While Australia may not be the first country to come to mind when thinking about watches, there are some seriously stylish brands out there. Giving the likes of Switzerland and Japan a run for their money, Australian watches are making waves with designs that are both functional and fashionable.
Whether it’s a quality timepiece, stylish sports watch or practical smartwatch that you want, the Australian watchmaking industry is rapidly growing. Today, some of the best watches out there have been designed and created by Australians. Here’s our pick of the best brands that are made Down Under.
10 Adina
This Brisbane-based brand dates way back to 1971 and is one of Australia’s oldest watch brands. Focusing on quality timepieces that are suited to the famous outdoor Aussie lifestyle, Adina combines modern technology with local crafting to produce watches that are both practical and stylish. A family-run father and son company, it currently create over 60,000 watches per year, each which are hand-finished in its Queensland factory.
9 Creux Automatiq
Taking inspiration from luxury vehicles, modern architecture and Swiss watches, this Aussie brand focuses on men’s watches and will please any guy in your life. Creuz Automatiq was created by Dane Rumble, a musician and jeweller who now calls Australia home.
Producing cool, street-style timepieces, the brand boasts an array of eye-catching watches. One of the most popular models, The Ghost, features a skeletonised date wheel, an interchangeable strap system and bold, sturdy casing.
8 Haigh & Hastings
Launching back in 2014, this Perth-based brand started off with a bang with its debut design – the M2 Diver model. Using Japanese mechanical movement, this piece became an instant classic with its features like water-resistant for 300 metres, a 316L stainless steel case and scratch-resistant sapphire crystal.
Founded by entrepreneurs Matthew Sears and Simon Haigh, the brand has continued to wow with an array of limited edition watches. Another favourite was the SASR M2, which marks the Australian Special Air Services Regiment’s Golden Jubilee and features a 50th Anniversary logo on the steel caseback.
Haigh & Hastings has also produced a number of styles in its Classic range, which feature a number of sleek designs and multiple strap options.
7 JDRT
Named after its founders – Joel Davis and Rhys Thomas – JDRT was set up by two mates living the dream in Bondi Beach. All of their pieces feature a Japanese Miyota (Citizen) movement, sapphire scratch resistant and 100 metres water resistance, but the rest? It’s up you.
Giving their customers the opportunity to customise a timepiece from their dream wishlist, the website offers a ‘watch builder’ platform. Customers can choose from the options of five watch faces and 18 different coloured bands – both silicone and leather straps are options. But if that’s all too much hard work for you, they also have three pre-made collections, including the super chic Bondi Rose Collection.
6 Bow & Stern
Australians are well known for their love of the beach, so it makes perfect sense that this brand has launched a collection of watches inspired by a favourite Aussie pastime. Creating both men and women collections, their minimalistic, nautical designs are perfectly practical for time by the ocean. The brand has also created a number of dive watches for those wanting a piece they can still use under water.
While they’re cheaper than other luxurious watches, they don’t compromise on style or quality. Hand-assembled on Aussie turf, Bow & Stern’s watches are affordable and stylish.
5 Rebelde
Watchmaker Nicholas Hacko describes his Rebelde company as the ‘world’s smallest watch brand,’ but that doesn’t mean this Sydney-based brand is anything to be sniffed at. Coming on to the watch scene in 2013, Hacko launched his own brand in response to big Swiss brands refusing to supply spare parts to independent watchmakers.
Cased in surgical grade stainless steel, titanium or solid gold, Hacko still uses a Swiss-made Unitas mechanism. But, all of his pieces are home-grown and each watch is proudly engraved with the slogan ‘designed, assembled and adjusted in Australia.’ His passion and hard work is clearly causing a stir in the watch world, every design he creates is sold out months before being assembled and all 442 watches currently sold have gone to collectors worldwide.
4 Erroyl
Proving that there’s more to the Aussie capital than just politics, this Canberra-based brand arrived on to the watch brand scene in 2014. Their vision? To create affordable luxury automatic watches with elegance and precision.
Erroyl’s classic-looking designs have gone down a storm in the watch world, with their stylish Heritage and Regent collections quickly making the brand a success. And it’s not just Aussies who wants them – their timepieces are currently sold to over 50 different counties.
3 Bunda
You’d be forgiven for thinking of luxurious sparkling rings with this Sydney jewellery brand, but that’s not the only bling that Bunda make. Creative director Ben Bunda took to meeting famous horologists around the world before deciding to create his own limited edition watch.
Pairing up with Bausele’s Christophe Hoppe, the duo crafted a stunning Swiss-made self-winding masterpiece, featuring visible jewels throughout the dial and a boulder opal inset into the crown. Many would argue that it remains one of the best Australian watches out there. Only fifty of the watches were made and while there are no current plans for new designs at the moment, this is one brand we’re keeping a close eye on.
2 The Melbourne Watch Company
Also going under the name of MWC, this quality Australian watch brand is known for watches that are elegant, sturdy and high-quality. The brand was established back in 2013, when they launched their first watch, Flinders, via a successful crowdfunding campaign.
As popularity expanded, The Melbourne Watch Company continued to create more designs and collections. Keeping with the Melbourne name, each timepiece is named after an area of the city – with the likes of Hawthorn, Parkville, Portsea, Carlton and Avalon.
Using Japanese movement, these reasonably-priced designs are made with premium stainless steel and scratch-resistant crystal sapphire.
1 Bausele
Taking inspiration from the original watch masters, the Swiss, Bausele describes itself ‘an Australian watch with a Swiss heart.’ Founded by Christophe Hoppe, the brand takes the best of both worlds, combining the finest Swiss mechanics with a signature Australian style.
One of the brand’s most iconic watches is the Bausele Oceanmoon II – a sporty diving watch that the brand described as being inspired by ‘Australia’s obsession with the ocean.’
Keeping it Australian, Bausele’s collections are named after iconic Aussie places like Sydney Opera House and Noosa. What’s more, each model embeds an element of Australia, including red earth from the Outback, ancient Opal or sand from the beach.
While Australia may not be the first country to come to mind when thinking about watches, there are some seriously stylish brands out there. Giving the likes of Switzerland and Japan a run for their money, Australian watches are making waves with designs that are both functional and fashionable.
Whether it’s a quality timepiece, stylish sports watch or practical smartwatch that you want, the Australian watchmaking industry is rapidly growing. Today, some of the best watches out there have been designed and created by Australians. Here’s our pick of the best brands that are made Down Under.
While Australia may not be the first country to come to mind when thinking about watches, there are some seriously stylish brands out there. Giving the likes of Switzerland and Japan a run for their money, Australian watches are making waves with designs that are both functional and fashionable.
Whether it’s a quality timepiece, stylish sports watch or practical smartwatch that you want, the Australian watchmaking industry is rapidly growing. Today, some of the best watches out there have been designed and created by Australians. Here’s our pick of the best brands that are made Down Under.
