Founded: 1839 as Patek, Czapek & Cie. and in 1851 as Patek Philippe & Cie.
Founding place: Geneva, Switzerland
Founded by: Antoni Patek and Adrien Philippe
Current headquarters: Plan-les-Ouates, Switzerland
Owned by: Privately held
Official name: Patek Philippe SA
Table of contents
A Polish watchmaker moves to France
The history of Patek Philippe starts in the 19th century with the Polish watchmaker Antoni Patek (or Antoine Norbert Patek de Pradwdzic, or Antoine Norbert de Patek; 14 June 1812 – 1 March 1877). He was born in Piaski Szlacheckie, Poland and moved to Warsaw at the age of 10. After joining the Polish army in 1828 he settled in France in 1832, more or less as a refugee.
In 1834 he had to move to Switzerland and he started making pocket watches in 1839 in Geneva, along with his fellow Czech partner Franciszek Czapek. He was a Czechoslovakian watchmaker with the Polish nationality. Also, a certain Mr. Moreau was involved with the company. Patek and Czapek separated in 1844, and in 1845 Patek joined with the French watchmaker Jean Adrien Philippe.
Jean Adrien Philippe enters the company
The French Jean Adrien Philippe (16 April 1815 – 5 January 1894) is the inventor of the key-less winding mechanism. That patented invention earned him a Gold Medal at the French Industrial Exposition (World’s Fair) in 1844. And there he first met Antoni Patek.
On the 15th of May 1845 Philippe became head watchmaker at Patek & Co. in Geneva. He had an agreement that entitled him to one-third of all company profits but his role in Patek & Co. became so important that he became a full partner. In 1851 Patek Philippe & Co. was officially founded.
The Stern family becomes the owner Patek Philippe
Due to a big worldwide economic crisis Patek was forced to sell his shares and in 1932 the brothers Charles and Jean Stern became the new owners. Since long time they were exclusive suppliers to Patek Philippe as they owned Fabrique de Cadrans Stern Frères, a company that manufactured dials.
Today the company is headed by Thierry Stern, who is a member of the fourth generation of the Stern family. A watch from Patek Philippe, the Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A-010 from 2019 is holding the world record for being the most expensive wristwatch in the world.
The history of Patek Philippe in a timeline
1812 – Birth of Antoine Norbert de Patek
1834 – Patek moves to Switzerland
1839 – Patek starts making pocket watches in Geneva with Franciszek Czapek
1839 – (1st of May) Patek, Czapek & Cie. is founded
1844 – Czapek withdraws after increasing disagreement
1844 – Name changes to Patek & Co.
1845 – (15th of May) Adrien Philippe enters
1851 – (1st of January) Names changes to Patek Philippe & Co.
1851 – Czapek establishes Czapek & Co.
1868 – Production of their first wrist watch
1876 – (13th of November) That first wrist watch is sold to the Hungarian Countess Koscowicz
1891 – Adrien Philippe hands over management to his son Joseph Emile Philippe and Francois Antoine Conty
1901 – Company becomes public and is named Ancienne Manufacture d’Horlogerie Patek Philippe & Cie. S.A.
1932 – Patek Philippe & Co. is bought by Charles and Jean Stern
1932 – Calatrava model released
1935 – Enters the American market
1941 – Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Reference 1518 released
1958 – Henri Stern, son of Charles Stern, becomes the president
1969 – Golden Ellipse released
1976 – Nautilus (Ref. 3700/1A) released
1993 – Philippe Stern, son of Henri Stern, becomes the president
1997 – Aquanaut (Ref. 5060) released
1999 – Twenty-4 released (revised in 2018)
2001 – Sky Moon Tourbillon (Ref. 5002) released
2009 – Thierry Stern, son of Philippe Stern, becomes the president
2014 – Grandmaster Chime (Ref. 5175) released
2015 – Calatrava Pilot Travel Time (Ref. 5524) released
2024 – Cubitus released
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Watches from Patek Philippe
Watches from the brand can be found in the Patek Philippe section of this website.