Patek Philippe is the creation of two men that transformed the world of watchmaking. The meeting between Antoine Norbert de Patek and Jean Adrien Philippe occurred in 1844 and they began their partnership in 1845 as Patek & Co. before changing their current name in 1851.
Some of their track records are:
- 1863: Innovation of free mainspring that led to the invention of the automatic watch
- 1868: Created the world’s first wristwatch
- 1881: Patent for their regulating system by an eccentric cam
- 1889: Patent for their perpetual calendar system with a self-regulating calendar
- 1902: Patent for their split-second chronograph
- 1932: Charles and Jean Stern acquired Patek Philippe
- 1933: Henry Graves, Jr purchased the Graves watch for $11,750. It resold in 1999 for $11 million
- 1956: Created first battery-operated watch for industrial use
- 1986: Patent for its secular perpetual calendar with retrograde indicator with accuracy for 400 years
- 1989: The auctioned Caliber 89, a masterpiece with 1,728 components and 35 horological functions that took 9 years to build, went for $3.2million
- 1996: Patent for its annual calendar
- 1996: Calatrava, minute-repeater + perpetual calendar + moonphase, created in 1939 auctioned for $1.3 million compared to its 1981 auction at $115,000
- 2000: Star Caliber 2000, pocket watch with 21 complications and 6 patented components
With its long history of outstanding contribution and revolutions (more than 60 patents under their flagship) toward the world of watchmaking, there is no doubt for the strong following among collectors for its timepieces. In 2001, they created a unique and very complicated wristwatch known as Sky Moon Tourbillon (ref. 5002).
The rarity of this watch is its display of its minute repeater, perpetual calendar (including moonphase), retrograde date using central hands. At its rear dial shows representation of the sidereal hour and the visible sky part (based on the sky visible from any town).
It has white central hands to indicate the sidereal hour which is the time referred to the passage of the same meridian with respect to a certain star.
Another outstanding creation was in 2002 for its Sky Moon watch ref. 5102. It reflects the exact configuration of the night sky complete with movements of the stars, position of the moon, and the moonphases within the lunar cycle.
It took Patek Philippe 2 years to create this outstanding achievement that incorporated two of its greatest developments from Star Caliber 2000 and Sky Moon Tourbillon. It uses a system of different layered discs to run the lunar day, lunar cycle, and sidereal day where each rotates in different durations and also differ from the solar time.
Patek Philippe continues to create another first time in watchmaking history, 10 days Tourbillon. It spent 3 years in research and development to achieve 10 days of power reserve and a manual-wind tourbillon with COSC-certified chronometer.
It uses a 2 mainspring barrel and a tourbillon escapement in rectangular movement. The transparent caseback reveals the intrinsic tourbillon bridge and tourbillon cage what wraps the Gyromax balance wheel. The other 10 days power reserve is Ref. 5100.
Here are some of collections from Patek Philippe:
Grand Complications:
Perpetual Calendar, Minute Repeater Tonneau Ref. 5013
Tourbillon, Perpetual Calendar, Minute Repeater Ref. 5016
Perpetual Calendar, Minute Repeater Ref. 5474
Perpetual Calendar, Minute Repeater Ref. 3974
Split-second Chronograph, Perpetual Calendar Ref. 5004
Chronograph, Perpetual Calendar Ref. 3970
Power Reserve, Small Seconds, Date and Moonphase Ref. 5055
Complications:
Chronograph Ref. 5070
Perpetual Calendar Ref. 5059
Perpetual Calendar Ref. 5039
Perpetual Calendar Tonneau Ref. 5040
Annual Calendar Ref. 5036
Chronograph Ref. 5070
World Time Ref. 5110
Calatrava:
Calatrava Ref. 5117
Calatrava Ref. 3998
Calatrava Officier Ref. 5022
Calatrava Travel Time Ref. 5134
Gondolo:
Gondolo Ref. 5109
Gondolo Ref. 5024
Gondolo Cabriolet Ref. 5099
Gondolo Tonneau Ref. 5030
Nautilus:
Nautilus Jumbo Ref. 3710/1
Nautilus Ref. 5980/1A
Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 5712/1A
Aquanut:
Aquanut Ref. 5066
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