An invitation to the hallowed halls of the Patek Philippe Manufacture is a special honour – a watch collector from our community shares his extraordinary journey.
Anticipation is said to be the greatest of all pleasures. In the spirit of this, the years of anticipation, prolonged by the pandemic, have been rather marvellous. It was quite some time ago that a trusted Patek Philippe concessionaire called me to ask: ‘Would you perhaps be interested in visiting the new manufacture building with us?’ Perhaps? Of course I would! But it’s precisely this kind of subtle restraint, this omnipresence of form and style, that gives this manufacture its special charm. I would have replied with dignity, ‘That suits me’ if not for the fact that I tend to forget such decorum when it comes to Patek Philippe. Rather, I replied: ‘Yes, of course, how amazing is that? When do we go?’
I was soon given an appointment, but then Patek Philippe requested to reschedule. This happened a couple of times, with months turning into years of waiting. What remained was the sense of anticipation – and a dose of empathy, because I understand protecting employees and ensuring production continues is more important than flying guests to Geneva. At the same time, the promise was made each time: ‘We’ll talk soon!’ Then, the time actually came. We meet up at the airport with almost a dozen collectors, their escorts, and two employees of the concessionaire. More precisely, we met at the General Aviation Terminal for business travellers, because the Patek Philippe Manufacture experience also includes travelling by charter plane. What about flying commercial, you ask? According to reports, Patek president Thierry Stern isn’t one for that either.
Prior to visiting the Patek Philippe cosmos in Geneva, the first step is to observe the like-minded attendees. Most already know each other, as good concessionaires always bring their collectors together on a variety of occasions, leading to bonds that last for decades. The author of these lines is still something of a newcomer, which begs the question: How does one get invited on every fan of watchmaking’s dream trip? The answer: it is a matter of judgement for the hosts, i.e. the concessionaire and Patek Philippe. Of course, being a particularly good customer helps. Alternatively, being seen as a customer with growth potential also helps – this is where I would categorise myself. Enthusiasm for the brand, on the other hand, is certainly a basic requirement.
My fellow travellers joining me over the next few days are diverse. There may be an above-average number of entrepreneurs among them, but otherwise, they are united solely by their passion for Patek Philippe. They range in age from their early thirties to retirement. Fashion preferences range from Philipp Plein and Dolce & Gabbana to Hermès and Loro Piana. Older money meets newer money, ultra-modern gentlemen meet old-school grand seigniors, and the choice of ‘manufacture travel watch’ also reveals a wide variety of tastes: one gentleman wears a vintage Calatrava, bought at auction many years ago. The other has his new reference 5204G, the dark green split-seconds chronograph with perpetual calendar. One of them only collects World Time watches. The other has a yellow gold 5970J on his wrist, the classic chronograph with a perpetual calendar.
Ref. 5970J
Credit © Christies
The first glass of champagne is served, and a short-haul flight later, we find ourselves at lunch in one of Geneva’s five-star hotels, in front of which Yannick Michot, head of the German Patek Philippe for decades, waits to welcome us. Together, our group visits the Patek Philippe Museum in the afternoon, then we have dinner together in a top restaurant with a view of Lake Geneva. As the setting sun bathes everything in a pink light, the guests realise once again: their favourite brand certainly has class. But as wonderful as the first day was, the excitement for the next is even greater.
The new manufacture PP6
After all, the manufacture is the place where collectors’ dreams become reality, and the new ‘PP6’ building symbolises everything that Patek Philippe has created in recent decades: primarily growth, alongside constant and substantial investments in production and quality. It is a place that appears ultra-modern and at the same time does justice to the company’s long history.
Comprising ten floors, four of them underground, 189 metres in length, 67 metres wide, over 130,000 square metres. Lots of glass, lots of light, a construction that cost a few hundred million francs. A building with clear lines and spacious rooms. Some floors have the sterile feel of a clinic, others the charm of a luxury penthouse.
The tour begins on the second floor, where cases and parts for bracelets are produced using CNC machines and then assembled and polished by hand. The sight of all the Nautilus bracelets and cases makes you briefly forget how rare the model is in relation to annual production. Is that a case over there in the sorting grids that does not yet exist in the collection? Unfortunately, before you can take a closer look to compare, you have to move on to the first floor, where components for the movements are finished.
The fourth floor is dedicated to ‘Rare Handcrafts’, encompassing decorative crafts such as engraving and guilloché. We won’t be seeing these rooms today, as a new collection is currently being worked on, but we will be introduced to this craft in a presentation room, followed by an absolute highlight: the models of almost all the minute repeaters currently in production. Only the fairly new 5316/50P-001 is missing, but fortunately I had already listened to and looked at it the day before during a lightning visit to the salon on the Rue du Rhone.
