Look out, Switzerland, Germany, and Japan, because the best Australian watch brands quietly make some of the best boutique watches on the market. These timepieces are part of a recent wave of Australian-owned products encapsulating our continent’s ongoing love affair with form and function. Accordingly, the best Australian watches for men go as big on durability as they do fashion. Like a true Aussie with the world at his fingertips, these timepieces are ready for any type of action in any terrain.
Best Australian Watch Brands at a Glance
Highlights from our list include the following options:
- Best overall: Reuben Schoots
- For value for money: Nicholas Hacko Fine Watches
- For high quality: Curtis Australia
- For availability: BAUSELE
Now you’ve read our favourites, let’s check out the complete list.
RELATED: These are the best minimalist watches money can buy right now.
1. Reuben Schoots
Price: from AUD$15,000
- Pros: Mega-rare timepieces built from raw materials that combine traditional techniques with modern aesthetics.
- Cons: Due to the painstaking nature of production, Schoots’ output is extremely limited in supply.
History of the brand: Independent Aussie watchmaker Reuben Schoots restored his first watch as a child and further honed his craft during an extended illness. He later studied the George Daniels method and spent two years building a tourbillon pocket watch designed by Daniels himself. In 2018, Schoots founded his namesake brand and followed that with the launch of the limited edition Series One. So goes the story of a self-taught artisan who knows all about tradition but isn’t afraid to step outside the box when handcrafting high-end pieces one at a time.
The watch you should consider: Schoots is a watchmaker in the truest sense of the concept in that he designs and builds each piece using raw materials. As a result of this painstaking process, his namesake brand only has one official release to date (with another on the way). Properly dubbed Series One, it comprises six handcrafted pieces, each measuring 41.5mm in diameter with a manual-winding movement. But the real showstopping feature is the classical-meets-modern dial face, which harmonises four individual components and comes accentuated by a signature scraped finish. That scraped finish was done by hand, lending each dial its true one-of-a-kind essence.
Schoots plans to pick up where Series One leaves off with the upcoming Series Two, a similarly stunning (and similarly limited) timepiece that features the first case made and designed by the watchmaker himself. Stay tuned!
Founder: Reuben Schoots
Founded: 2018
2. Curtis Australia
Price: from AUD$8,800
- Pros: Curtis Australia brings an expert level of knowledge and craftsmanship to their jewellery, writing instruments, and watches, all of which feature top-shelf designs and materials.
- Cons: With high price points on the watches, in particular, collectors may feel that a better-known watch brand would make a wiser investment.
History of the brand: Hailing from a long line of craftspeople, Glenn Curtis launched his namesake luxury brand in 2002. It began as Australia’s answer to Montblanc, focusing on high-end writing instruments. The company moved on to bespoke jewellery and luxury watches and now stands as a master of all their respective domains.
The watch you should consider: Curtis Australia carves out its aesthetic niche across every one of its watch lines. A perennial favourite is the Motimer RT, which touts a unique layout on the dial face. The overall range offers a variety of striking colourways and materials, all of which are used with exacting precision. The movement might be Swiss, but the design philosophy belongs entirely to Curtis Australia.
Founder: Glenn Curtis
Founded: 2002
3. Galvin Watch Company
Price: from AUD$629
- Pros: Scandi design meets Australian assembly with every release from this family-owned watch company.
- Cons: The price may be right, but you get what you pay for in this world, and the brand’s signature releases may offer less second-hand value than the Swiss pieces that inspired them. However, that’s only if you decide to sell!
History of the brand: Founder Susan Galvin drew upon her Finnish background and tenure at Omega when creating this Sydney-based watch company. It launched in 2020 with a little help from two successful crowdfunding campaigns. Every release is designed, assembled, and tested here in Australia, though a Scandi influence persists across the brand’s entire output (and that’s no accident).
The watch you should consider: The Loimu Glacier is an eye-catcher, if there ever was one, with a transfixing guilloché-style dial inspired by the northern lights. The piece measures 45mm in diameter and delivers the kind of steadfast specs you’d expect to find on a Swiss counterpart—including a Miyota Premium range Calibre 9015 movement—all for an unbeatable price.
Founder: Susan Galvin
Founded: 2020
4. BAUSELE
Price: from AUD$1,060
- Pros: Bausele injects Australian spirituality, lifestyle, and geography with a palpable Swiss influence when crafting their signature ranges and releases.
- Cons: The brand often comes up short in the strap department (leather ones in particular), prompting buyers to swap out the provided straps.
History of the brand: Bausele is short for “Beyond Australian Elements”, and these watches follow suit. Not just inspired by Australian lifestyle, culture, and geography, many pieces incorporate Aussie-based elements such as sand into their hollow crowns. Peer beyond the Aussie designs, and one finds superlative Swiss mechanics for a stellar fusion of two distinct sensibilities. The spirit of adventure prevails, and so, too, does the best in performance and precision. It all comes to us from founder Christophe Hoppe, who spent over a decade working in Geneva and La Chaux-de-Fond before moving to Australia.
The watch you should consider: Bausele’s Classic Field ‘Feel Good’ watch series takes the popular sub-category to bold new heights. The Uluru Red model is particularly significant here in Australia, with a deep hue on the “Petite Tapisserie” dial inspired by the iconic Uluru (aka Ayers) rock at sunset. Oh, and did we mention that Black Beach sand is contained in the screw-down crown? Meanwhile, one will find military-inspired field watches of considerable legibility and with subtle visual twists in the standard Classic Field range.
