making it uber-desirable.
It’s hardly surprising, then, that the Daytona reigned supreme in Editorial, garnering a staggering 6,825 articles. It got a significant boost in coverage when the American footballer, Travis Kelce, was spotted wearing the timepiece while shopping in London. The Daytona also took the top spot for Recognition in the US and an impressive number two in France. However, it missed out on a top ten place in the UK, with other Rolexes like the Day-Date proving more popular.
5th | Omega Speedmaster
Renowned for its association with the 1969 moon landings, the Speedmaster is a historic watch with an enviable list of achievements. Not only that, its accuracy helped rescue the Apollo XIII mission of 1970, and it’s still used by NASA astronauts today.
Aside from its impressive heritage, the Speedmaster is loved for its signature design. It was the first watch to put a tachymeter scale—used to calculate speed—on the bezel instead of the dial. These days, there’s a vast array of models available in the Speedmaster collection, from the classic Moonwatch Professional to the charming Snoopy editions. The latter celebrates Omega’s own Silver Snoopy award that it received from NASA in 1970 for its contributions to space exploration.
Its position at number five in our global rankings is proof of its unwavering appeal. In terms of Sales, it also came fifth with a respectable 5.77% share of the top 50, while enjoying editorial coverage in over 4,200 articles.
6th | Rolex GMT-Master
The quintessential GMT watch, the Rolex GMT-Master is a classic timepiece that was originally designed for Pan Am pilots. With its ability to track two time zones simultaneously, it’s ideal for frequent jetsetters. Models with the iconic red and blue “Pepsi” bezel are considered the classic GMT watch, the contrasting colours helping the wearer to differentiate between day and night in the second time zone.
Other popular models include the left-handed black and green “Sprite” released in 2022, the two-tone yellow-gold and steel “Root beer” and the “Batman”, with its black and blue bezel.
In 2024, the GMT-Master enjoyed 83,149 social media mentions, placing it at number four in our Social Media category. It fared even better in traditional media, coming third in our Editorial category, with 5,710 articles. This was partly due to interest in Jason Kelce’s custom model which he wore during his widely reported NFL retirement announcement.
7th | Omega Seamaster
Omega’s legendary Seamaster lacks the Moon-landing bragging rights of its brand sibling, the Speedmaster, but it can claim to be the watch worn by James Bond—at least since 1995. The Seamaster name first appeared in 1948 but the first-generation models weren’t very dive-worthy. In 1957 it became a truly water-resistant dive model and since then the collection has expanded tenfold, with everything from all-black ceramic versions to chronographs to Bond limited editions.
The Seamaster—unsurprisingly given its strong cinematic links—was the eighth most popular watch on social media last year with 50,248 mentions across Facebook Instagram, X and TikTok. It was also the third best-selling watch series, with 8.86% of total pre-owned sales.
With speculation of who will play the seventh official James Bond ramping up, this will surely boost the Seamaster’s appeal. By our next report, expect it to climb even further up the rankings.
8th | Cartier Santos
Believed to be the first commercially produced men’s wristwatch, the Santos is also the world’s first aviation watch. Though it looks nothing like the typical pilots’ watches of today, it was originally made for the Brazilian Alberto Santos-Dumont, a Paris-based aviation pioneer who would fly around the city in his one-man airships, tethering them to lampposts outside restaurants as he dined with friends.
Santos-Dumont needed a robust timepiece he could glance at with ease while at the controls of his flying machine. And Louis-Joseph Cartier obliged, creating for him this distinctive watch that has been a mainstay of Cartier’s line-up since 1911.
Second only to the Rolex Day-Date in our Search rankings with just over 5 million searches last year, and squeezing into the top ten for Celebrity Influence, reaching over 46m people, the Santos is still an iconic watch to be reckoned with. Along with the Tank—launched a decade or so after the Santos—it’s one of Cartier’s most important watch families, worn by everyone from basketball star LeBron James to actress Jennifer Aniston.
9th | Rolex Day-Date
Rolex’s Day-Date is famously nicknamed the “President”, although officially that name is given to the superb bracelet it’s usually paired with. Still, the nickname is apt given the kind of people who have worn it since it was first unveiled in 1956. These include everyone from the Dalai Lama to fictional TV gangsters like Tony Soprano, as well as numerous pop stars and global CEOs.
The Day-Date is a bonafide top-tier Rolex model and as such it’s available only in gold and platinum, not steel. Further evidence of its worldwide appeal is the fact that the day disk is available in every widely spoken language in the world, including Arabic and Chinese.
Predictably, the Day-Date proved a good all-rounder in our report, coming fifth in our Celebrity Influence category with a reach of almost 90 million, almost 20 million more than the sixth-placed Speedmaster. Its social media mentions over the year were a respectable 53.7k, earning it sixth place and it was also one of the most recognised watches in the UK, France and US, coming first, fourth and eighth, respectively.
10th | Rolex Oyster Perpetual
Few watches offer the versatility and timeless good looks of the Oyster Perpetual, which made our overall list in tenth place. It may be considered an entry-level model, but this Rolex stalwart is the bedrock on which the brand has built its reputation. The contemporary Oyster Perpetual is the latest incarnation of the watch that really put Rolex on the map back in 1926. It had a hermetically sealed case and a screw-down crown, giving it a then-unrivalled water resistance.
That watch was called the Oyster, and when it was combined five years later with the brand’s patented, highly dependable self-winding movement, it became the Oyster Perpetual. The Rolex catalogue hasn’t been without it since, and it’s now offered in a wealth of dial colours and sizes.
Our Wrist Watch report found that it received healthy editorial coverage during 2024, featuring in 4,672 articles, 1,516 more than the prestigious Day-Date. Coming in at sixth in the Editorial rankings, it was beaten only by other Rolex models, plus Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak and Cartier’s Tank.
Download the full Wrist Watch ranking here.
