When people (mainly Americans) discuss luxury watch brands from countries like Italy, Switzerland, and Germany, they are often bluffing on the pronunciation–but the native accent of the country of origin matters if accuracy is your goal! Today, we’ll cover how to correctly pronounce popular names in the world of luxury watches.
Commonly Mispronounced Luxury Watch Brands
Let’s go through 31 luxury watch brands alphabetically, and discuss the accents that contribute to how they are said.
1. A. Lange & Söhne
The GRAND LANGE 1 “25th Anniversary”
This is a German watch brand established in the 1800s and later became nationalized. After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the demise of the GDR, the great-grandson of the founder re-registered the trademark in 1990. In English, it means A. Lange and Sons. It is pronounced AH LANG-eh und ZUH-neh. Notice the ampersand is pronounced und, because it’s German, and that there’s an umlaut on the o. Sometimes, I hear it as A Lonzh and Zohn, but that’s incorrect. It’s not a French pronunciation; it’s a German pronunciation.
2. Audemars Piguet
Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph
Audemars Piguet has been family-owned since 1875. They’re probably most well known for introducing the first luxury sports watch in 1972, the still-popular Royal Oak. It is pronounced OH-deh-mahr Pi-GEH. It’s a silent s and a silent t. It’s a French pronunciation, which is shorter than some Americans or English speakers might think. The r is very quick and not really pronounced. It comes from the back of your throat, French style, not from the top of your tongue like in the English language or with a rolled r like the Italian.
3. Baume et Mercier
Paul Mercier and William Baume, co-founders
This Swiss brand was founded by the Baume brothers in 1830, and they partnered with Paul Mercier in 1918. So, how is it pronounced? BOHM Eh Mehr-SYEY. It’s quick; it’s not Mersee-ey. Again, r from your throat and silent r at the end. No English pronunciation here!
4. Blancpain
Blancpain L-Evolution Super Trofeo
Interestingly, the French name of this Swiss brand translates to “white bread.” It originally started in 1735 and has undergone many name changes, but eventually ended back up at Blancpain, which is now owned by the Swatch Group. They produce fewer than 30 watches a day, and each watch is made by one watchmaker. It is pronounced Blohn-Pehn. It’s not Blon-pohn or Blank-pain.
5. Breguet
A fine and rare 18ct gold open face automatic pocket watch with power reserve made for Coco Chanel’s French lover, Paul Iribe
This brand, founded in 1775 in Paris, is now also owned by the Swatch Group. The well-regarded company of Breguet invented the first self-winding watch and the first wristwatch in the world. It’s pronounced BREH-geh. It is quicker then an American might say it, like Bre-GAE or Bri-GEIT, but this is incorrect. So, the t is silent, the r comes from the throat.
6. Breitling
Breitling for Bentley Supersport
This is a Swiss watch company, but it’s pronounced as though it were German. It is not Bright-ling, it is BREIT-ling. It’s the same throat r, it’s not a frontal r.
7. Carl F. Bucherer
Manero Peripheral – first watch to house Carl F. Bucherer’s second workshop-crafted movement
This watch brand was founded by its namesake in 1888 in Lucerne, Switzerland. It is still family-owned, and one of the oldest and most long-standing Swiss watchmaking companies that is still under the control of the family. English speakers may naturally pronounce it as Carl F. Buk-her-er, but the ch in German is pronounced with a throatier quality. So, CARL F. BUCH-ehr-ehr. Again, rolled in the r in the back of your throat.
8. Cartier
A gold Cartier watch, Fort Belvedere cufflinks and a Fort Belvedere collar clip pull together the metal elements of an outfit when worn together
Even though their first watch was named “Santos,” after Alberto Santos-Dumont, Cartier are probably most well-known for the Tank Watch and the variations of it. The design for the tank watch was inspired by the Renault tanks from the Western Front of World War I. In the US, many people pronounce it Car-di-yey; they change the t to a d and make it longer in the end, but it is actually Cahr-tyeh. The r again comes from the back of the throat, not the front, and the t is a little harder. Overall, it’s a little shorter than Car-di-yey; it’s Cahr-TYEH.
9. Chopard
Chopard L.U.C. “Perpetual T”
This company has been owned by the German Scheufele family since 1963. It is pronounced Sho-pahr. So, the d in the end is silent; it’s not Sho-pahrd, and the r again comes from the back.
