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Custom watches can be difficult to have made. They can be very expensive to produce. I want to differentiate between custom watches and customized watches. These are two very, very different things.
Customized watches are often times mass produced watches that have custom engraving or a special dial or maybe some diamonds set into the case after the fact.
Custom watches are watches that have been designed from scratch and according to a customer's specifications. A customer may choose to use a case that a manufacturer has used before and the watch can still be custom, but beware of those companies who only offer a few possibilities for the case. This typically means that they purchase the case from somebody else and don't really do any designing of their own.
A TRUE custom watch manufacturer makes their own cases. Makes their own dials. Makes their own clasps, and crowns, etc... They should even have the ability to customize the movement by remaking some of the components or even producing an entire movement.
To have a custom watch made is similar to what the royalty in the days of Abraham Louis Breguet must have felt. A unique, artisan crafted watch, custom made to your specifications is a wonderful asset to own.
However, a customized watch is oftentimes a different story. Most people don't want customized watches. They want something that is either mass produced that they like or they want something that is crafted like a piece of art to their specifications.
An example of a true custom watch manufacturer is Montres Allison.
An example of a company that assembles customized watches -- not to be confused with custom watch manufacturers would be RGM.
Custom watches are the watches that are most valuable at the major auction houses. You would be wise to educate yourself about what goes into making custom watches versus mass production like Rolex does. Rolex produces nearly 1 million watches a year. Custom watch manufacturers produce less than 20 watches typically.
Hope you found this article enjoyable.
Customized watches are often times mass produced watches that have custom engraving or a special dial or maybe some diamonds set into the case after the fact.
Custom watches are watches that have been designed from scratch and according to a customer's specifications. A customer may choose to use a case that a manufacturer has used before and the watch can still be custom, but beware of those companies who only offer a few possibilities for the case. This typically means that they purchase the case from somebody else and don't really do any designing of their own.
A TRUE custom watch manufacturer makes their own cases. Makes their own dials. Makes their own clasps, and crowns, etc... They should even have the ability to customize the movement by remaking some of the components or even producing an entire movement.
To have a custom watch made is similar to what the royalty in the days of Abraham Louis Breguet must have felt. A unique, artisan crafted watch, custom made to your specifications is a wonderful asset to own.
However, a customized watch is oftentimes a different story. Most people don't want customized watches. They want something that is either mass produced that they like or they want something that is crafted like a piece of art to their specifications.
An example of a true custom watch manufacturer is Montres Allison.
An example of a company that assembles customized watches -- not to be confused with custom watch manufacturers would be RGM.
Custom watches are the watches that are most valuable at the major auction houses. You would be wise to educate yourself about what goes into making custom watches versus mass production like Rolex does. Rolex produces nearly 1 million watches a year. Custom watch manufacturers produce less than 20 watches typically.
Hope you found this article enjoyable.
Guide created: 01/06/06 (updated 04/09/09)
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