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6 of the best Spanish watch brands from Galicia to Catalonia

6 of the best Spanish watch brands from Galicia to Catalonia

Fergus Nash

The Kingdom of Spain is a country known for its wealth of culture, food, and favourable climates – however, it’s not particularly known for its watchmaking. In fact, Wikipedia lists 442 names on their “List of watchmakers” with horological significance, and there’s only one Spaniard among them. While specific towns in Germany, France and Switzerland became legendary from the 1700s through to today for their watch industries, that spark just never took off in Spain. That said, here are six of the best Spanish watch brands that escape the shadow of their European cousins.

Festina

Festina Retro Watch
Image courtesy of Ben’s Watch Club.

It’s debatable whether or not Festina can truly be considered a Spanish watch brand, but it’s enough of a powerhouse to deserve a spot on this list. Festina was founded in 1902 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland – however, its headquarters moved to Barcelona in the 1930s. After a few ownership changes, the brand was eventually acquired by Spanish businessman Miguel Rodríguez in 1984. Combining it with his previously-owned Lotus brand, the Festina Group came into being. Today, Festina Group incorporates watch brands such as Lotus, Jaguar, and Perrelet, but more importantly, owns movement makers Soprod and Manufacture Horlogere de la Vallée de Joux (MHVJ). Festina was also once a prominent sponsorship name for the Tour de France, but that concluded when the Festina team were unfortunately exposed in a doping scandal. Festina watches themselves are mostly Swiss-made even if the headquarters is still in Barcelona, with a dominating global presence.

Buffy’s pick: Festina F16940/F. Price: €99 (~US$100)

CREPAS

CREPAS Aquamatic 1200 yellow

Originally launched in 2010 under the name “Compañía Relojera Especializada para Actividades Subacuáticas S.L.” or CREPAS, this Spanish microbrand thrives on what many microbrands do best: vintage-inspired dive watches. From its photos, you can clearly see the attention to detail and quality that goes into them. CREPAS doesn’t expressly state which vintage watches its collections are based on, but for the most part, they’re obscure enough to feel unique. Many of its models launched on Kickstarter, and its latest project, the CREPAS Aquamatic 1200, was successfully funded within a week in May 2024. The brand is based in Zaragoza, where it also runs a separate watch company with a militaristic focus called Tactico.

Buffy’s pick: Aquamatic 1200 in Yellow Pumpkin. Price: €789 (~US$815)

Tempore Lux

Tempore Lux Racing One

Even though it’s the youngest brand on this list, Tempore Lux holds itself to high standards. All of the brand’s watches are assembled in Mallorca by Miguel A. Martinez, who runs S’Hora des Rellotge. It’s a certified service centre for Swatch Group brands, and all Tempore Lux watches assembled there are subject to individual quality testing and regulation. For microbrand prices, it’s an incredibly upmarket service to receive. Its first of two watches is the Ocean 200, which is a fairly generic albeit well-proportioned diver. Its main appeal comes from its vibrant colour options in green, red, or yellow with matching bezels, as well as the STP1-11 automatic movement. Tempore Lux’s second watch is far more thrilling, with a brushed, squared-off cushion case and complimentary bi-compax subdials. The Racing One Chrono backs up its detailed design with a Seagull ST1901 movement, offering a column-wheel chronograph experience for an attainable price.

Buffy’s pick: Tempore Lux Racing One. Price: €699 (~US$720)

Atelier de Chronométrie

Atelier de Chronometrie AdC8

Even though its first watch wasn’t released until 2016, it only took four years for Atelier de Chronométrie to be nominated for a GPHG award. That’s a staggering feat for any company, let alone a small team creating one-off watches in Barcelona. Their designs are inspired mostly by the early wristwatches of the 1940s, with designs like the AdC8 definitely carrying an air of Patek Philippe about them. Its dedication to the world of vintage extends to its movements, typically using old calibres such as the Venus 179 or the Omega 266 as an ébauche. In early 2023, it launched its first completely in-house movement known as the M284. In true antique style, it featured a three-quarter plate, beats at a slow 18,000 vibrations per hour and has a power reserve of 38 hours.

Buffy’s pick: Atelier de Chronométrie AdC22 in 18k gold. Price: €65,000 (~US$66,900)

Raúl Pagès

Raul Pages RP1

While Raúl Pagès is based in Switzerland, this inventive watchmaker does cling to his Spanish heritage. Having developed his skills as a restorer for the likes of Patek Philippe, he set himself free with his own brand and went about reinventing the wheel, so to speak. The Régulateur à Détente RP1 made plenty of waves when it was released in 2022, as it resurrected the detent escapement that has been overshadowed by the lever escapement since the mid-18th century. This isn’t just a novelty though, as the detent escapement has always been considered highly accurate, but just more vulnerable to shocks than the lever escapement. Now, with modern technology, the likes of Raúl Pagès are showing that there’s still room for development in this craft which spans centuries. The design of the dial shouldn’t be ignored either, with quite an eye-catching display of separate hour, minute, and seconds dials.

Buffy’s pick: Raúl Pagès Régulateur à détente RP1. Price: CHF 85,000 (~US$93,300)

Time+Tide Timeless Pick: Pita Barcelona

Pita Barcelona Sol Y Luna

Founded by Aniceto Pita in 2005, Pita Barcelona was a small, family business with international significance. With Aniceto focusing on watchmaking and his son Daniel co-designing and managing the business, the pair created high-end watches brimming with ingenuity. For example, their Oceana dive watch was water resistant to 5,000 metres thanks to a case with no crown, with time setting done via a magnetic gear connection. There was also the Carousel “slow-motion” tourbillon, where the entire movement is spun once every 12 hours, or the vibrant Sol Y Luna with a decorative sun and moon displaying the day’s progression. If you don’t need any of the fancy complications, then there’s the Minimal which still features their signature no-crown design for a simple and elegant wearing experience. To top it all off, the prices were surprisingly affordable for hand-made watches that are essentially bespoke. Unfortunately, with no social media updates in over five years, its websites down, and the domain names available for purchase, Pita’s future looks uncertain, despite their founder still being listed on AHCI’s website.