We enjoy debating about the “best watches” as much as any enthusiast, but today we’ll let the numbers do the talking.
Here’s our look back at 2016 through some of our fascinating user statistics.
Most popular luxury watch brands
Take a look at the brands that received the most attention from our users in 2016.*
| Rank | Brand | % of total clicks | Rank change (2015) |
| 1 | Rolex | 26.41 | 0 |
| 2 | Omega | 9.15 | 0 |
| 3 | Breitling | 5.21 | 0 |
| 4 | Patek Philippe | 4.19 | +1 (5) |
| 5 | Audemars Piguet | 4.09 | -1 (4) |
| 6 | IWC Schaffhausen | 3.85 | 0 |
| 7 | TAG Heuer | 3.36 | 0 |
| 8 | Panerai | 3.20 | 0 |
| 9 | Cartier | 2.70 | 0 |
| 10 | Hublot | 2.64 | 0 |
| 11 | Jaeger-LeCoultre | 2.49 | 0 |
| 12 | Longines | 2.03 | 0 |
| 13 | Tudor | 1.79 | +1 (14) |
| 14 | Zenith | 1.53 | -1 (13) |
| 15 | Seiko | 1.26 | 0 |
* Counting clicks on watches on Chrono24
| Most notable rank gains | Most notable rank losses | ||
| Oris | +6 | U-Boat | -8 |
| Mido | +6 | Chronoswiss | -8 |
| Junghans | +4 | Maurice Lacroix: | -5 |
Most popular models
The most popular models of 2016 show a clear trend: Lots of Rolex and then some more Rolex.*
| Rank | Model | % of total clicks |
| 1 | Rolex Daytona | 4.81 |
| 2 | Rolex Submariner | 4.61 |
| 3 | Rolex Datejust | 4.18 |
| 4 | Omega Seamaster | 3.78 |
| 5 | Omega Speedmaster | 2.97 |
| 6 | Rolex GMT Master II | 2.48 |
| 7 | Audemars Piguet Royal Oak | 2.28 |
| 8 | Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore | 2.22 |
| 9 | Rolex Day-Date | 2.00 |
| 10 | IWC Schaffhausen Pilot’s Watch | 1.60 |
| 11 | Patek Philippe Nautilus | 1.56 |
| 12 | Hublot Big Bang | 1.56 |
| 13 | Rolex Oyster Perpetual | 1.44 |
| 14 | Panerai Luminor | 1.37 |
| 15 | Rolex Sea-Dweller | 1.35 |
* Counting clicks on watches on Chrono24
The 10 “most interesting watches”
For each of the most popular models above, there were thousands of watches offered on Chrono24. We can almost say: Many watches available = Many total clicks on the model.
So let’s instead look at clicks relative to the number of watches listed. The following models are rare, but proportionally attract the most users.*
One could call them: “the most interesting watches in the world”.
| Rank | Model |
| 1 | Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon |
| 2 | Hublot MP-05 LaFerrari |
| 3 | Hublot Bigger Bang |
| 4 | Richard Mille RM 027 |
| 5 | TAG Heuer Monaco V4 |
| 6 | Urwerk UR-202 |
| 7 | Richard Mille RM 052 |
| 8 | Richard Mille RM 035 |
| 9 | Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Tourbillon Chronograph |
| 10 | Zenith El Primero Original 1969 |
* Most clicks per individual watch listed
In fact: The Patek Philippe Sky Moon Tourbillon is 14 times more likely to be clicked than the average watch!
In case you were wondering: This watch is extremely rare and is generally sold for around $1 million.
Watches with low demand
Let’s turn the table above on its head. Despite being in plentiful supply, the following watches failed to excite our visitors.*
| Rank | Model |
| 1 | Ulysse Nardin Caprice |
| 2 | Carl F. Bucherer Alacria |
| 3 | Baume & Mercier Promesse |
| 4 | Glashütte Original Lady Serenade |
| 5 | Breitling Colt 36 |
| 6 | Girard Perregaux Cat’s Eye |
| 7 | Ulysse Nardin Executive Dual Time Lady |
| 8 | Breitling Transocean 38 |
| 9 | Hermès Heure H |
| 10 | Glashütte Original Pavonina |
* Fewest clicks per individual watch listed; min. 100 watches listed
Looks like our users don’t have a thing for ladies’ watches. So let’s repeat the analysis above, this time only including men’s watches.*
| Rank | Model |
| 1 | Jacob & Co. Five Time Zone |
| 2 | Breitling Galactic 41 |
| 3 | Jaquet-Droz Astrale |
| 4 | Maurice Lacroix Les Classiques Date |
| 5 | Omega Constellation (Men’s) |
| 6 | Jaquet-Droz Grande Seconde |
| 7 | Cartier Rotonde de Cartier |
| 8 | Ulysse Nardin Executive Dual Time |
| 9 | Ulysse Nardin GMT +/- Perpetual |
| 10 | Raymond Weil Maestro |
* Fewest clicks per individual watch listed; min. 100 men’s watches listed
Top indie brands
More and more independent watchmakers are aiming to revolutionize the market. Here are the indie brands that most fascinated our users in 2016.
| Rank | Brand | Rank change (2015) |
| 1 | Richard Mille | 0 |
| 2 | F.P.Journe | +1 (3) |
| 3 | Romain Jerome | +2 (5) |
| 4 | Urwerk | -2 (3) |
| 5 | Arnold & Son | -1 (4) |
| 6 | H.Moser & Cie. | 0 |
| 7 | Louis Moinet | 0 |
| 8 | Linde Werdelin | +2 (10) |
| 9 | Mb&f | +2 (11) |
| 10 | Greubel Forsey | -1 (9) |
| Most notable rank gain | |
| HYT | +10 |
Price averages on Chrono24
Average price new vs. pre-owned
New: $10,682
Pre-Owned: $6,531
Average prices for watches with special complications
Chronograph: $8,415
Perpetual Calendar: $32,650
Tourbillon: $81,158
Characteristics and features
What main characteristics does the statistically most popular watch possess? The answer: Steel case, black dial, and date complication.
| Case material | |
| Steel | 69.7% |
| Yellow gold | 7.2% |
| Gold/Steel | 7.2% |
| Pink gold | 5.2% |
| Titanium | 4.0% |
| White gold | 2.7% |
| Ceramic | 1.7% |
| Other | 2.3% |
| Dial color | |
| Black | 47.5% |
| White | 13.1% |
| Silver | 13.0% |
| Blue | 11.0% |
| Grey | 4.2% |
| Beige | 2.4% |
| Gold | 2.0% |
| Other | 6.8% |
| Complications/Functions | |
| Date | 46.18% |
| Chronograph | 26.74% |
| Day | 5.58% |
| GMT | 5.52% |
| Tachymeter | 4.85% |
| Moon phase | 2.75% |
| Month | 2.08% |
| Other | 6.3% |
What numbers are these statistics based on?
In 2016, Chrono24 recorded more than 200 million clicks on over 300,000 watches by users from more than 100 countries.
Look out for more detailed analyses in our Chrono24 Magazine in the coming months.
Thank you for your time!
Of course, you can find all of the watches mentioned here on Chrono24. Stop by to discover your personal favorite today!
