Patek Philippe

In his painting, ' Venus, Cupid, Folly and Time', the artist Bronzino, presents us with an intricate, delectable, allegorical statement. The idea of the picture is that love, plagued by other emotions, is foolish, and its folly will be discovered in time. The painting is graceful, charming and sensuous. Smooth and classical contours project a surface of enamelled perfection ... Its subject is eternal.
There is nothing allegorical in the unambiguous, elegant and exquisitely beautiful Patek-Philippe timepiece, yet, common denominators do exist between the watchmaker and the painter. This is perceived in the delicacy of design, the ingenious simplicity of concept and the interest and importance of time, as demonstrated and presented in quite different creative manners. As in the case of 'love', a Patek-Philippe watch is also eternal.
Man has been fascinated by the passage of time, from the ancient observations of the apparent movements of the sun and moon, at Stonehenge, to the microcosmic mechanisms that propel the most miniaturised wristwatch, in tight and accurate order. Some, sit and listen to its passing, while others pace their lives, regulated by its relentless forward march.
In today's throw-away society there is an ever expanding market for the 'disposable', the 'most popular', or the 'fun-style', item, none of which are designed to last. In this our experimental and fast-paced century, we are fortunate to enjoy a tangible reminder of more permanent, traditional and classical ideals, in masterpieces produced by renowned watchmaker, Patek-Phillipe, custodian of style, quality and artistic merit. Patek-Philippe have been faithful to the ideals of perfection and classicism for over 150 years.
It is the oldest, independent, family-owned Watchmaker in the world. Founded in Geneva in 1839, and situated at 41 Rue du Rhone on the edge of the picturesque Swiss lakes by an exiled Polish nobleman, Count Antoine de Patek and a young, French watchmaker and inventor, Adrien Philippe. Both vowed that their watches would be the finest in the world. Today, this vow of excellence, the very foundation stone of the company, is continued under the auspices of the present owner, Phillipe Stern.
The Stern family have had very strong links with Patek-Philippe over a long period of time, prior to its purchase in 1929 by paternal grandfather, Charles Stern. The traditional headquarters on the Rue du Rhone are still home to this extraordinary company.
Philippe Stern is a business man and not a watchmaker. His accomplished administrative skills, his love of beauty and tradition and his astute observation of the marketplace, governing objets d'art, has ensured a continued superior standard of product and a select buying market for such exclusive watches. His understanding of the diversity of the role of General Manager of such a prestigious and long established firm, is the result of a strong bond between the discipline of academic achievement and many years learning the complexities of the family business from the ground up. His father, Henri Stern, who is President of the Board of Directors, relinquished his position of General Manager in 1977, to his son, in the family tradition. Philippe Stern explains the individual contribution made by three generations of the Stern family and their long-term interest in the company.

"My family have always been in the watch industry, even producing the dials used by Patek-Philippe. My grandfather bought the company in 1929, when it was experiencing hard times. My father took over in 1958 and it was just natural that I would follow him into the business. In most family businesses the children slowly but surely become interested through sheer exposure. I have a 19 year old son and I would like him to take an active part in the company when he has completed his education, but, that is something he will have to decide for himself. I spent a number of years working in the computer industry before I went to New York to work in the watch industry. And here I am today and I enjoy it very much".
As our complex cultures change with the demands placed upon them by economic, social and political pressures, so too, must changes occur in established business administration. This has been the case in the company of Patek-Philippe.
"My grandfather's main aim, was to re-establish the company and immediately after its purchase he began to rebuild it. He did not live very long and much of the responsibility was passed on to my father.
"During the 1940's it was difficult to sell watches in Europe and particularly in Switzerland, as it is such a small country and does not support a population sufficiently large to accommodate the numerous exclusive watchmakers that have their headquarters in this country. My father became more daring and aggressive and travelled more than anyone else had done before. He visited the United States and established a distribution market there and also gained valuable points of sale in Brazil and Venezuela."
It was this initial exploration of the purchasing possibilities outside Switzerland that was to have the important long-term effect of establishing a Patek-Philippe International market, that stretched around the globe.
Phillipe Stern suggest that his contribution to the continued success of the company, lies in the framework of modern business techniques, utilising the computer to extend business information and establishing modern methods, to enhance the excellence of his product into the 21st century.
A Patek-Phillipe watch is a single masterpiece of design. The fluid, symmetrical, classical lines derive from those of the Renaissance masters and the Golden Age of Ancient Greece. The balance, stability and detail of high-order civilisations has been carefully studied and utilised in each hand-finished piece. A Patek-Philippe timepiece is one of a kind. Every single movement in every watch is finished by hand. Synonymous with the name Patek-Philippe, is a simple, round faced watch with a leather strap. From the Calatrava Line and referred to as 'Number 3919' it is as popular today as it was when it was first introduced in 1932. Phillip Stern tells why this watch grasped the attention of the world and why it has maintained its position of eminence for so long.
