The company is family-owned (Stern family) and is one of the most prestigious watch brands in the world.
Founding (1839–1851)
The company started in 1839 when Antoni Patek (from Poland) and Franciszek Czapek (from what’s now the Czech Republic) formed a watchmaker company in Geneva.
In 1845, Czapek left, and Adrien Philippe, a French watchmaker (who invented a way to wind the watch without a key), joined Patek.
In 1851, the company became Patek, Philippe & Co.
In the same year, Queen Victoria bought one of their keyless pendant watches.
Growing the Company
Antoni Patek died in 1877.
In 1887, Patek Philippe adopted the Calatrava cross as its logo.
The company officially became a joint-stock company in 1901.
In 1915, Albert Einstein bought a Patek pocket watch.
Stern Family Takes Over (1932–Now)
In 1932, the Stern family bought the company during the Great Depression.
Since then, it's remained independent and family-owned.
Thierry Stern became president in 2009.
They limit production to keep quality high and maintain exclusivity.
Modern Expansion
Patek has a big factory in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva.
In 2020, they opened a new advanced building (“PP6”) to bring many of their workshops under one roof.
They also have a Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva with thousands of historical pieces.
Their famous slogan:
“You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation.”
They build most of their watch parts in-house — movements, cases, dials, everything.
They mostly make mechanical watches (automatic or manual), though they have made quartz ones too.
They’ve made many important inventions and patents, like:
A “secular perpetual calendar” (handles leap years smartly).
Silicon-based components (for better performance and precision).
Very complex watches with many “complications” (extra features).
Here are some of Patek Philippe’s most well-known watches:
Calatrava:
Classic, simple dress watch.
The first model came out in 1932.
Nautilus:
Sporty luxury watch.
Designed by Gérald Genta, the first Nautilus came out in 1976.
Aquanaut:
More modern and sporty, with a rubber strap.
Grand Complications:
Extremely complex watches with many functions (called “complications” in watchmaking).
Example: the Henry Graves Supercomplication, which has 24 functions.
Another: Calibre 89, made for their 150th anniversary, which had 33 complications.
The Grandmaster Chime also has many (20) complications.
Sky Moon Tourbillon:
Very high-end watch, has a tourbillon + sky map + chimes, etc.
Golden Ellipse:
Design based on the “golden ratio.”