Patek Philippe & Poorprice

History of the Company

On May 1st, 1839 two Polish immigrants, Antoni Patek (Businessman) and Franciszek Czapek (Watchmaker) joined forces to found « Patek, Czapek & Cie » in Geneva. In 1844, Mr. Patek met the French watchmaker, Mr. Adrien Philippe in Paris where the latter presented his pioneering  stem winding and setting system by the crown. In 1845 when Czapek decided to leave the company and to continue his activity on his own, the company name changed for « Patek & Cie ». Later on, in 1851 when Mr. Philippe officially associated with the company, it  was rebaptised « Patek Philippe & Cie », before changing once more in 1901 for « Ancienne Manufacture d’Horlogerie Patek Philippe & Cie, S.A. ». In 1932, the company was purchased by Charles and Jean Stern, two brothers owners of a fine dial manufacture in Geneva. Since then, « Patek Philippe S.A. » remains a family owned firm. In 2009 the company presidency was officially transmitted from the 3rd to the 4th generation : Mr. Thierry Stern became president and his father Mr. Philippe Stern, Honorary president.

Patek Philippe – The last independent Genevan watch manufacturer

As an independent family owned company, Patek Philippe enjoys total creative freedom to design, produce and assemble what experts agree to be the finest timepieces in the world. With its vast experience and more than 70 patents to its credit, Patek Philippe is the only manufacture that crafts all of its mechanical movements according to the strict specifications of the Geneva Seal. These precious, timeless elegant watches, proudly handed down from one generation to the next, are the result of latest-generation technology combined with traditional watchmaking know-how.
Today, Patek Philippe includes the main workshops and headquarters at Plan-les-Ouates, the case and bracelet workshops at Perly, the Patek Philippe Museum at Plainpalais, all in Geneva, as well as the Patek Philippe Salons in Geneva, Paris, and London.

Research & Development

The very first step in the creation of a reliable, high performance, exclusive and original watch lies in Research and Development. This sector focuses on two areas, the movement and the exterior parts, which consist of the watch case and the bracelet:

A team of qualified engineers, technicians, and draftsmen in the movement R&D department, create new caliber, new functionalities, enhance movement reliability, perfect manufacturing technologies for movement components, and determine the manufacturing tolerances that must be respected;
A team of qualified engineers, technicians, and draftsmen, in the watch exterior R&D department create new watch cases, bracelets, clasps based on the design sketches, and develop prototypes, methods and processes for production.

At all steps, the tasks of finishing and assembling as well as the quality requirements of the Geneva Seal are taken into consideration.

It takes 3 to 5 years of research to develop a new model depending of the complications and could even require up to 9 years for exceptional pieces like the Caliber 89, Patek Philippe’s most complicated portable timepiece.