Founder: Christophe Hoppe
Founded: 2011
5. Melbourne Watch Company
Price: from AUD$495
- Pros: Melbourne Watch Company tastefully updates classic styles across every range, resulting in pieces that are dressed to impress.
- Cons: This brand doesn’t reinvent the wheel as much as it finesses it, and potential customers might find similar output from better-known watchmakers.
History of the brand: Melbourne Watch Company launched in 2013 using the power of crowdfunding and has since become one of the foremost names in Australian horology. Employing local talent, the brand takes a hands-on approach to everything from design to customer service. Vintage style meets modern mechanics, which might best describe most of the brand’s releases.
The watch you should consider: The mighty Portsea is a prime example of Melbourne Watch Company’s design philosophy. It puts a modern spin on the classic ‘Deck Watch’ style and uses clean lines, symmetrical layouts, and legible Arabic numerals to make an impeccable statement across multiple iterations.
Founder: Sujain Krishnan
Founded: 2013
6. Nicholas Hacko Fine Watches
Price: from AUD$3,200
- Pros: Nicholas Hacko goes the extra mile to deliver bona fide Aussie watches that are either partially or completely made here in Australia.
- Cons: Painstaking design and handcrafted construction take time and money, hence the lofty price points.
History of the brand: More than a brand, Nicholas Hacko Fine Watches is a perennial statement of Australian perseverance. Its founding was inspired when Swiss manufacturers restricted the flow of spare parts to Australia in 2011, killing Australia’s watch repair industry overnight. Founder Nicholas Hacko pulled up his proverbial sleeves with watchmaking in his blood and built his own timepiece. The rest is history.
The watch you should consider: Hacko’s NH1 was the first and only watch to bear the official stamp of “manufactured in Australia,” and it remains an enduring example of the brand’s prowess. Features include a 45mm titanium case, minimalist dial, see-through caseback, and in-house manual-winding NH1 calibre movement with a 48-hour power reserve. Limited to just 25 units, it sold out quickly.
Founder: Nicholas Hacko
Founded: 2013
7. Ocean to Orbit
Price: TBA
- Pros: Built to last and handsome to boot, Ocean to Orbit offers top-notch form and function at a terrific price point.
- Cons: These watches are not yet available to purchase, so any potential shortcomings must be determined.
History of the brand: Car designers David Dewitt and Siddharta Kazami launched this brand in 2020, combining their automotive backgrounds with a love of historical watches. Each release is purpose-built to withstand extreme activities and terrains, looking downright clean. These are not car-inspired watches but rather watches that perform like a great car in that they deliver the best of form and function.
The watch you should consider: This brand is still getting off the ground, and its grand debut should start in September of this year. It goes by the name of Lhotse and is available on various straps and in a handful of colourways. The Mission Green model makes a modern statement with a green dial against a steel case and bracelet.
Founder: David Dewitt and Siddharta Kazami
Founded: 2020
8. Second Hour
Price: from AUD$580
- Pros: Second Hour is like a greatest hits collection of classic designs but with plenty of modern flourish and all kinds of subtle detail.
- Cons: While this microbrand checks all the boxes, it does put forth a design language that some users may find too familiar.
History of the brand: Brought to life by a husband and wife duo in 2019, Second Hour eschews modern gimmickry in favour of timeless allure. The microbrand deals directly with suppliers when sourcing premium materials and mechanical movements to deliver some of Australia’s finest timepieces.
The watch you should consider: The Sattelberg Field Watch is more than meets the eye; it reveals new and clever details with every look. The everyday timepiece is ultra-slim, durable, and affordable and features a legible dial face and a classic overall profile. It’s named after the Battle of Sattelberg, which involved Australian troops and played a pivotal role in the Pacific theatre.
Founder: Peter & Akira Sargison
Founded: 2019
Alternatives to These Australian Watch Brands
- Houtman: This is another established watch brand that we’ve come to appreciate for its unique styles, which take inspiration from great Australian landmarks. However, they’re not Made in Australia, and the styles, while unique, might be a little too outside the box for most.
- Blessington: The overall design and materials of these Blessington watches are very good, with plenty of stainless steel and crystal. However, they’re ultimately made to a certain price, and by stepping up a few more dollars, you might get more value for money with automatic movements.
- Haigh & Hastings: One of our favourite options for military-style watches, Haigh & Hastings delivers quality at a fair price point. 316L Stainless steel cases, Seiko automatic movements, there’s a reason why they’re one of the best in Australia.
- PANZERA: You can’t argue with the quality of PANZERA watches. They’re mostly made from 316L stainless steel, feature Swiss Ronda and Landeron movements, and there’s a particular focus on details, e.g. cross-hatched and screw-down crowns. However, their designs are a little outside the box.
- Orange Watch Company (temporarily closed): OWC produces a small number of high-quality luxury timepieces. They offer pieces directly to the client without the retailer/dealer margin. The brand is driven by obsession, abiding by the mantra that “Less is More,” and its products are competent, clean, fit for purpose, overly engineered, and inspired by divine order. CNC execution is juxtaposed with hand assembly and human testing. They focus on engineering rather than fashion, quality above price and traditional values over marketing. OWC watches evolve and respond to engineering and technological developments. Their components are individually designed and made to order with no generic insight into off-the-shelf parts.
Why You Should Trust Our List
Man of Many has covered the latest in watches for over a decade. Every week, we release an edition of ‘The Wind Up‘ on our website, which brings the latest news in watches straight to your inbox. Our team is full of watch lovers, enthusiasts, and collectors, and in compiling this list, we’ve focused on Australian-made watches by boutique craftsmen and women. Of course, we’ve thrown in a few brands assembling their watches Downunder, too, for good measure.
You’ll also like:
