Watch Marketing Strategies: Key Insights and Global Trends from Premium Brands
Watch Brand Ranking: How Watches and Wonders 2025 Became a Launchpad for Brand Visibility
Discover the latest rankings across the fashion, lifestyle and beauty industry
The Insights Behind the Watch Brand Ranking
In the face of economic turbulence worldwide, businesses Watches and Wonders 2025 reaffirmed its status as the crown jewel of the international watchmaking calendar. From April 1 to 8, the event brought together 54 exhibiting maisons and six independent brands, welcoming newcomers like Bulgari and Kross Studio into its prestigious fold. With a total Media Impact Value® (MIV®) of $53.5M, the event not only exceeded last year’s $50.7M but also marked a 5.5% year-over-year growth in media performance—demonstrating its expanding influence in the luxury sector.
| Rank | Brand | MIV® | Placements | Avg. MIV® |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Bell & Ross | $272K | 128 | $2.1K |
| 2. | Gerald Charles | $269K | 113 | $2.4K |
| 3. | Laurent Ferrier | $201K | 88 | $2.3K |
| 4. | Ressence | $157K | 65 | $2.4K |
| 5. | Raymond Weil | $133K | 79 | $1.7K |
ANALYSIS
Ranking Insights: Best Marketing Strategies during Watches & Wonders
For brands eager to ascend the watch brand ranking, Watches and Wonders presents a culturally significant and commercially vital platform to accelerate awareness, amplify storytelling, and build brand equity. Launchmetrics analyzed the performance of select brands that activated campaigns during the event. The findings offer valuable benchmarks and strategic insights into what drives success during this milestone moment.
- Media as the Dominant Voice: A Key Driver in Watch Brand Rankings. During Watches and Wonders 2025, media coverage emerged as the most impactful voice across the board. It drove an average of 85% of MIV for the featured brands, underlining its power in shaping visibility and narrative authority. Bell & Ross, which generated $272K in MIV from 128 placements, saw strong performance on media channels, with articles on outlets like Hodinkee and Fratello Watches pushing the brand’s momentum forward. Similarly, Gerald Charles, with $269K in total MIV, benefitted from strategic media placement in COTE MAGAZINE GENEVE—a print feature that alone contributed $42.4K in MIV. This placement not only stood out as the top-performing individual mention across all brands, but also signaled the enduring value of traditional media in this heritage-driven industry. Notably, Laurent Ferrier achieved standout performance with Forbes US—two placements alone reaching 94.4M in potential reach and contributing $44.2K in MIV. This is a testament to the value of targeting premium global publications to climb the watch brand ranking with authority and scale.
- Print Is Not Dead: High-Impact Legacy Channels Still Matter. Despite the digital age, print remains a powerful channel for luxury watchmakers. For both Gerald Charles and Bell & Ross, print outperformed digital in average MIV per placement, proving that tactile, high-end publications continue to offer unmatched resonance with niche collector and enthusiast communities. In a sector where heritage and craftsmanship matter, legacy media still holds substantial weight in influencing perceptions and driving value.
- Partners as a Strategic Voice. As a trade fair, Watches and Wonders inherently facilitates strong partner-driven content. This partner voice ranked as the second most impactful voice across the brands analyzed, reinforcing the importance of strategic collaborations during industry-defining events. Raymond Weil, for instance, generated 12.5% of its total MIV through the partner voice, while Laurent Ferrier closely followed at 11.2%. These results spotlight how official partnerships and co-branded content can meaningfully elevate a brand’s presence and connect them to Watches and Wonders’ institutional credibility.
As the stakes for brand visibility grow higher in an increasingly competitive luxury market, data from Watches and Wonders 2025 underscores the importance of aligning cultural relevance with performance insights. Whether through high-value media placements, print impact, or strategic partnerships, watch brands can learn from these benchmarks to refine future campaigns.
In a landscape where tradition meets innovation, the winners are those who know how to blend legacy storytelling with performance-led marketing—using platforms like Watches and Wonders as a springboard for measurable brand success.
At Launchmetrics, our proprietary Media Impact Value® (MIV®) and data-driven tools empower brands to quantify performance, uncover what truly moves the needle, and make smarter decisions for future moments that matter.