Patek Philippe Watches

Below is our current in stock inventory of Patek Philippe watches. If you have a Patek Philippe watch you are interested in selling or trading please contact us.

New Arrivals

In Stock
Patek Philippe 5270P Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Platinum GREEN UNWORN

$183,800

In Stock
Patek Philippe Pilot 5522A Calatrava Steel "New York" Limited Edition

$42,400

In Stock
Patek Philippe Annual Calendar 5056P Power Reserve Grey Dial Platinum

$39,900

Sale Pending
Patek Philippe 5140J Perpetual Calendar 18K Yellow Gold

$55,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe World Time 5131J Enamel Dial 18K Yellow Gold

$93,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe Retrograde Perpetual Calendar 5159J 18K Yellow Gold

$46,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe 5080 "Neptune" SS Salmon Dial

$18,900

Sale Pending
Patek Philippe Travel Time 18K Yellow Gold Manual Wind

$18,500

Sale Pending
Patek Philippe 5905/1A Chronograph Annual Calendar Green Dial SS

$59,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5164R Travel Time Rose Gold / Rubber

$96,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe Moonphase 5015J Power Reserve 18k Yellow Gold Hobnail Bezel

$24,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe Calatrava Annual Calendar Travel Time 5326G White Gold UNWORN 2023

$93,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe Nautilus Ladies 7118 Automatic SS Grey Dial

$59,600

In Stock
Patek Philippe Moon Phase Power 5055G Reserve Black Dial 18K White Gold

$28,400

In Stock
Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar 5970J Chronograph 18K Yellow Gold

$212,400

In Stock
Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar 5970G Chronograph White Gold

$183,300

In Stock
Patek Philippe Annual Calendar 5396R-012 18k Rose Gold / Breguet Numerals DISCONTINUED

$47,400

In Stock
Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Chronograph 5960R 18K Rose Gold

$47,100

In Stock
Patek Philippe Split Second 5370 Platinum Black Enamel Dial

$193,500

Sale Pending
Patek Philippe Nautilus 5980/1A Chronograph SS Blue Dial

$99,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe Chronograph 130 18K Yellow Gold

$66,400

Sale Pending
Patek Philippe Chronograph 5170G 18K White Gold / Silver Pulsation

$53,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe World Time 5935A Chronograph SS Salmon Dial

$65,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe Nautilus Ladies Rose Gold / Diamonds

$42,400

In Stock
Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5167 SS / Bracelet

$49,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5167 SS / Rubber

$49,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe Chronograph Annual 5905P Calendar Platinum / Black Dial

$62,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe Annual Calendar 5960P Chronograph Platinum Grey Dial PATEK SERVICED

$57,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar 5038G 18K White Gold / Black Roman Dial Limited

$53,700

In Stock
Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar 5270G Chronograph 18K White Gold FIRST SERIES

$113,500

Sale Pending
Patek Philippe 5270P Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Platinum Salmon Dial

$183,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe 5905P Chronograph Annual Calendar PT Blue Dial DISCONTINUED

$63,100

In Stock
Patek Philippe Jumbo Nautilus 5711R 18K Rose Gold Brown Dial / Bracelet

$159,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe Moonphase 5015G Power Reserve White Gold Hobnail Bezel

$24,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar 5970P Chronograph Platinum FULL SET

$279,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe 5070G White Gold Chronograph

$69,800

In Stock
Patek Philippe Nautilus Chronograph 5980R 18K Rose Gold 2022

$122,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe Pilot 5522A Calatrava Steel "New York" Limited Edition SEALED UNWORN

$47,400

In Stock
Patek Philippe Chronograph 7150/250R 18K Rose Gold Diamond Bezel

$52,800

In Stock
Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Chronograph White Gold SEALED UNWORN

$245,000

In Stock
Patek Philippe Jumbo Nautilus 3712 1st Generation

$151,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe Vintage Nautilus 3700 c. 1977

