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Patek Philippe

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'Since 1839, Patek Philippe has continuously perpetuated the traditional art of Genevan watchmaking'Philippe Stern, President of Patek Philippe

Master of complications, Patek Philippe manufacture some of the most impressive and beautiful wristwatches in the world. The classic and elegant styling combined with unparalleled watchmaking has secured Patek Philippe a reputation for being the ultimate choice. As the inventors of the perpetual calendar, that's hard to disagree with.

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Patek Philippe History

Patek Philippe is considered to be the best manufacturer of high-end watches in the world, and produce some of the most beautiful and most complicated watches ever seen. The collaboration of two Polish immigrants, Antoni Patek and Franciszek Czapek in 1839 to form 'Patek, Czapek & Cie,' sowed the seeds for a long and successful partnership that didn't actually start until 1844. It was then that Patek went to visit the French watchmaker Adrien Philippe to look at a new crown winding and setting system that Philippe had developed. A year later, Czapek left the company, and Philippe joined in an official capacity in 1851. 'Ancienne Manufactre d'Horologerie Patek Philippe & Cie, S A' was born.

The reputation of Patek Philippe grew with each new and inspired development. A few years after building their first minute repeater, Queen Victoria become one of the many admirers of Patek Philippe pocket watches when she viewed the first keyless pocket watch at the Crystal Palace Great Exhibition in 1851.

In 1868, the company set a massive horological milestone. Made for Countess Koscowicz of Hungary, this watch was of a new design that could be worn not on a chain like a pocket watch, but on the wrist. It would be over thirty years after this before Rolex even existed, let alone produced its first wrist watch.

Complications became a forte of Patek Philippe's, and they patented the perpetual calendar in 1889 and the split seconds chronograph in 1902. These designs were so complex that they would not be built for almost another thirty years.

Patek died in 1877 and so Philippe continued to operate the company with the help of his son. When Philippe died in 1894, it was a further thirty-eight years before Jean and Charles Stern purchased the company and launched the Calatrava Ref. 96. Determined to keep the brand true to its heritage, the Stern brothers built a watch for American banker Henry Graves that would be the most complicated watch for fifty-six years. It had twenty-four complications that took three years of research and five years of construction to complete.

Always ahead of the game, Patek Philippe produced the world's first electronic clock in 1956. Bearing in mind that the quartz revolution was nearly three decades away, it demonstrates the company's innovative spirit. Following the sunlight powered clock released a few years before - a full charge capable of running the clock for a year - it had no moving parts and was the first clock to use a quartz crystal to regulate the time. The company still embraces new technology and looks to drive the industry forward with its research. In 2005 and 2006, under the current president Thierry Stern, Patek Philippe developed a hairspring and balance wheel made from silicon, a lightweight and antimagnetic material that is becoming very popular with other manufacturers.

This condensed history does not cover all of the amazing technological feats that the company has developed over the years, but believe the hype - Patek Philippe has earned its reputation, and thoroughly deserves it too.

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