Speak Easy


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Not long ago, Lynn Miner, a reader of WatchTime magazine, wrote with a request: would we publish a guide on how to pronounce all those nettlesome watch-brand names? We hope the following brand list, with phonetic spellings on the right, helps Miner and tongue-twisted watch fans everywhere.

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A. Lange & Söhne ah LAHN guh und ZO nuh
Alpina al PEE nuh
Armand Nicolet are MAHND NIK o lay
Audemars Piguet AWE duh mahr PEE gay
Baume & Mercier BOWM and MURSE ee ay
Bédat BAY dah
Blancpain BLAHNK pan
Bovet BO vay
Breguet BREH gay
Breil BRILE
Breitling BRITE ling
Bulova BULL uh vuh
Bulgari BUL guh ree
Carl F. Bucherer Bucherer: BOO kur ur
Cartier KARR tee ay
Chase-Durer CHASE DUR ur
Chopard show PARD
Corum KOR um
Cuervo y Sobrinos KWER vo ee so BREE nohs
Custos COO stohs
Cyma SEE muh
Daniel Roth Roth: ROTE
De Bethune deh bet OON
DeWitt deh VITT
Doxa DOX uh
Dubey & Schaldenbrand due bay and SHALL den brand
Ebel ee BELL
Favre-Leuba FAHV LUBE uh
F.P. Journe Journe: ZHURN
Franck Muller FRAHNK MYOU ler
Frédérique Constant FRED ur eek con STAHNT
Gérald Genta Genta: JEN tuh
Girard-Perregaux zhee RAHRD PAIR uh go
Glashütte Original glass HOO tuh or ig in AHL
Glycine GLY seen
Greubel and Forsey GROIB uhl and FORCE ee
Hublot U blow
Hysek HIGH sek
IWC Schaffhausen Schaffhausen: shaff HOWZ in
Jaeger-LeCoultre zhey ZHER leh KOOLT
Jaquet Droz ZHOCK ay DROH
Jean Dunand ZHAHN due NAHND
JeanRichard zhahn ree SHARD
Kobold KO bald
Limes lee MEZ
Longines LAWN jeen
Louis Érard loo ees air AHRD
Louis Moinet loo ee mwah NAY
Louis Vuitton lou ee vwee TAHN
Maurice Lacroix Lacroix: LAH KWAH
Mido MEE doe
Milus mee LOOSE
Montblanc MOHNT BLAHNK
Moser MO zer
Movado muh VAH doe
Mühle Glashütte MEW luh glass HOO tuh
Nomos NO mose
Officine Panerai off ih CHEE nay PAN ur eye
Omega o MAY guh
Parmigiani Fleurier pahrm ih ZHAH nee FLUR ee ay
Patek Philippe pah TEK fill EEP
Paul Picot Picot: pih CO
Perrelet PAIR eh lay
Piaget pee ah ZHAY
Rado RAH doe
Ralph Lauren Lauren: LOR en
Richard Mille REE shard MEEHL
Roger Dubuis roe ZHER do BWEE
Seiko SAY ko
Sinn ZIN
TAG Heuer TAG HOI ur
Tissot TEE so
Tutima TOO tih muh
Ulysse Nardin you LEESE nahr DAN (The last syllable is spoken with a short, nasal “a” with no real equivalent in English. The “n” is not pronounced fully, but cut off in the back of the mouth as soon as it begins.)
Universal Genève Genéve: jeh NEV
Vacheron Constantin VASH er ahn kon stan TAN (For last syllable, see note for “Ulysse Nardin.”)
Van Cleef & Arpels Arpels: ahr PELL
Victorinox vick TOR ih nox
Vulcain VULL CAN
Wenger WEN ger
Wittnauer WIT now ur
Wyler Genève VEE ler jeh NEV
Xemex ZEM ex
Zenith ZEH nith
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