Table of Contents

Patek Philippe

Queen Victoria

In 1851, Patek was given the distinguished responsibility of delivering timepieces to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. This included her consort as well. During the Great Exhibition of London in November 1851, Patek Philippe delivered a key-wound Patek Philippe clock. 1)

Exclusive Clientele

Patek Philippe has produced timepieces for Christian IX, Princess Louise of Denmark, Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, Hussein Kamel, and many more. 2)

Most Complicated Mechanical Watch

In 1989, Patek Philippe built one of the most complex mechanical watches ever made. This timepiece was created to commemorate the 150th anniversary. The watch contains 39 complications, including the Easter date, dawn time, time equation, sidereal time, and many more functions. 3)

Silicon Escapement Wheel

The silicon escapement wheel was introduced to the industry by the business in 2005. The silicon escapement wheel was originally used in the 'Patek Philippe Advanced Research' Annual Calendar Ref. 5250. This watch was produced in a limited edition of 100 pieces. 4)

Foundation

Patek Philippe was established on May 1, 1851. 5)

Family Owned

The Stern family has controlled the company since 1932, and as of the late 2000s, the corporation was run by Philippe Stern and his son Thierry Stern. In 2010, Thierry Stern took over the company's leadership from his father. 6)

Official Name

Patek Philippe's official name is Patek Philippe et Cie.7)

Antoni Patek and Franciszek Czapek

Franciszek Czapek was a Czech watchmaker, while Antoni Patek was a Pole. In 1839, they established Patek, Czapek & Cie in Geneva. Following that, they began producing pocket watches before splitting up in 1844. 8)

Adrien Philippe

After splitting from Czapek, Patek partnered with the French watchmaker Adrien Philippe in 1845, who invented the keyless winding mechanism. 9)

American Market

Patek Philippe was introduced to the American market in 1935 by the Henri Stern Watch Agency in New York. 10)

Keeping Tradition

Patek's directors contacted the brothers Charles and Jean Stern of the company Cadrans Stern Frères, with whom the Patek brand had previously collaborated since they created high-quality dials and were one of Patek's best suppliers. Because the Stern brothers intended to maintain Swiss watchmaking history, they assisted Patek Philippe and purchased a part in the company in 1932. Within a year, the brothers had purchased the whole Patek Philippe corporation. 11)

Ref. 96

Patek Philippe introduced the Ref. 96 timepiece in 1932. This watch is regarded as the prototype of the renowned and legendary Calatrava collection.12)

First Patek For A Woman

Mrs. D.O. Wickham commissioned Patek to create an Art Deco-styled five-minute repeater in a platinum case with chainlink bracelet in 1916. 13)

Less Than 1 Million Watches

Since 1839, Patek Philippe has produced fewer than one million timepieces. This demonstrates how exclusive Patek Philippe is as a Swiss watch manufacturer, given that the number is lower than the total yearly watch production of several of the top luxury watch businesses. However, because Patek Philippe has relatively limited production quantities, this figure is an approximation. 14)

It Takes Nine Months To Make The Most Basic Watches

This is only for the most basic watches in the Patek Philippe range. Their most complex watches take a significantly longer time to produce. The more complicated timepieces, in fact, take more than two years to create. 15)