Gala of Vanities

Patek Philippe, technical and aesthetic excellence in the art of watch-making. Without rivals or the possibility of comparisons. Founded on 1st May 1839 in Geneva by Antoine Norbert de Patek and François Czapek with the name of Patek, Czapek & Cie.

In 1851, following the departure of François Czapek and the entry into the company of Jean-Adrien Philippe, the company took its modern name of Patek Philippe & Cie. It immediately created a burst of patents and innovations which have come down to our times, uniting astounding workmanship and technological innovation.

Patek models are produced in extremely limited numbers, from a few dozen articles to just a few hundred. Between 1200 and 1500 steps in production are required in order to complete the components of a mechanism, between three and five years to design a new model (up to nine for exceptional ones such as the Calibro 89), 600 hours of quality control and 30 days of observation and rigorous testing for the final product.

Patek Philippe is one of those rare Swiss watch-making houses which have the mastery of all stages of manufacturing, from development to final assembly, including ‘in house’ production of mechanisms, cases and bracelets.

The Geneva company is now managed by fourth-generation Thierry Stern, and has been in his family since 1932, when his predecessors, Charles and Jean bought up a majority shareholding in Patek Philippe.

From simple models such as the Nautilus on to super-complicated watches such as the Grandmaster Chime, the wristwatch with the most complications ever produced by the House, to the over 80 patents deposited, the successes, the acknowledgements and the list of records broken in all of the world’s most precious auction houses: all of this has ensured that Patek has established itself as the unrivalled queen of the watch-making industry.

Tradition has it that Antoine Norbert de Patek and Jean-Adrien Philippe had a single ambition: to create the best watches in the world. They succeeded.

Genèva, November 2018