Brands & Manufacturer Terminology

The watch industry has developed its own vocabulary for describing manufacturers, collections, production methods and the businesses behind the watches. Some terms are used across the industry, while others originated with particular brands and have since become part of the wider language of watches.

This section explains the terminology associated with watch brands and manufacturers, from manufacture and maison to reference numbers, collections and proprietary technologies. It also covers the words and phrases commonly used to describe how watches are designed, produced, marketed and identified.