Patek Philippe

On May 1, 1839, Antoni Patek (Polish businessman) and Franciszek Czapek (Polish watchmaker) founded a company together called Patek, Czapek & Cie. While the company was doing well, the 2 Polish men chose to part ways anyway. So, Antoni Patek started the company Patek & Cie and Franceszek Czapek started the company Czapek & Cie.

History of Patek Philippe

In 1844, Antoni Patek met a French watchmaker named Jean-Adrien Philippe. Jean showed his invention, the first watch without a winding key to Antoni. In 1845 they decided to work together and 6 years later the company Patek Philippe & Cie was founded. In 1901, the name of the company was changed to Ancienne Manufactured d'Horlogerie Patek Philippe & Cie, S.A.

In 1932, the company was acquired by Charles and Jean Stern. After this acquisition, they decided to change the name to Patek Philippe S.A. At that time, Patek Philippe had 70 different patents and produced all watches in their own factory. Besides making different watches they also made the most expensive watch called: Grandmaster chime 6300A-010. These watches are not only of top quality but also provide record amounts at various auctions. A 1933 Patek Philippe example was sold at auction in 1999 for $11 million (€8 million). In 2014, this watch was auctioned again and sold for an amount of 18 million euros.

Hand finishing & Casing

All Patek Philippe watches are completely assembled by hand and no machines are used. During the making of the parts however, various machines are used. This is because the result of a machine is much better than those of a person. After all the parts have been checked, the watch is put together. Once everything is assembled, the clasp is also assembled by hand. The method Patek uses to assemble the watches is many years old but is improved by using modern technology. The casing of a watch is as important as the watch itself if not more important. The casing ensures that the inside of your watch is fully protected. Making a casing is not an easy job that is done in a day. For example, Patek Philippe needs 20 different people doing 50 different jobs to make this casing as beautiful and sturdy to protect your watch.

Diamond

Many of the Patek Philipe watches use diamonds. These diamonds must be mounted properly since they are small and valuable. Before they are mounted, they must be carefully checked. This includes looking at the pre-mat and clarity of the diamond and whether it would fit the watch. Because Patek only uses flawless diamonds for their watches, finding the perfect diamonds can be quite a time-consuming job. Once selected, these diamonds are mounted. The diamonds are secured with sticky material so they are firmly attached and will not come loose. If multiple diamonds are placed, they are all placed at the same height so there will be no problems when the watch is closed.

The band & the dials

There are different types of bands that you can get with your watch. For example, you have a chain band and a machine-made band. With the chain band, the whole process is done by hand. With a machine-made band, the parts are made by a machine and then put together by hand. Both of the bands have extremely good quality, so the choice is just preference.

The dials are the most important part of all watches. Without the dials, the internal parts are of no use. So, it is important that they are fitted in the right place and made correctly. Making the dials is an art. This is because the dials must look their best since you are always looking at them. Because of this, making a dial can take up to 6 months. Each of the 3 dials is made in a different way so that they do not look alike. So that, you can never get the dials mixed up and you always know what unit of time each pointer indicates.

Small details & Final finishes

Small details makes your Patek Philippe unique, special and adds character to your watch. For example, it is almost impossible for someone to have the exact same watch. This way you have a unique watch that really suits you.

After the whole watch is put together, it is once again carefully checked for small errors. Per watch alone 600 hours are spent on this. During this check they see if the watch works quietly and there are no irritating sounds. After the watch has been checked from the inside. The outside will also be checked for any small damages in the case.