When we think about Mexico, what usually comes to mind are its beautiful beaches and resorts.
Oh, and of course the delicious tacos you can find on every corner of every street of every city in the country.
However, there is so much more to this beautiful land than that. Mexico is a country with a rich history and culture, and its people are some of the most friendly and hospitable in the world.
What the country isn’t predominantly known for, however, are world-renowned watch brands.
But are there any watches made in Mexico at all?
Stick with us for a few minutes to find out (spoiler alert: there are a few).
Best Mexican Watchmakers
After thorough research, we’ve come up with as many as six watchmakers from Mexico.
Find their backgrounds, style, and pricing below. Disfruta, amigo!
Nivada Swiss
Although the watchmaker’s name might suggest otherwise, Nivada Swiss is actually now a Mexican watch brand.
In recent years, it’s been purchased by a Mexican company and nowadays it has its headquarters in the country’s capital, Mexico City, focusing strongly on the large and still largely untapped Mexican market.
The company has long roots as it was originally founded in Switzerland way back in 1879.
What we could call the company’s golden age was the post-World War II period. However, like many other Swiss mechanical watch manufacturers, it succumbed to the rise of the quartz watch in the 1970s and ’80s.
Thankfully, the brand seems on the up again. What distinguishes it from other Mexican watchmakers on the list is that all the timepieces are Swiss-made, meaning they go through a more rigorous quality control process. Many of them use Swiss movements which are the preferred option for most aficionados.
The company produces a wide range of watches, from more simple and elegant dress watches to sporty chronographs.
Some of the most popular Nivada Swiss models include the Grenchen Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver and the RomoPowermatic 80.
When it comes to the pricing, the range is quite wide as well, with some budget models starting at $3,000 MXN while the most elaborate releases can set you back even $50,000 MXN.
BOCA MMXII
BOCA is a Mexican watch brand that was established in 2012 by a group of friends who shared a passion for horology and design.
Their goal was to create beautiful, well-crafted timepieces that would be affordable for the average consumer.
We could say that the company’s name is an acronym that stands for “Beauty, Originality, Craftsmanship, and Affordability”.
By fusing simple Italian design with delicate Mexican craft, the brand developed a range of watches to keep up with the modern pace of life.
The watches have straightforward designs with a unique twist that were specially created with the happy traveler in mind.
On top of watches, BOCA also offers other fashion accessories such as sunglasses and bracelets, as well as clothing.
Price-wise, the least expensive models will set you back around $200 USD while the most pricey releases oscillate near the $400 USD mark.
Reloj Capitan
Capitan is one of the freshest Mexican watch brands in the microbrand sector.
They take the meaning of “microbrand” to a whole new level as the company currently offers just one model – Capitan Drake.
The style of the brand is easy to describe as a vintage-inspired diver with a bold and chunky design.
The Drake model – although perfectly suitable for diving thanks to its 300m water resistance – boasts quite a versatile, multi-purpose look thanks to the inclusion of a leather strap.
What’s worth noting, the unique Mexican watchmaker, despite its moderate product catalog as of yet, is utilizing a sapphire crystal. This ensures the best possible protection for the dial and contributes to a more premium look.
If you’re interested in purchasing the Capitan Drake, you’ll need to dish out $499 USD.
Wachos
Next up we have another Mexican microbrand – Wachos.
It’s a project by Mexican designers that design timepieces by hand – by native Mexicans – to promote cultural richness and diversity in an inventive, one-of-a-kind, and avant-garde way.
It personifies the current manifestation of Mexican culture, its ambitions, symbols, traditions, ethnic diversity, imagination, and prodigious inventiveness. Hence, you can expect these watches to be extremely colorful and an ideal accessory for more casual outfits.
As you’d expect from a microbrand, the small group of people working on these watches is putting a lot of heart and soul into the project.
Eclock
Edgar Noé Torres Gutiérrez, a Mexican entrepreneur, began revolutionizing the way watches are made when he purchased old wood and sought the assistance of skilled craftsmen to start producing unique-looking, wooden timepieces – the first of this kind in Mexico.
Eclock Wooden Watches was set up in 2013 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, and continues to prosper to this day.
Each piece of Eclock is unique and comes with an authenticity certificate. The uniqueness of watch models is piece is due to the properties of the wood, which always vary as they’re reclaimed from local businesses. This makes Eclock a great option for people who are enviably eco-conscious.
All Eclocks are battery-powered (quartz) and utilize Japanese movements from one of the most trusted manufacturers in Asia, Miyota.
As far as pricing is concerned, Eclock is an ultra-affordable brand with most models available in the $70-$200 price basket.
Tonas Wood
Closing the list of watches made in Mexico is another brand specializing in wooden timepieces – Tonas Wood.
It was created by Mexican entrepreneurs in 2013 with a mission to promote the beauty of Mexican culture and traditions through art.
Tonas Wood is all about simplicity, functionality, and originality. The brand offers both men’s and women’s watches made of different kinds of wood.
You can pick from a vast array of colors and styles.
What distinguishes Tonas Wood from the above-discussed Eclock is that all the watch models are hand-painted.
Again, all watches are quartz and mostly utilize Japanese calibers.
On the pricing front, they’re the more expensive of the two wooden watch manufacturers with prices ranging from $4000 MXN to $6000 MXN.
Conclusion
And that’s it for our guide to Mexican watch brands.
As you can see, the country has something to offer when it comes to timepieces, ranging from affordable wooden watches to more elaborate dive watches.
So, if you’re on the lookout for a new piece from a Mexican watch company, definitely consider purchasing a timepiece from one of the brands we’ve discussed in this article.
Do you know of any other Mexican watch brands that deserve a spot on this list? Let us know in the comments!