"It was the watch chosen in an advertising campaign to establish Patek-Philippe as a traditional, classical watchmaker of simple and uncluttered design.This watch established an image for the company, as a perfect example of the quiet restraint that the advertising promised. The campaign was enormously successful and it was done at the right time as buyers were looking for an 'understated' watch to grace the wrist of both men and women, that displayed an image of sheer elegance".
In more recent years, the designers have produced a new classic, the elegant Golden Ellipse, based on the golden section design principal of harmonious proportions. The subtlety in this, lies in the unusual arrangement, where no major line is precisely vertical or horizontal.
Patek-Philippe were publicly honoured at the 1851 Great Exhibition in London, held at the newly opened Crystal Palace, itself an outstanding example of engineering excellence and futuristic design. They were winners of gold medals and also won the admiration of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who both purchased Patek-Philippe watches. The Queen selected an exquisitely beautiful pendant watch, enamelled in cornflower blue, engraved and set with diamonds. It was one of the first watches that could be reliably wound and set, without a separate key. At the exhibition of 1851, Patek-Philippe were still in their infancy, yet they displayed a range of ingenious and elegant timepieces that would tempt the royal courts of Europe. All watches have similarities to each other, rather like paintings produced in a particular style. However, indisputably, while factors in common do exist, each watchmaker has his own distinct and recognisable signature that separates him from others in his craft. A Patek-Philippe watch evokes a response in the buyer, of respect for its quality and genuine love for its simplicity and good taste. As Philippe Stern says: "We are happy with our simple, classical designs and do not intend to make radical changes in the future. We will stay with the right look, which we have already attained."
In 1989, Patek-Phillippe celebrated 150 years of continuous service as watchmakers of outstanding quality, discerning taste and extraordinary imagination. An exhibition of exceptional watches took place at the Musee de L'Horlogerie in Geneva, entitled, "The legendary Watches of Patek-Philippe'. The exhibition featured over 400 outstanding examples, including simple and complicated men's and women's pocket and wrist watches limited editions of ladies' lapel watches and an officer's campaign watch based on an early 20th century design, together with special clocks and a selection of watchmaker's tools. Timepieces on display illustrated the traditional crafts used by Patek-Philippe to make and decorate its watches. The house of Patek-Philippe is virtually the only place where enamelling, engraving and chainmaking are kept alive as high arts.
Patek-Philippe has owned a private collection since its foundation, to which special timepieces have gradually been added. One of the highlights of the exhibition was the famous Packard watch, purchased back by Patek-Philippe in 1988 for over two million Swiss Francs. This complicated watch was designed for James Ward Packard, the United States car magnate and sold to him in 1927 for 12,815 SF. As a special commemoration of this important occasion, the company designed and produced a remarkable timepiece, the 'Calibre 89'. The calibre 89 is the implementation of all that is known about mechanical horology. It is the most complicated, portable timepiece that has ever been made. It is beautifully constructed in 18 carat gold and has a staggering 1728 parts. It is without question the most outstanding technical achievement to date. From the initial design to the completion of the finished article took nine years. It is expected that only four will ever be made, one in each of the different colours of gold. The Calibre has 33 complications which makes it a mathematical masterpiece that can calculate numberous functions, many of which would be far too complicated for the average watchlover to understand. It is an astronomical timepiece and can calculate solar time ,mean sidereal time, perpetual secular calendar, date of Easter, split-second chronograph and minute-repeater, among many other complex functions. The eye catching star chart of sapphire crystal shows the Milky Way and 2,800 distinct Northern Hemisphere stars in five orders of magnitude. Two auxiliary dials show the state of the leap year and indicate the morning, evening and night, according to a 24 hour scale.
To the connoisseur, the horologist extraordinaire, or those fascinated by the art of invention, this watch would be the ultimate expression of precision and scientific perfection.
To go with this portable timepiece, Patek-Philippe launched the Gentleman's complicated wristwatch. This streamlined, thin, self-winding watch is probably the most advanced wrist watch available today. A complicated watch is costly to produce because the work is so exacting, fine and time-consuming and there is such a shortage of the horloger complete with expertise, to such an advanced standard. Philippe Stern reminds us, "that you have to wait two or three years for a complicated watch. It is impossible to produce them any faster because we have so few watchmakers." This factor has not deterred the interest buyer, particularly in the United States, where the 'complicated' watch has produced such a large clientele. Philippe Stern points out the importance of the 'family business' today for those who are interested in the purchase of a Patek-Philippe watch, as a long-term investment, a guarantee of quality and value is assured. It is interesting to note, that there is a greater tendency towards manual watches, than in the past. At least half of all buyers now choose a manual. Philippe Stern suggests, that in his view, "the client enjoys giving life to his watch every day because he feels that the watch is a part of him."
