Patek Philippe

Tradition, independence, luxury, sophistication, craftsmanship, and perfection: These are all key words that can easily be closely associated with the Patek Philippe brand. The Geneva-based manufacturer is considered one of the most influential figures in the watch world and produces timepieces that are truly an expression of the pure art of watchmaking. The company's fine products clearly operate at a premium price level, offering well-off watch collectors the opportunity to complete their collections in style with a range of high-quality watches. So, let's summarize: Patek Philippe is not for those on a tight budget, but it's just the right choice for those who want to own a flawless piece of the highest craftsmanship and are willing to pay the appropriate prices.

The Patek Philippe success story began in 1839. At that time, Polish-born Antoni Patek, together with Czech watchmaker François Czapek, founded a small watchmaking company called Patek, Czapek & Co. However, the duo's time together as entrepreneurs was limited: In 1944, Patek met Frenchman Jean Adrien Philippe at an industrial trade fair in France, specifically in Paris, where Philippe received an award for his keyless winding and hand-setting system for pocket watches. Today, we know this system as the winding crown, which has long since become established and can be found on almost every watch—whether on a wristband or for a pocket.

Antoni Patek was immediately enthusiastic about Philippe's invention and fascinated by his skill and innovative spirit. This contact quickly developed into a business relationship: In 1945, Jean Adrien Philippe replaced François Czapek and became the company's technical director. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Over the many years and decades that Patek Philippe has existed, the company has filed more than 80 patents. A high number that underlines the central role that inventiveness played and continues to play in this successful company. A fact that suggests that the company has never lost touch with its roots. After all, the collaboration between founder Patek and Jean Adrien Philippe was essentially based on an innovative idea that one had and whose genius the other recognized. We would therefore like to take this opportunity to briefly recall some of the most important and impressive innovations from Patek Philippe.

In 1881, at a time when the Geneva-based manufacturer had not yet reached the peak of its success but had already established a strong reputation in the watch industry, Patek Philippe filed a patent for a precision regulating device. A solid achievement that demonstrated that the company's inventiveness had by no means come to a standstill following the death of its founder, Patek Philippe. In 1889, the patent for a perpetual calendar mechanism for pocket watches followed, completely dispelling any doubts about the skill of the watchmakers behind Patek Philippe. Patek Philippe made a similarly significant impression in 1902 with the production of the world's first double chronograph.

With the wristwatch on the rise and increasingly competing with the previously favored pocket watch, Patek Philippe pursued an unusual idea: Why shouldn't women's watches be as complicated as men's watches? Until then, women's watches had been more of an accessory for the eye and less technically sophisticated. That changed in 1916 with the release of the Patek Philippe wristwatch with the reference number 174 603, a watch for women that was not short on complications and featured a five-minute repeater. Thus, women's watches also became technical marvels.

In 1923, Patek Philippe applied what had already been achieved with pocket watches to wristwatches: The manufacturer launched the first wristwatches with a split-seconds chronograph, which bore the reference 124 824 at the time. Just two years later, Patek Philippe developed a wristwatch with a perpetual calendar, which entered series production in 1941. At the end of the 1940s, the company applied for a patent for the Gyromax balance, which promised to optimize the timepiece's accuracy. Another achievement that is still used in Patek Philippe watches today.

With these and numerous other innovative ideas and ingenious inventions, Patek Philippe has influenced the world of watches and continues to push the boundaries of what is considered sensible and possible in the art of watchmaking.

After Jean Adrien Philippe's death in 1894, Patek Philippe became a public limited company in 1901 and was finally acquired by the brothers Charles and Jean Stern in 1932 as a result of the Great Depression. This marked the beginning of a completely new chapter in the history of the successful watchmaking house.

Today, Patek Philippe is still in the hands of the Stern family, now in its fourth generation, and continues to value its independence – a true exception in the modern watch industry. The Stern brothers laid the foundation for their long-term independence, partly by developing their own ebauches early on. To this day, every Patek Philippe model is manufactured, finished, and assembled under the brand's umbrella. Philippe and Thierry Stern – father and son – currently lead the company and are continuing what three previous Stern generations at the helm of Patek Philippe have done: They preserve the tradition of the almost 200-year-old manufactory without losing touch with the developments of our modern times.

A conversation about watches with outstanding complications is almost impossible without mentioning the name Patek Philippe. The manufacture of extremely elaborate, highly complicated models is also a long-standing tradition at the manufacturer. In 1933, for example, the company spent six years painstakingly crafting a pocket watch for the banker and collector Henry Graves. It consisted of over 900 individual parts and boasted a total of 24 complications. We're talking about the Graves Supercomplication, a unique piece made of 18-carat gold that changed hands in 2014 for an incredible €23 million. However, the Supercomplication lost the title of most complicated watch in 1989 to a Patek Philippe timepiece released to mark the manufacturer's 150th anniversary. The Calibre 89 topped Henry Graves's special edition with a whopping 33 complications and over 1,700 individual parts.

Just in time for the company's 175th anniversary, the Grandmaster Chime Reference 5175 was released as part of a strictly limited collection. This classic-style wristwatch boasts 20 complications, offering everything a tech-savvy watch connoisseur could want, from an annual calendar to a minute repeater, moon phase, and a second time zone. This makes the Grandmaster Chime the most complicated wristwatch ever built by a Patek Philippe movement. Given these facts, it's hardly surprising that a Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A-010 sold for a whopping €28.22 million—a price that has only been surpassed a few times to date.

Patek Philippe watches are uniquely high-quality works of art, skillfully finished by hand, thus achieving a final refinement. The artistic decoration of watches is passionately practiced within the walls of the Geneva manufactory, achieving absolute perfection. Patek Philippe has talented experts in various fields who have mastered their craft with virtuosity.

In addition to gemsetters, chainsmiths, guilloché craftsmen, engravers, and enamellers, the watch manufacturer is one of the few in its industry to employ a marqueteur. This evocative term refers to a craftsman who creates detailed inlays in precious woods.

The list of celebrities who have adorned themselves with Patek Philippe watches is long, dating back to 1851. At that time, the founders of the watchmaking house participated in the first "Great Exhibition" in London, where none other than Queen Victoria took notice of their exquisite timepieces. The British monarch promptly chose two models, one of which she gave to her husband.

Not only royalty, but also heads of the church often seem to have a preference for Patek Philippe watches. After all, Pope Pius IX and Pope Leo XIII have been among the company's clients. Of course, more secular celebrities also enjoy Patek Philippe models in a wide variety of designs. Angelina Jolie, for example, wears a Ref. 7000, Brad Pitt relies on the Nautilus, and Walt Disney, Eric Clapton, Pablo Picasso, John Lennon, and Paul McCartney have also been spotted wearing one or another of the selected models.

Authentic designs, superior quality, and compelling prices: These are common features of all Patek Philippe watches, regardless of the individual collection. Nevertheless, each luxury watch collection naturally possesses its own unique character and piques the interest of watch enthusiasts and collectors with its own distinctive features, as a closer look at the most sought-after product lines reveals:

The Geneva-based Patek Philippe watchmaker is known for pushing the boundaries of what watchmakers can create and redefining the standard of quality, complexity, and precision in the world of watches. From the Nautilus and Aquanaut to the Calatrava and the mesmerizing Grandes Complications, Patek Philippe has produced countless highly sought-after and legendary models. Led by the Stern family for four generations, the company is one of the most prestigious flagships of haute horlogerie worldwide, thanks to its achievements and the multitude of watches with complications that could not be more sophisticated. Patek Philippe simply stands for masterful models that immediately captivate any discerning watch lover.