$137,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe Advanced Research 5250G-001 18K White Gold LIMITED RARE

$72,100

In Stock
Patek Philippe Nautilus 3800 Automatic Blue Dial SS FULL SET

$59,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe World Time 5231G Enamel Dial 18K White Gold UNWORN 2023

$115,000

In Stock
Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5066A Automatic

$32,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe Calatrava 5924G Pilot Travel Time Chronograph 18k 2023

$68,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe Nautilus 5980 Chronograph White Dial SS

$117,200

In Stock
Patek Philippe Retrograde Perpetual Calendar 5159G 18K White Gold

$49,200

In Stock
Patek Philippe Calatrava 3919 18K Yellow Gold EARLY

$12,200

In Stock
Patek Philippe Chronometro Gondolo 5098P Platinum

$24,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5164A Travel Time SS / Rubber

$89,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe 10 Day 5100R Power Reserve 18K Rose Gold

$45,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe 5204P-010 Split Second Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Platinum Silver Di

$249,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe 10 Day Tourbillon 5101P Platinum / Salmon Dial

$169,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar White Roman Dial 18K White Gold RARE

$56,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe World Time Platinum 5110P FULL SET ORIGINAL OWNER

$55,600

In Stock
Patek Philippe Gondolo Calendario 5135J Silver Dial 18K Yellow Gold

$29,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe NEW YORK 5230G World Time Limited Edition

$70,800

In Stock
Patek Philippe 5080 "Neptune" SS Silver Dial

$18,000

In Stock
Patek Philippe Annual Calendar 5396R-012 18k Rose Gold / Breguet Numerals DISCONTINUED

$47,400

In Stock
Patek Philippe Retrograde Perpetual 5159G 175th LONDON SAATCHI EDITION UNWORN

$71,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe Calatrava Ladies 18K White Gold Diamonds Manual Wind 33MM

$20,800

In Stock
Patek Philippe 6301P Grande and Petite Sonnerie Platinum Black Enamel Dial UNWORN

$1,995,000

In Stock
Patek Philippe Gondolo Calendario 5135R Cream Dial 18K Rose Gold

$35,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe Annual Calendar 5205G Silver Dial 18K

$38,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711R-001 18K Rose Gold

$84,600

In Stock
Patek Philippe Calatrava 5115 Enamel Dial 18K Yellow Gold

$18,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe 5204/1R Split Second Perpetual Calendar Chronograph

$225,000

In Stock
Patek Philippe 5079J Grand Complication Minute Repeater 18K Yellow Gold Enamel Dial

$385,000

In Stock
Patek Philippe Mens Cufflinks Calatrava Hobnail Outer Ring 18K WG

$3,300

In Stock
Patek Philippe Retrograde 5496P Perpetual Calendar Platinum

$59,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe Ultra Thin Skeleton 5180/1G 18K White Gold / Bracelet

$69,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe 5270P Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Platinum GREEN UNWORN

$183,800

In Stock
Patek Philippe Pilot 5522A Calatrava Steel "New York" Limited Edition

$42,400

In Stock
Patek Philippe Annual Calendar 5056P Power Reserve Grey Dial Platinum

$39,900

Sale Pending
Patek Philippe 5140J Perpetual Calendar 18K Yellow Gold

$55,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe World Time 5131J Enamel Dial 18K Yellow Gold

$93,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe Retrograde Perpetual Calendar 5159J 18K Yellow Gold

$46,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe 5080 "Neptune" SS Salmon Dial

$18,900

Sale Pending
Patek Philippe Travel Time 18K Yellow Gold Manual Wind

$18,500

Sale Pending
Patek Philippe 5905/1A Chronograph Annual Calendar Green Dial SS

$59,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5164R Travel Time Rose Gold / Rubber

$96,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe Moonphase 5015J Power Reserve 18k Yellow Gold Hobnail Bezel

$24,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe Calatrava Annual Calendar Travel Time 5326G White Gold UNWORN 2023

