Brandfacts Patek Philippe

If any watch deserves to be called a piece of art it is a Patek Philippe. Long considered the world’s ultimate wristwatch, Patek create some of the most intricate complications ever built. Having always concentrated on manufacturing complicated models in very low numbers, Patek Philippe have consistently pushed the boundaries of what is technically possible. Although they produce elegant single‐function watches and a range of beautiful ladies’ watches, it is their complications for which they are famous.

In fact complications—watch mechanisms that do more than just tell the time—have been a Patek speciality since the 1920s. Good examples of these exquisitely-wrought wristwatches regularly fetch over $1m at auction, with the current record standing at over $4m paid for a platinum Patek Grand Complication in 2002. [the word ‘wristwatches’ in the above context must be used, because ‘timepieces’ also covers pocket watches, the record price for which, held by Patek, stands at about $11m]

Patek is aimed squarely at the connoisseur—someone who wants the ultimate and isn’t afraid to pay for it. Many Patek Philippe owners have found that their watches are simply too valuable to sell and so, like a work of art, they are passed down from one generation to the next (hence their advertising line ;you never actually own a Patek Philippe, you just take care of it for the next generation’). Truly the Michelangelo of wristwatches.