PATEK PHILIPPE

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For over 175 years without interruption, Patek Philippe has been perpetuating the tradition of Genevan watchmaking. As the last family-owned independent watch manufacturer in Geneva, it enjoys total creative freedom to entirely design, produce and assemble what experts agree to be the finest timepieces in the world – following the vision of its founders Antoine Norbert de Patek (1839) and Jean Adrien Philippe (1845). Thanks to its exceptional know-how, Patek Philippe maintains a tradition of innovation hailed by an impressive repertoire of more than 100 patents.

Independence, tradition, innovation, quality and craftsmanship, rarity, value, aesthetics, service, emotion, and legacy are the ten fundamental values of the Genevan watchmaker. Patek Philippe has always aimed for perfection by creating timepieces of unrivalled quality and reliability, the uniqueness and exclusiveness of which makes them rare and precious pieces, a unique legacy to be handed down from one generation to the next. To achieve this, the company invests in innovation with new materials and leading-edge technologies, while continuing to preserve the tradition of ancestral watchmaking know-how, and maintains the industry’s strictest quality control standards.

In the hands of the Stern family since 1932, the company is managed today by a board of directors composed of Honorary President Philippe Stern, President Thierry Stern, and CEO Claude Peny. During his years as President, Philippe Stern marked the history of the company with significant building projects to reinforce its industrial infrastructure and independence, with the creation of the Patek Philippe Museum, and with the launch of exceptional timepieces such as the Calibre 89. Appointed President in 2009, Thierry Stern aims to ensure that Patek Philippe remains at the leading edge of watchmaking technology and research into material sciences, thus contributing to the continual improvement of the long-term quality and reliability of its timepieces.

The Patek Philippe Seal

In 2009, Patek Philippe launched its proprietary quality label for mechanical watches. This Patek Philippe Seal attests to the utmost quality of its timepieces, far above and beyond official standards, by integrating all competencies and features of relevance in manufacturing, precision and lifelong maintenance. The Patek Philippe Seal applies to the entire watch and is the only seal of quality that assures lifetime maintenance of the watch, regardless of the date of completion. It is governed by detailed regulations and an independent supervisory body. The Patek Philippe Seal embodies all the company’s values and quality standards, and Messrs. Stern act as its main guardians.

The Company Today

Patek Philippe SA comprises the following units: the main workshops at Plan-les-Ouates (Geneva), with its administrative headquarters, research activities into new technologies, development of new mechanisms, the creation division, the movement component manufacturing workshops, and all the watchmaking activities from design to delivery, including after-sales service and restoration; the case and bracelet workshops in Perly (Geneva); the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva, and the exclusive Patek Philippe Salons in Geneva, Paris, and London.

Patek Philippe also owns eight partner companies outside the Canton of Geneva: Calame (watch cases), Poli-Art (polishing), SHG (gemsetting), and Patek Philippe SA La Chaux-de-Fonds in La Chaux-de-Fonds; Cadrans Fluckiger (dials) in Saint-Imier; Allaine (movement casing) in Alle; and Betakron (finishing, decorating, steel components) in the Jura; as well as Patek Philippe La Vallée SA (watchmaking, haute horlogerie, and repairs) in Le Brassus.

The Patek Philippe Museum

Philippe Stern’s legendary passion for exceptional timepieces allowed him to gather in Geneva an extraordinary and unique collection of nearly 2000 watches, musical automata, and miniature enamels from the 16th century to today, alongside an extensive library of over 8000 works entirely dedicated to horology. This unique museum was opened to the public in Geneva in November 2001.

The Current Collection

  • Calatrava: Classic round wristwatch. The highly successful classic design was created in 1932.
    Nautilus: More than 40 years of success for this famous water-resistant porthole-style case launched in 1976.
  • Aquanaut: For 20 years since it was created in 1997, this sporty watch of modern design has projected an aura of casual elegance. Launched in 2004, the Aquanaut Luce has evolved to become an icon of the feminine sports chic style.
  • Ellipse d’Or: This elliptical design launched in 1968 is based on the antique Golden Section or divine proportion.
  • Gondolo: Since 1993, these rectangular or tonneau-shaped watches have been inspired by the Art Deco era.
  • Twenty~4®: Launched in 1999, the first diamond-set ladies’ wristwatch in steel became a role model for timeless feminine elegance

Superior watchmaking artistry

Grand Complications
Perpetual calendar (with moon phases); perpetual calendar with fly-back retrograde date; astronomical calendar; instantaneous perpetual calendar with apertures, minute repeater and tourbillon; small and grand strikes; minute repeater; date repeater; alarm with time strike; split-seconds chronograph; chronograph with perpetual calendar; split-seconds chronograph with perpetual calendar; automatic chronograph with Annual Calendar; tourbillon with 10-day power reserve; triple and grand complications; sidereal time; running equation of time; sky chart.

Complications
Chronograph; Annual Calendar; dual time zones; multiple time zones (World Time); power-reserve indication; 10-day power reserve; regulator dial.

Artistic timepieces
Skeleton wristwatches; pocket watches and wristwatches with enameled or engraved cases; Dôme table clocks with cloisonné enamel; Dôme table clocks with engraved Baccarat crystal; wristwatches with marquetry dials.

Fine jeweled timepieces
Luxurious watches and table clocks, pocket-watch holders and unique presentation pieces. Jewelry and accessories enhanced with diamonds or other precious stones.

Exceptional timepieces

Calibre 89
For over 25 years, it was the most complicated portable timepiece in the world (33 complications and 1728 parts). The Calibre 89 was created in 1989 to celebrate the manufacture’s 150th anniversary. This true watchmaking masterpiece took nine years to develop and produce.

Star Caliber 2000
Launched to welcome the new millennium, this pocket watch combines the most fascinating complications (21 complications, 1118 parts, 8 years of R&D and production, 6 new patents).

Sky Moon Tourbillon
Presented in 2001, it is the second-most complicated wristwatch in the current Patek Philippe collection. The double-face timepiece is endowed with the rarest complications (12 complications and 686 parts). Among other indications, it displays mean solar time and has a perpetual retrograde calendar on the front side. Sidereal time and astronomical functions are shown on the case back side.

Grandmaster Chime
Launched as the Ref. 5175 in 2014 to commemorate the manufacture’s 175th anniversary and since then added to the regular collection as the Ref. 6300, this timepiece is the most complicated wristwatch in the current Patek Philippe collection. A double-face watch that can be worn on either side, it features 20 complications in its 1366-part movement. Five strike-work functions: Grande and Petite Sonnerie, minute repeater, innovative patented date repeater and alarm with time strike). Front side: mean solar time, 2nd time zone, subsidiary alarm time dial, instantaneous perpetual analog date, moon phases, various function displays. Rear side: full instantaneous perpetual calendar with date, day, month, leap-year cycle and four-digit year display (synchronized with leap-year display); 24-hour subsidiary dial for mean solar time. The patented reversing mechanism integrated in the lugs allows the case to be easily turned, so the watch can be worn with either dial facing up.

Official website: https://www.patek.com