Patek Philippe. One of the most outstanding watch brands known to this day. One out of three in the holy trinity of watches. The elegant swiss watch manufacturer. Words are not enough to talk about this exquisite brand, so we’ll have enough with a Quick History Lesson About Patek Philippe.
Founded in 1839, Patek Philippe wasn’t always known as Patek Philippe. It was named Patek, Czapek & Cie, because the two men that founded it were Antoni Patek and Franciszek Czapek. However, the two partners separated due to some disagreements, and Antoni was soon joined by a french watchmaker named Adrien Philippe in 1845. In 1851, Patek & Philippe changed the name of the company (officially) to Patek Philippe & Cie. In 1932, the company has been bought by the Sterns when Charles Stern and Jean Stern acquired it during the Great Depression.
Now, lets get into some of their creations and inventions. In 1868, Patek Philippe created the first wristwatch. in 1952, the first perpetual calendar wristwatch has yet again been created by Patek Philippe. In 1993, Patek Philippe created the most complicated watch containing 24 complications, and named it Henry Graves Supercomplication. It remained the most complicated until 1989. And in 1989, to beat its competition for the title ‘Most Complicated Watch’, Patek Philippe created the most complicated watch containing 33 complications, although that title has been taken away from them in 2015. In 2014, they created what in my opinion is one of the most gorgeous watches ever, the Grandmaster Chime, ref. 5175, which is one of the most complicated wristwatches containing 20 complications in its movement.
Patek Philippe doesn’t need an introduction, and they cannot get an outro because of the endless achievements they have. What’s your favorite watch from Patek Philippe? (Mine’s the ref. 96 in steel with a Breguet dial).
References:
- https://www.patek.com/en/company/history#1839-1877
- https://www.patek.com/en/company/history#1878-1931
- https://www.patek.com/en/company/history#1932-1949
- https://www.patek.com/en/company/history#1950-1988
- https://www.patek.com/en/company/history#1989-2018
