Patek Philippe

(Active since 1839)

Patek Philippe is a luxury Swiss watch and clock manufacturer, founded in 1839 in Geneva by Polish migrants Antoine Norbert de Patek and François Czapek and since 1932 owned and run by the Stern family.

Since its founding the manufacturer specialized in sophisticated designs of timepieces, patented numerous breaking-through inventions and became a game-changer in the global luxury watch market. There is no doubt Patek Philippe was a pioneer in a lot of fields. For instance, it was this very manufacturer, that in 1868 created the first Swiss wristwatch, what is more fascinating, the stunning timepiece was manufactured specially for the Countess Koscowicz of Hungary.

In 1844 the company was awarded a bronze medal at the Industrial Exposition in Paris thanks to its co-owner Jean Adrien Philippe, who invented the legendary keyless winding and hand-setting system that a year later got a patent. In 1851 the first keyless watches were proudly presented at the Great Exhibition in London, where Queen Victoria was among those who happened to be the first to admire an absolutely unique invention. The invention was followed by numerous creations and patents, such as a precision regulator in 1881, perpetual calendar mechanism for pocket watches in 1889, first double chronograph in 1902 and many more.

Patek Philippe created the first complicated ladies’ wristwatch with a five-minute repeater in 1916. The first split-seconds chronograph wristwatch was sold in 1923 and still remains one of the manufacturer’s most demanded models. In the same year as the company was taken over by Stern brothers (1932), the manufacturer launched the first Calatrava model. In 1944 the company won a record number of first place awards for precision in the Geneva Observatory competition and later in 1956, Patek Philippe’s skilful watchmakers invented the first all-electronic clock. It was also Patek Philippe that received patents for time-zone watches, which was an absolute breakthrough.

World-famous for its sophisticated and innovative timepieces, Patek Philippe created watches for numerous noble people, royal family members and celebrities. Already in 1910 the prominent watchmaker created the “Duke of Regla” Westminster chime pocket watch. Among the manufacturer’s countless honorable clients were Henry Graves Jr., who in 1933 became the owner of the unique “Graves” supercomplication pocket watch and James Ward Packard with his exquisite astronomical pocket watch, the “Packard”.

Nowadays Patek Philip not only remains one of the most desirable and recognizable watchmaker brands, but also hosts exhibitions in its own eponymous museum, which was opened in Geneva in 2001. Splendid timepieces by the manufacturer pay tribute to a bygone era and reflect the spirit of the present. Each item and design amazes with their eccentricity and uniqueness on the one hand and laconism and traditional approach on the other. It is for the loyalty to traditions and an astonishing ability to breathe new life into classics that clients appreciate splendid watches by Patek Philippe so much.