10. Frederique Constant
Frederique Constant and Cohiba – Limited Edition Watch + Humidor Set
Founded by a married couple in 1988, this brand considers itself to represent affordable luxury in watches. It is pronounced Freh-deh-RIQUE Cohn-STOHN. So again, silent t in the end and the r comes from your throat. Overall, like most French names, a bit shorter than most Americans would make them.
11. Girard-Perregaux
Girard-Perregaux Vintage 1945
This Swiss luxury watch manufacturer started in 1791. It’s a prominent brand in the world of high-quality mechanical watches. It is pronounced Zhi-RAHR Peh-reh-GOH. Again, the x is silent, the Rs come from the back, and it’s a bit shorter.
12. Glashütte Original
Glashutte Original Senator Chronometer Regulator
Glashütte in German means as much as “glassworks,” and it’s actually a town in Germany that is the center of the German watchmaking industry today. Owned by the Swatch group, it’s one of the few brands that still uses their own movements. So, how is it pronounced? Glahs-HU-teh Oh-rih-gih-NAHL; u has an umlaut, so it’s Glahs-HU-teh, and they’re not “original,” but Oh-rih-gih-NAHL. It’s a German pronunciation. Again you have that r from the throat, but it’s a little longer than the French would say it.
13. Hublot
$3 million Hublot Big Bang Watch
Established in 1980, this watchmaker is now owned by Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy–the French luxury conglomerate. The brand name directly translates to “porthole” in English. It’s pronounced Oo-bloh. So, the h is silent, the typical French way, and it’s pronounced very quickly. The h, as well as the t, are silent.
14. IWC Schaffhausen
Actually, the first part of the brand is the abbreviation for International Watch Company, and Schaffhausen is a town in Switzerland where this company is from. People there speak Swiss German, and they call the brand EE-VEH-TSEH Shof-HOU-zen.
IWC Portugieser Chronograph
The company was actually co-founded in 1868 by an American so you could make the argument that it would be called I-W-C Schaffhausen. In Germany, i is more pronounced like ee, and w is more pronounced like the English v. The sch sound in German is always a shh, never a ssk. So, it’s always Shof-HOU-zen.
15. Jaeger-LeCoultre
This brand is arguably one of the most accomplished watchmakers in the world, with more than a thousand movements to their name. Probably, the watch they’re most famous for is the Reverso watch, and I have an original model. As a note of historical curiosity, however (and because of a quirk related to import duties of the time), it bears only the LeCoultre name.
Raphael’s vintage LeCoultre Reverso, paired with silver monkey’s fist knot cufflinks from Fort Belvedere
So, how is it pronounced? Most Americans would say Yay-ger Leh-cul-trah. However, the French pronunciation is Zhe-ZHURH(r) Lih-COULT(reh). So the first r is very silent, it comes from the throat (but it’s almost not there). The e in the end is silent as well. That being said, if you go to an American watch store and you ask for a Jaeger-LeCoultre watch using this pronunciation, they probably will look at you and ask, “You want a Yay-ger Leh-cul-trah watch?” Alternatively, you just say, “Get me a JLC,” people will usually understand that!
16. Longines
Longines Comet Automatic
This Swiss watchmaker was founded in 1832. Counterfeiting was an issue for Longines as early as the 1880s, and so they came up with the winged hourglass logo, which they trademarked in 1880. Today, it is the oldest unchanged, still active trademark in the world. The name is pronounced Lohn-zheen. The important part is that it’s rather short and quick.
17. Louis Moinet
Louis Moinet – a legendary watchmaker
This brand was named after the French inventor of the chronograph. Today, their watches are anything but understated, and the brand is pronounced Loo-EE MWAH-neh, with a silent s and silent t.
18. Maurice Lacroix
Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Le Chronographe Squelette
This brand was founded in 1975 by Desco von Schulthess. It’s pronounced Moh-REISS Lah-KWAH. Silent x in the end, and r from the back–a little shorter and not as pronounced.
19. Montblanc
Montblanc Starwalker ballpoint pen
The brand name refers to the highest mountain in Europe (in France), and even though they’re originally famous for fountain pens, they’ve also started introducing luxury watches. Interestingly, despite its French-sounding name, it is actually a German brand that is now part of the Richemont Group. So, how is it pronounced? Not Mont-blank or Mont-blong. It is pronounced Mohn-blohn. It means “white mountain” translated to English.
20. Omega
Astronaut Wally Schirra wearing his Omega Speedmaster during training
The Omega brand is from Beil in Switzerland, and the German pronunciation would be Oh-MEH-gah. However, it’s more French, so it’s OH-meh-gah. The English might say Oh-MAY-guh, but that’s wrong. You can see that the e is slightly longer, and it’s a very French sound.
