Process
Research & Development
Wheel plate production
Finishing operations required to obtain the Geneva Seal
Making of pinions
Finishing operations required to obtain the Geneva Seal
Wheel assembly
Wheel manual adjustment and final control
Production of the steel components
Hand-finishing operations required to obtain the Geneva Seal
Production of the bridge
Trimming, hand-finishing operation
Rhodium-plating
Production of the base plates
Circular-graining, hand-crafted decoration
Rhodium-plating
Hand-assembly of the movement’s components
456 parts individually finished and assembly by hand
Movement’s quality controls
28 days of strict tests and measurements
Design
Case production
Trimming, hand-finishing operation
Polishing, hand-finishing operation
Casing-up
Final assembly of the movement into the case
Watch final quality control
15 days of technical and aesthetical tests and measurements
Patek Philippe is one of the very few family-owned watch manufacturers in Geneva.
Since its foundations in 1839, the company designs, develops, crafts and assembles the finest timepieces in the world.
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Patek Philippe's story
In 1839, Antoine Norbert de Patek and François Czapek founded Patek, Czapek & C° in Geneva. At the 1844 Universal Exhibition in Paris, Antoine Norbert de Patek met Jean Adrien Philippe, inventor in 1842 of a pocket watch with stem winding and hand-setting, and offered him the post of technical director as soon as Czapek's contract ran out. In 1845, Patek Czapek & C° was dissolved, and Antoine Norbert de Patek, Jean Adrien Philippe and Vincent Gostowski founded, in Geneva, Patek & C°. In 1851, the three men changed the company's name to Patek Philippe & C°.
1868 Creation of a key-wound watch with brass bracelet.
1887 The Calatrava Cross became the company's registered logo.
1902 The Gondolo Chronometer name was registered.
1914-1930 Creation of grande complication and très grande complication watches, certain of which, with astronomical complications, were sold to James Ward Packard. These included the first two most complicated pieces by Patek Philippe: one, made in 1916, with 16 complications and another, made in 1927, with 10 complications.
1915 Creation of the first ladies' wristwatch with five-minute repeater.
1925 Creation of the first ladies' wristwatch with perpetual calendar (inspired by a pendant watch).
1933 Henry Graves Jr. purchased what was then the most complicated watch ever made by Patek Philippe. It was sold again in 1999 for $11 million.
1936 Creation of an astronomical wristwatch with perpetual calendar and retrograde date.
1940 Special order for a wristwatch with a pulsometric chronograph and world time.
1959 Creation of watches with second time zone.
1974 Creation of the Calatrava model.
1981 Launch of the Nautilus model.
1982 Creation of the Ellipse d'or model.
1989 The Calibre 89, the world's most complicated pocket watch (33 complications), was unveiled to commemorate the company's 150th anniversary.
1996 Launch of the self-winding wristwatch with annual date.
1997 Launch of the Aquanaut model.
2000 Launch of the Star Caliber 2000 (21 complications) to coincide with the third millennium.
2003 Unveiling of the 10 Day Tourbillon with COSC certification.
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