Patek Philippe: Exploring the illustrious history
Patek Philippe, an esteemed Swiss luxury watchmaker, has been captivating horology enthusiasts worldwide for over a century. Renowned for their exquisite craftsmanship, timeless design, and unparalleled precision, Patek Philippe watches are among the most coveted timepieces in the world. In this blog post, we delve into the best watches that Patek Philippe has to offer, while unraveling the brand’s rich history.
Founded in 1839 by Antoine Patek and François Czapek, Patek Philippe was first named Patek, Czapek & Cie. With a relentless pursuit of perfection, the brand has solidified its position as a pioneer in horological innovation and elegance. Each Patek Philippe watch is a testament to the brand’s commitment to excellence and the art of watchmaking. The brand started out making pocket watches for royalty and high society, and after Antoine Patek met Adrien Philippe in 1844, the brand was named Patek Philippe & Cie. in 1851. After the rebranding, the company started expanding: in 1851, the iconic partnership with Tiffany was formed, when Patek met Charles Lewis Tiffany in New York. Since then, Patek Philippe has been known for innovating, even after both founders had passed away. The brand had already patented the Perpetual Calendar in 1889! This is even more impressive when you think about the fact that this is still a very high-end complication, in today’s age. After passing away the brand would remain owned by the Philippe family, before being purchased in 1932 by the Stern brothers, who were dial manufacturers. The brand is still in the Stern family, with the current CEO being Thierry Stern. Since this change of hands, Patek Philippe have made some of their most iconic watches, which we will take a look at now.
Patek Philippe Nautilus
After the previous history lesson, we don’t feel like bothering you with the rich history of this model. In short: the Nautilus was introduced in 1976, designed by legendary designer Gerald Genta. The porthole-shaped watch singlehandedly helped Patek Philippe through the Quartz crisis, and arguably saved the Swiss watch industry, alongside Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak. The Nautilus has changed very little on the outside after its initial release, but on the inside it’s essentially the best ‘simple looking’ watch there is. The Nautilus is available with all ranges of complications, but the simple time + date variant will always be one of the most iconic watches there is, with the current reference 5811 shown on the right.
Patek Philippe Calatrava
The Calatrava was released in 1932, the same year the Stern brothers acquired the brand. The Calatrava was also designed by Henri Stern, who was the ‘son of’ at the time and became president of the company in 1958. It was originally introduced to help the brand through the Great Depression, and is now known as a great dress watch from the brand and one of the best dress watches you can get. Some people call it ‘an entry-level Patek’, with it being the ‘cheapest’ watch the brand has to offer, but we think Patek Philippe can never be associated with ‘entry-level’… That being said, the Calatrava today is a very slim, accurate watch made out of only precious metals. This suggests it is a dress watch, but with 39mm it can easily be used as an everyday watch.
Patek Philippe Grand Complications
The Grand Complications is a model line in which the brand shows off the very difficult complications they master. They typically follow the same form factor, but that’s all that these watches have in common. They vary from world timers, to chronographs, to annual calendars, to perpetual calendars and of course tourbillons. Every type of material is being used in this collection, so if you want something to drool over, look no further!
Patek Philippe Aquanaut
You may be mistaken for confusing the Aquanaut with the Nautilus. The octagon design resembles the Nautilus a lot, but this watch was only released in 1997, at the time on a tropical strap instead of a bracelet. Patek says this watch is more sporty than the Nautilus, with it being water-resistant to 120 meters instead of the Nautilus’s 60 meters. These days the difference between the Nautilus and the Aquanaut is still quite small, with the water-resistance rating and the dial being some of the main differences. Also, the Nautilus 5811 is only available in precious metals, whereas the Aquanaut 5167 is also available in stainless steel, which is typically more resemblant of a sports watch.
Conclusion
That concludes our blog about Patek Philippe. The brand’s history is so vast, that we tried to make this blog short and sweet. There is way more to learn about Patek and their models, but we kept it relevant in this blog, so you now know the essential information about the brand. We hope you enjoyed it and we hope you will own lots of Pateks in your lifetime!