A watch is a status symbol and a statement, particularly for those in business.

Business Insider spoke to the horological experts at Crown & Caliber to identify the luxury timepieces worn by some of the world's most powerful CEOs.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

For some businessmen, a wristwatch is more than a time-telling device. It's a statement.

"A watch is the greatest icebreaker there is," Hamilton Powell, the CEO and founder of Crown & Caliber, an online secondary market for luxury watches, told Business Insider. "In an unfamiliar city, I can approach a complete stranger and with two words eradicate any barriers: 'Nice watch.'"

"A watch tells people about the type of person you are and what you value," Powell added. "The guy who wears a blinged-out gold-diamond Hublot is very different than the guy with a vintage stainless-steel Zenith chronograph."

With the help of Crown & Caliber's team of experts, we've put together a list of wristwatches worn by the former and current CEOs of some of the world's most powerful companies.

Here are the timepieces favored by prominent executives, organized from the least to most expensive.