Minute repeaters are considered typical Patek Philippe; senior partner Philippe Stern has cultivated and built up this part of the collection over decades, and it hardly gets more exclusive than that. Today, every minute repeater that leaves the company passes through the hands of his son Thierry Stern, the current president of the company, who checks the sound quality. Admittedly, up to this point I was always a little perplexed when this was discussed. Over the years, I had already come across one or two minute repeaters from different horology houses, and each sound was fascinating in its own right. The owners often praised it as first-class, sometimes even qualifying it as ‘almost as good as a Patek Philippe minute repeater!’
Patek Philippe minute repeater references top row: 5078, 5178, 5531, 5374, 5208
Bottom row: 5207, 5316, 6002
I will find out what this means in this presentation. The magic of the sound, which varies from reference to reference and from precious metal case to precious metal case, only becomes apparent when played side by side, preferably in front of a sheet of paper. I will not attempt to describe the outstanding sound quality of these glockenspiels for the wrist in words at this point. However, my highly subjective list of favourites is follows: the skeletonised, rose-gold Reference 5303 sounds the most perfect to my layman’s ears, closely followed by the white-gold 5178.
Ref. 5303R
Additional complications such as perpetual calendars and chronographs and their additional components naturally have an influence on the sound body and thus the acoustics, which nevertheless have a unique level at Patek Philippe. It is no wonder that collectors vie for the few pieces produced each year of references such as the 5208 (with chronograph and perpetual calendar), 5374 (with perpetual calendar and moonphase) or the 5316 (with tourbillon, perpetual calendar and retrograde date). Since this visit, the vast majority of minute repeaters from other manufactures have sounded significantly less impressive. Twenty minutes of presentation turned me into a ‘sounds almost as good as a Patek Philippe’ snob.
Patek Philippe references: 5208 (with chronograph and perpetual calendar), 5374 (with perpetual calendar and moon phase), 5316 (with tourbillon, perpetual calendar and retrograde date)
When the President joins for lunch
Lunch also deserves a mention. The staff canteen is located under the roof of ‘PP6’. From up here, you can look down on the Genevan landscape and truly feel like you’ve arrived at the top of the world’s finest watch brand. This is also where the VIP salons are located, to which we are now led. The rooms are decorated in soft colours, the tables are set like in a three-star restaurant, and suddenly Thierry Stern, the fourth generation of the family to run the horology house, is standing in the room. He is accompanied by Claude Peny, the former General Manager of the company, and both gentlemen chat during the three-course meal about the beautiful and sometimes challenging tasks involved in running a company like Patek Philippe.
Credit @Studio Schöttger
They discuss ideas for watches that were never realised, the constant search for qualified employees and the consequences of the trend towards working from home. Stern and Peny answer all questions, and it is clear that despite the brand’s great success, they never stop closely looking at and listening to their customers. Customer groups from all over the world regularly come to the manufacture, which is not only an experience for the guests, it is also the best form of market research, and as jovial as Thierry Stern may seem at first glance, he analyses accurately and quickly, and never forgets to think for and with Patek Philippe for a second.
A final highlight awaits visitors just before they leave: we enter rooms decorated in dark Patek Philippe brown, and on shelves we see countless volumes of books. They contain the references and serial numbers of all the watches ever produced by the company; it is an archive of everything that has made the manufacture what it is today over the decades. From here, we are led into a darkened room where we stand in a circle around presentation tables. Here we are shown all the references in production, from the Calatrava to the perpetual calendar with chronograph function and ruby bezel. Those who would like to critique may now think that we have arrived at the sales-oriented part of the journey. But the fact is: apart from the Geneva Salon, I don’t know of a single concessionaire who normally has so many watches in his vault for presentation. This is a unique opportunity to really see everything, to compare them side by side, and yes, it certainly helps to further develop or further concrete horological dreams. Our concessionaire companions always have a supportive eye on what might be particularly appealing.
Ref. 5270J-001
Leaving the manufacture bestows a feeling of having experienced something truly special within your heart, now knowing and understanding the brand and its people better than ever. Of course, a visit like this creates a special bond, which is why the kindly but also inevitably sales-oriented hosts organise it. At the same time, it is anything but a sales trip; it is more about getting a feeling for the manufacture. As I write these words, I look at my Calatrava Ref. 6119G-001 on my wrist and wish I was back in Geneva.
Ref. 6119G-001
Yes, a visit to the heart of Patek Philippe would probably turn almost anyone into an admirer of this special company. It’s no secret that I was one before. Unfortunately, I now have to reminisce myself. It is rumoured amongst collectors that Patek Philippe encourages its concessionaires to take customers who have never been to the manufacture. There is now a tick beside my name. This makes me extremely happy, and at the same time I look back on the years of anticipation before this visit in a different way – as a special value in itself.
