Patek Philippe

About Patek Philippe

Patek Philippe & Co was founded in 1851 with the joining of Polish watchmaker and former soldier Antoni Patek and French watchmaker Adrien Philippe. It would take the company 17 years, to the year 1868, to release its first wristwatch. Whereas many watch companies purchase movements from other manufacturers, Patek Philippe manufactures its own movements in-house and maintains strict quality control over its products. The company has always been an innovator in the industry, either inventing or modernizing the minute repeater, the perpetual calendar, the chronograph and the split seconds hand. Its watches are mostly mechanical, with the exception of a few quartz and digital models. Today the company is owned by the Stern family.

Before joining with Adrien Philippe, Antoni Patek made a name for himself by selling custom crafted watches to the Polish elite. After partnering with his friend Franciszek Czapek he began purchasing raw movements from a local supplier and having them cased elsewhere. The pair would then finish the watches in their own shop before marketing them. These custom watches were in high demand and the pair quickly realized expansion was in order. But Patek realized he needed another watchmaker involved in order to grow the company. So it was with reluctance that he broke his partnership with Czapek and formed Patek Philippe with Adrien Philippe and Vincent Gostkowski.

The company's start was not without problems. Patek saw mounting debt and increased competition not only from legacy watch companies but also his former partner Czapek. In the early stages Patek Philippe relied upon raw movements purchased from other watch manufacturers. Realizing the need for an in-house movement, the company acquired the machinery required to produce its own movements. This eventually led to what would later become a major event in the company's success - Queen Victoria purchasing a Patek watch. In doing so, she bestowed a certain prestige onto Patek Philippe that would last to this very day. Quickly the company expanded its offerings into Russia and France.

In the early 1870's Patek Philippe would introduce a first in watchmaking; the ability for a watch to simultaneously display the local time in several cities. This coincided with the creation of the 24 various timezones across the globe. Shortly thereafter, Patek Philippe would forge distribution into North American and Latin America. As pocket watches declined in demand, wrist watches saw an enormous increase. Patek Philippe watches remained at the very pinnacle of the industry by introducing such firsts as the wristwatch chronograph with and without split-seconds hand. Other complications credited to the company include the wristwatch perpetual calendar and the minute repeater. These were features found only on the most complicated pocket watches of the time.

The company's success continued, and in 1932 brothers Charles Stern and Jean Stern purchased Patek Philippe & Co. It has since remained in the family and continued its tradition of producing world-renowned watches. To this day Patek Philippe watches are considered the most exquisite and intricate watches available. Their current men's collection includes the Calatrava, the Golden Ellipse, the Gondolo, the Aquanaut, the Nautilus and the Grand Complications. Their ladies lineup includes the Twenty-4, the Ladies Calatrava, the Ladies Gondolo, the Ladies Aquanaut, the Ladies Nautilus and the Ladies Grand Complications. Also available are Patek Philippe Pocket Watches and Patek Philippe Jewelry.