History of Patek Philippe Wristwatch

Patek Philippe is Swiss luxury watch manufacturer best known for its complications. Most people prefer to wear Swiss Replica watches for their friendly prices with all luxurious features. In this article we will take a short overview of the history of Patek Philippe watches. It was 1 May 1839 when two Polish immigrants founded the company in Geneva. Patek, Czapek & Cie was the first name that was given to company which was inspired from its founders the watchmaker Franciszek or Francois Czapek and the businessman named Antoni Norbert Patek. They were buying movements from companies and sending them to pocket watch manufacturers to the Polish community in Switzerland.

The relation began to deteriorate between Czapek and Patek when Patek met Jean Adrien Philippe who was French watch maker in 1844. Philippe was presenting his new invention at French Industrial Exposition at Paris that was a watch winding mechanism worked by a crown rather than by a key. In 1844, the company was separated by the partners and the named was changed to Patek & Cie. After one year Philippe joined the workshop but the name was changed to Patek Philippe & Co in 1851. The other partner Franciszek Czapek combined with a Polish hero of 1830 insurrection named Juliusz Gruzewski and founded their own watch manufacturing company.  This was a serious threat because most of the Polish clients preferred to deal with Czapek & Cie. The newly born PP (Patek Philippe) was going through hard times from the relevant competitor.

In 1857, the Patek Philippe luck changed when Queen Victoria ordered a small lady’s watch from Patek Philippe and Co. The watch had a 30 mm diameter along with keyless winding and setting. It was a genuine breakthrough for the company and they gained tremendous exposure from this deal. Patek Philippe & Co started to solve their financial problems and their products reached to the markets of Madrid, Russia and many other countries.
The wristwatches were trending in 1868, so Patek Philippe decided to produce their first wrist piece. It was 1925 when perpetual calendar was added to the wristwatches by Patek Philippe. They made a special “Supercomplication” pocket watch for the American banker named Henry Graves Jr who was a keen watch collector. The most interesting fact about Henry Grave’s Supercomplication pocket watch was that there was a bet between him and an American Automobile manufacturer. The bet was to own the most complicated watch available on the planet. Grave won the competition by owning the Patek Philippe’s “Supercomplication” pocket watch. The watch was auctioned after Grave’s death and was sold at 11 million dollars. This was also the most expensive watch sold at that time. Patek Philippe continuously produced remarkable timepieces from time to time with ideal technology and creativity. Extra thin “Calatrava” was one of the most complicated watches produced during the period. The timepiece had a perpetual calendar with triple date feature, minute repeating, age and phases of the moon.

Stern family bought the company in 1939 and the successfully journey continued. Patek Philippe launched the Nautilus sports watch collection and Gondolo collection in 1993. On the company 150th anniversary, the Patek Philippe Calibre 89 and was declared as the world’s most complicated watch. The popular 18 karat gold watch has 1.1 kg weight with 1728 components that displays 24 hands and also has a thermometer with 2800 star chart. There are only four creations of this model in different colors (yellow gold, white gold, rose gold and platinum) that valued six million dollars each. Most importantly the creation involves five years of deep research with development period and four years of manufacturing. Sky Moon Tourbillon is another notable watch from Patek Philippe. The wristwatch was sold in April 2008 for only 11.75 million dollars.

Patek Philippe also manufacture timepiece for ladies with elegant styles. The Tewenty lady watch series is a perfect example of its classic styling. Simple and elegant styled gold watches are extremely popular in women of different ages. Available in different colors, Patek Philippe timepieces brings enchanting feelings and impressions to the wearer. Catering different needs and tastes, whether it’s in the dark and rich color or the elegance in the light one, it is really attractive. Perfect arcs and exquisite, light and slim Patek Philippe gold ladies wristwatches are simply classic. Patek Philippe watches are indeed stunning collections and the average retail price of the timepiece has reached to 20,000 US dollars.