Patek Philippe - Brilliant Watches for True Connoisseurs
Patek Philippe was founded by Antoni Patek and Francois Czapek in 1839 and at that time it bore the name of Patek, Czapek & Cie .The first manufacture produced about 200 watches a year by individual orders. In 1845 Czapec left he company because of a conflict with his partner and the company got its new name - Patek & Cie. On May, 15 1845 the company was joined by Jan Philippe – a watch maker and the inventor of key less movements. In 1851 Philippe became a legal partner of Patek and the company got its “almost” modern name – Patek Philippe & Co. In 1868 Patek Philippe released the world’s first wrist watch-bracelet that now is stored in the company’s museum. Then the company got a great number of patents and introduced many revolutionary innovations, such as chronograph, perpetual calendar, minute repeater and others.
In 1932—1933 the company participated in “watch contest” and released the most complicated mechanism of that time. In 1999 this watch was sold at Sotheby’s auction for $11 000 000 – this is an absolute record.
In 1901 when both founders of the company had already died the company was renamed and became Ancienne Manufacture d’Horlogerie Patek Philippe & Cie, S.A.
In 1932 the company was bought by Stern brothers and in the same year the company got the name under which it is now famous in all over the world Patek Philippe S.A..
Now all the brand’s factories and the company’s museum are located in Geneva. The company has 220 employees. Modern Patek Philippe catalogue comprises 45 serial mechanisms. The number of watches released per year is limited. During all its history Patek Philippe has released about 600 000 watches.
Most Expensive watches
It has been already mentioned that one of the Patek Philippe’s watches was sold for $11,000,000 – this was a record. On April, 10, 2008 the record was broken. The Ref. 5002P Sky Moon Tourbillon model – a platinum watch-tourbillon was sold at Hong Kong Sotheby’s auction for HK$11.75 million ($ 1.49 million). This broke the previous record set by Vacheron Constantin whose Tour de l'Ile watch was sold at Antiquorum auction for $1,4 million in Geneva in 2005.
Patek Philippe watches have many admirers in all over the world and among them there are and there were very famous persons. Queen Victoria bought a watch-pendant in November 1851 at the Great Exhibition of London.
The queen had one more exclusive watch by Patek Philippe – this watch was shaped as a brooch. Among the famous customers of Patek Philippe there are such names as Pio Nono IX, Christian IX and Louisa (king and queen of Danemark), Vittorio Emanuelle III (king of Italy) and many others.
In 1989 Patek Philippe released one of the world’s most complicated watch models – Calibre 89, that was developed specially for the 150th anniversary of the company. The watch has 33 additional mechanisms, including the date of the Easter, thermometer, star time and many others. The Calibre 89 model can add a day to February in a leap year.
Not only this model, all other watches by Patek Philippe are true masterpieces that are preferred by people who always choose the best quality. Patek Philippe watches are very elegant and perfectly accurate, they have all the characteristics that are so much appreciated by watch connoisseurs from all over the world.
