Patek Philippe was founded the 1. May 1839 by Antoni Patek and František Czapek as the Patek, Czapek & Cie. in Geneva. In 1845 the contract that binds Czapek and Patek is not renewed…
They want to go their separate ways. The same year Adrien Philippe replaces František Czapek and the Patek, Philippe & Cie company relocates to Quai des Bergues No. 15.
That´s just the beginning of a fantastic story…
In 1932 the family Stern buys Patek Philippe and since then the Sterns have been developing the brand to be the number one watchmaker in the world. No other watch has such a reputation as a Patek Philippe.
Today Thierry Stern is in charge of managing Patek Philippe and he does a great job.
Please listen to the interview I have taped with Patek Philippe President Thierry Stern during Baselworld 2014 if you have not done it yet.
Click >>> HERE <<< to get to my interview
If you are interested in the history of the brand I recommend you to watch the embedded video on the Patek Philippe homepage by clicking >>> HERE <<<
The 175th anniversary watches of Patek Philippe have not been released yet, we will have to wait until October this year. If you have not yet discovered the Patek Philippe novelties shown at Baselworld 2014 please click >>> HERE <<<
Once again: HAPPY BIRTHDAY PATEK PHILIPPE!
There is more to come about one of the last family owned Swiss watch brands very soon, so sty tuned and please do not touch that dial…
I find all this adulation of Patek Phillipe very odd. I am interested in watches and would love to add a Patek to my small collection. The only thing stopping me is not the prices but the fact that I can’t find a single watch in the entire collection that I would want to own or wear. Given that the whole purpose of the company is to create products that are objects of desire designed to make people behave irrationally and part with their cash, this seems strange. Is it just that I am in the minority in my taste, or is it perhaps that people buy a Patek just because it is a Patek and design is almost irrelevant?
It is not entirely accurate to describe the company as ‘family-owned’, since that would imply children of original founders are still with the company. That is not true, the only remaining company where the children of founders play a role is Audemars Piguet.
I believe the Audemars or Piguet family member(s) sit on the board of directors.There is a undisclosed working agreement between the Richmont Group and Audemars that was effective in 2000. A far cry from Mr Thierry Stern or Mr Phillip Stern holding a minute repeater up to their ear to certify the sound of the hammers meets the Patek Philippe standard. The Sterns relationship also pre-dates the 1932 purchase as they owned the company who supplied dials to Patek.
Lets not mince words here.
Thanks a lot for informing us about 175th Anniversary of Patek Philippe, the most prestigious watch brand in the entire world!
Convey my heartiest greetings and best wishes to Patek Philippe family on its 175th Birthday!
Congratulation to Patek Phillipe and happy birthday to the Rols Royce of the watch industry. Lets hope that they will stay the same way, innovative but conservative, modern but timeless, for the next 150 years. Well done!