Geneva-based watchmaker Rolex ranked third, while Nestlé, the world’s largest food company came ninth in the list compiled by the New York-based Reputation Institute.

The Global Rep Trak list of the 100 most reputable companies for 2013 was headed by BMW for a second year running, followed by the Walt Disney Company, Rolex and Google.

Rolex, owned by the non-profit Hans Wilsdorf Foundation set up by the company’s founder, also ranked third in the Asia Pacific region.

The lists were compiled from a survey of 55,000 consumers in the world’s 15 largest economies, conducted between January and March.

Rolex, which vaulted into the top ten after not being ranked in 2012, scored most highly for products and services, one of seven categories for which companies were judged.

Other categories were innovation, workplace, governance, citizenship, leadership and financial performance.

Nestlé, based in the canton of Vaud and famous for such brands as Nespresso, Nescafé, KitKat and Nesquick, improved on its 12th place ranking from 2012.

Other companies in the top ten included Daimler (fifth), followed by Sony, Microsoft, and Canon.

Lego, the privately owned Danish construction toy maker, ranked 10th for the second year in a row.

Apple, a staple in the top ranks in past surveys, fell to 12th place from fifth last year.

The only other Swiss name in the top 100 was the Swatch Group, which ranked 66th.

The top companies on the list “work systematically with their reputation,” Kasper Ulf Nielsen, executive partner of the Reputation Institute, said in a news release.

“Reputation is an integrated part of their company strategy and they are seeing the business benefits.”