21. Panerai
Panerai Luminor 1950 Rattrapante
This is brand is somewhat exotic, in the sense that it is an Italian brand. Here, the r comes from the front of your tongue and the end is elongated. So, it’s Pah-ne-RAI.
22. Patek Philippe
The 2015 Patek Philippe Calatrava
This Swiss luxury watch brand was founded in 1839, and the most expensive watch ever sold at auction was a Patek Philipe, for $31 million in 2019. Today, the brand is considered to be one of the most prestigious watchmakers in the world, part of the “Big Three,” or the so-called “Holy Trinity,” with Audemars Piguet and Vacheron Constantin. It is pronounced Pah-TEK Fih-LEEP. Again, shorter overall in the syllables.
23. Piaget
Piaget Altiplano Automatic Small Seconds Date
This Swiss watchmaker was founded in 1874, and is well regarded for the thinness of their watch movements. So, how is it pronounced? PYAH-zhey(not Pee-ah-jet). The t is silent.
24. Richard Mille
Richard Mille RM-27-01 watch worn by Rafael Nadal
This Swiss watch wasn’t established until 2001, but their watches are very bold and very expensive. It’s pronounced the French way, REE-shar MEEL. It’s not pronounced Ri-shar Miyeh, or Richard Mill. It’s very soft, gentle, and French.
25. Roger Dubuis
Roger Dubuis Excalibur 42 Automatic
Founded in 1995 by its namesake and a partner, this watch brand is also bold and focuses on adrenaline, in their own words. It’s not Roh-jer Du-bois, but: Roh-ZHAY Du-BWEE. Again, r from the throat, and the s is silent in the back.
26. Rolex
Hans Wilsdorf – The man behind Rolex
Rolex is probably the most well-recognized luxury watch brand in the world. The brand was established in England by the German, Hans Wilsdorf. At that time, most watch brands would simply use the family name of the founder, but Hans Wilsdorf had the foresight of creating a brand that was easily pronounceable around the world.
A pre-owned Rolex Datejust
It is pronounced correctly as Ro-lex–very English or American. One could also argue that because Wilsdorf was German, you could pronounce it in a German way (Hro-lex), but the more common pronunciation that you can also see on their own YouTube videos and ads is Ro-lex.
27. TAG Heuer
TAG Heuer Formula 1 Grande Date Black Dial Watch
Partially founded in 1860, TAG stands for Techniques d’Avant Garde. Heuer, on the other hand, was a different company (which bore its founder’s last name), and those companies merged together in 1985. It’s pronounced in a very German way: TAHG HOY-eh(r). The eu in German is always an oy.
28. Tudor
Tudor is known for using the ETA movements
One could argue whether Tudor is a luxury watch brand or simply just a poor man’s Rolex, but it was also created by Hans Wilsdorf with the same idea: that it would be something that could be pronounced easily around the world. The German pronunciation would be TOO-dohr, but the English pronunciations are TOO-dur (in American English) and TYOO-dur (in British English).
29. Ulysse Nardin
Ulysse Nardin Sonata Streamline
Founded in 1846, this brand is well known for its nautical timepieces. It’s pronounced Ooh-LEESE Nahr-DAHN. Again the r from the back, and the n is silent. It’s not Yu-les-es or Yu-les, but Ooh-LEESE.
30. Vacheron Constantin
Vacheron Constantin are simple but detailed
Next to Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin considered to be the third part of the “Holy Trinity” in the watchmaking world today. Founded in 1755, their Patrimony line of watches is probably their most famous. It’s pronounced Vah-sheh-ROHN Kohn-stahn-tahn.
31. Zenith
Zenith Elite Ultra Thin Watch
This is another Swiss watch brand, founded in 1865, and the German pronunciation would be Tse-NEET, but it’s pronounced the French way, which is Zeh-NEET. So, it’s a softer z like the Americans would say it, but the th is more like a soft t; not Ze-NEETH, but Zeh-NEET.
Conclusion
Correctly pronouncing luxury watch brands can help you confidently converse about them, and may also help you when purchasing. Just give these brands a little practice, and you’ll sound like a luxury watch connoisseur in no time! By the way: if you’re interested in whether luxury brands are worth their money–for example, a Rolex watch–you can check out the video below. You can also view our other extensive product reviews in our “Is It Worth It” series here.