From Breitling to Rolex: This Is How Our Top 10 Watches Look Naked

A luxury timepiece is an investment and a companion for life. Thus, choosing a watch is always a highly personal and individual decision. Naturally one would want the watch to match their style. However, high-quality watches are much more than just beautiful accessories: even simple movements are true masterpieces of fine mechanics. Simple "time-only" calibres regularly have more than 200 individual parts, whereas complicated watches – such as chronographs or calendars – are usually made of hundreds and hundreds of components. The 10 most popular models from CHRONEXT score not only with their stylish appearance, but also impress in terms of precision and reliability across the board.

In 1936, IWC introduced the first professional watch for aviators. Today, the Pilot's Watches are undoubtedly among the icons of the watch world. Their robust chronograph movement calibre 79320 allows for stop and add time measurements of up to 12 hours. An inner case made of soft iron protects the movement of the 6 bar water resistant watch against magnetic fields. Originally built for the Royal Air Force, the Pilot's Watch continues to enjoy international popularity – whether in the cockpit or on the ground.

The Navitimer with its legendary slide rule bezel is not only considered a classic among pilot watches, but also enjoys great popularity among watch lovers of all kinds. The powerful chronograph can keep time, as well as calculate speed, distance and fuel consumption. The Navitimer 8 Chronograph 43 is probably the most sought-after model in the series. It is powered by the in-house caliber 01 and has a remarkable power reserve of 70 hours.

The Sea-Dweller represents the next evolutionary step of the Submariner, which is why it is a particularly brilliant diver's watch. It is water-resistant to a remarkable 1,200 metres, while its sister model, the Sea-Dweller Deepsea, can even reach 3,900 metres. The helium valve developed by Rolex ensures that penetrating helium escapes without any problems and the watch can therefore withstand the pressure. Thanks to the manufacture calibre 3135, the Sea-Dweller impresses with accuracy, robustness and long maintenance intervals.

Introduced in 1963, the racing legend is one of the most sought-after collector's watches from Rolex and in the entire watch world. Since 2000, the Daytona has been equipped with the in-house chronograph movement 4130. A vertical instead of lateral clutch is used to activate the chronograph, which contributes greatly to the high performance and a delay-free start. With a power reserve of 72 hours and an accuracy of -2/+2 seconds per day, caliber 4130 makes the Daytona a high-performance watch.

The Rolex Datejust was originally an anniversary watch that was released in 1945 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Rolex manufacture. Instead of becoming a limited edition timepiece, the Datejust found its place on the market and remains one of Rolex’s greatest and most popular classics. It also revolutionised the watch world in the 1940s: the Datejust was the first automatic watch with a date that advances automatically at midnight.

Behind the bi-colored Cerachrom dial lies a new-generation movement: Calibre 3285, manufactured and developed entirely by Rolex, equipped with the patented Chronergy escapement made of a nickel-phosphorus alloy, which combines great reliability with high energy efficiency. The escapement and the construction of the mainspring barrel provide Caliber 3285 with a remarkable power reserve of around 70 hours.

The Superocean is considered the classic diver's watch. It was developed by Breitling in 1957 to equip professional divers and the military. However, it didn’t take long for hobby divers and other watch enthusiasts to discover the appeal of the sporty and robust timepiece. The Chronograph II and the Steelfish can be worn in water depths of up to 500 meters, the Superocean M2000 can even withstand an impressive 2,000 meters of water depth.

Omega has not only accompanied moon missions, but has quite the community built around the Speedy Tuesday Moonwatches. Furthermore, the brand is at the forefront of watchmaking innovation. The current Omega Seamaster is fitted with the calibre 8800, which has been awarded the latest METAS certification. The eight-stage high-tech certification comprises around 280 sub-steps and goes far beyond a conventional chronometer certification.

The Submariner has become more and more waterproof over the decades. The original models from 1953 were initially waterproof for up to 100 metres. The launch of the Ref. 6538 three years later saw an increase up to 200 metres for the first time. Since the launch of the first Submariner with a sapphire crystal – the Ref. 16800 in 1979 – the diver's watch has been suitable for water depths of up to 300 metres. This is guaranteed by the case architecture and various seals, including those on the case back and the triplock system on the crown.

Every watch enthusiast knows the unique story of the first moon landing in 1969, when the Omega Speedmaster was on Buzz Aldrin's wrist. The Calibre 321 fitted in Aldrin's Moonwatch was replaced a year earlier by the Calibre 861, which replaced the column wheel with a sliding gate mechanism. Unlike the 861, the caliber 1861 used in the current Moonwatch is rhodium-plated. But most importantly, the current Moonwatch with the caliber 1861 also has a NASA certification.