Historically -
Rega - because Roy Gandy democratised high quality sound.
Roksan - because they broke through the veil of Linn's propaganda and paved the way for the diversity of turntables that don't use springs.
Technics - because they showed that direct drive can work.
Along with a small amount of rubbish, there is so much diversity and quality in current turntable design that even a shortlist would be a long list.