Time, itself, is beyond the control of man, but there are those who delight in its intricacies, fascinated and enchanted by the challenge to harmonise the parts, that provide the physical movements, that turn the hands of time. Patek-Philippe is just such a watchmaker.
Today's watch buyer is looking for quality, beauty and individuality and they want to be assured that the watch they are wearing is readily recognisable as a particular brand in just the same way as their haute couture clothes. In the past this would not have been possible, as the company produced upwards of 600 models in one collection. Philippe Stern highlights the problem of anyone who was looking for a unique watch would certainly not find it and would therefore not be interested." In the period between the 1950's and the 1970's there was a request for enormous variety and Patek-Philippe, like other watchmakers, involved themselves with the demands of the time."
Today the company produces different watches for different types of buyers, but they have introduced a limit. They now concentrate on one major collection together with an international campaign. This is not to suggest that the remarkable inventiveness that the company is famous for has in any way been harnessed. In fact, the situation is quite the contrary. Patek-Philippe now have a prototype of a new watch. It is an automatic and has the phases of the moon and a movement, mini-repeater. Instead of seeing the time, you just hear it. The return to classical form is now stronger than ever and according to Philippe Stern, the company will retain its position on the international market, into the next century, and beyond. Philippe Stern's personal love for the company is crystal clear as he expresses his own interests as the General Manager of Patek-Philippe in the nineties.
"I would never tire of the demands and excitement of this business. It is such an interesting product and is so aesthetically pleasing that just being around it is such a pleasure. I enjoy the different people that I work with and I admire the remarkable skill and creative content that our master craftsmen infuse into our watches. It is obvious, we would not survive without them. Our own Museum houses a wonderful collection of our watches over the past 150 years. Our watches are Art. Our museum is our art gallery and a constant reminder and tribute to the master watchmakers of Patek-Philippe."
Philippe Stern points out the other special attributes of a Patek-Philippe watch that make it so vastly different from products of other well-established and respected companies. "The special things about our watches are the movements and the finish of each watch. Our movements are different from those used by other companies. We make our own and we have a different type, called the Geneva Shape.
"The finish is so beautiful on the inside of the watch, that may of our clients want a clear case in order to see the watch at work. We take immense pride in our movements, and to the connoisseur the internal mechanisms are important as the face and the hands. We spend so much time in the preparation of our product, it takes much longer than conventional watches to complete a movement, consequently it takes longer than average to present the finished article". He explains that because of the attention to detail and the length of time required to finish each watch, particularly those with complicated movements, a prospective purchaser may be disappointed to find that he has to wait for such a special timepiece to be made. It is not always possible to walk in off the street, and just buy a Patek-Philippe watch, straight over the counter.
Lovers of fine watches and objects of supreme beauty are prepared to wait in the knowledge that anything that promises a lifetime of enjoyment, is worth waiting for. As Philippe Stern suggest: "If you just want the time, then you can buy any watch, but if you want a beautiful piece of art that provides as much pleasure as a magnificent painting or the engine of an exquisite machine, then you will buy a Patek-Philippe watch."
Philippe stern tells the story of the gentleman who returned with his watch, twelve months after purchasing it, to report that it was not working. In the year that he had owned the watch he had not noticed the time at all, so mesmerised was he by its elegant beauty. In fact the watch had never worked. It was actually a demonstration model, sold in error, and had no movements inside at all, just a metal plate.
Philippe Stern clearly demonstrates his own admiration and understanding of the privilege of such ownership, by stressing that, "We in the family treat our watches with such regard and respect that even our family members do not receive a Patek-Philippe watch until they reach the age of twenty.
The key words, 'perfection and ingenuity were established and acknowledge as the lynchpins for success. The inventive mind of Adrien Philippe and the business propriety of Count Antoine de Patek became a solid basis for the development of ideas, the retention of beauty and tradition and exceptional technical achievement. One of the early inventions of Adrien Philippe, was the perfection of the keyless watch in 1841, which revolutionised the watch industry. This was followed in 1846 by the first watch with an independent secondhand, and two years later by the first mainspring.
Their company was born in an age of great change and excitement. The industrialisation of the 19th century and the introduction of mass production, heralded the threshold of a new world. Patek and Philippe, fascinated by the possibilities of new technology, none the less wore allegiance to the traditions of the past and vowed to produce only watches of the highest order. From the very beginning they nurtured the role in the company of designers, the goldsmiths, the engravers, the enamellers and the jewellers. The factory production line and the demand for instant gratification, had all but eliminated some skilled artisans and there was a distant danger of master craftsmen disappearing altogether. Aware that the key to success lay in team work, the company trained their own specialists, understanding the unique contribution that each individual made to the reputation of the firm.
This tradition is continued today at the headquarters of Patek-Philippe in Geneva.