$93,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe Nautilus Ladies 7118 Automatic SS Grey Dial

$59,600

In Stock
Patek Philippe Moon Phase Power 5055G Reserve Black Dial 18K White Gold

$28,400

In Stock
Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar 5970J Chronograph 18K Yellow Gold

$212,400

In Stock
Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar 5970G Chronograph White Gold

$183,300

In Stock
Patek Philippe Annual Calendar 5396R-012 18k Rose Gold / Breguet Numerals DISCONTINUED

$47,400

In Stock
Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Chronograph 5960R 18K Rose Gold

$47,100

In Stock
Patek Philippe Split Second 5370 Platinum Black Enamel Dial

$193,500

Sale Pending
Patek Philippe Nautilus 5980/1A Chronograph SS Blue Dial

$99,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe Chronograph 130 18K Yellow Gold

$66,400

Sale Pending
Patek Philippe Chronograph 5170G 18K White Gold / Silver Pulsation

$53,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe World Time 5935A Chronograph SS Salmon Dial

$65,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe Nautilus Ladies Rose Gold / Diamonds

$42,400

In Stock
Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5167 SS / Bracelet

$49,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5167 SS / Rubber

$49,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe Chronograph Annual 5905P Calendar Platinum / Black Dial

$62,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe Annual Calendar 5960P Chronograph Platinum Grey Dial PATEK SERVICED

$57,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar 5038G 18K White Gold / Black Roman Dial Limited

$53,700

In Stock
Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar 5270G Chronograph 18K White Gold FIRST SERIES

$113,500

Sale Pending
Patek Philippe 5270P Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Platinum Salmon Dial

$183,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe 5905P Chronograph Annual Calendar PT Blue Dial DISCONTINUED

$63,100

In Stock
Patek Philippe Jumbo Nautilus 5711R 18K Rose Gold Brown Dial / Bracelet

$159,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe Moonphase 5015G Power Reserve White Gold Hobnail Bezel

$24,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar 5970P Chronograph Platinum FULL SET

$279,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe 5070G White Gold Chronograph

$69,800

In Stock
Patek Philippe Nautilus Chronograph 5980R 18K Rose Gold 2022

$122,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe Pilot 5522A Calatrava Steel "New York" Limited Edition SEALED UNWORN

$47,400

In Stock
Patek Philippe Chronograph 7150/250R 18K Rose Gold Diamond Bezel

$52,800

In Stock
Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar Chronograph White Gold SEALED UNWORN

$245,000

In Stock
Patek Philippe Jumbo Nautilus 3712 1st Generation

$151,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe Vintage Nautilus 3700 c. 1977

$137,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe Advanced Research 5250G-001 18K White Gold LIMITED RARE

$72,100

In Stock
Patek Philippe Nautilus 3800 Automatic Blue Dial SS FULL SET

$59,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe World Time 5231G Enamel Dial 18K White Gold UNWORN 2023

$115,000

In Stock
Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5066A Automatic

$32,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe Calatrava 5924G Pilot Travel Time Chronograph 18k 2023

$68,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe Nautilus 5980 Chronograph White Dial SS

$117,200

In Stock
Patek Philippe Retrograde Perpetual Calendar 5159G 18K White Gold

$49,200

In Stock
Patek Philippe Calatrava 3919 18K Yellow Gold EARLY

$12,200

In Stock
Patek Philippe Chronometro Gondolo 5098P Platinum

$24,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5164A Travel Time SS / Rubber

$89,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe 10 Day 5100R Power Reserve 18K Rose Gold

$45,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe 5204P-010 Split Second Perpetual Calendar Chronograph Platinum Silver Di

$249,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe 10 Day Tourbillon 5101P Platinum / Salmon Dial

$169,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe Perpetual Calendar White Roman Dial 18K White Gold RARE

$56,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe World Time Platinum 5110P FULL SET ORIGINAL OWNER

$55,600

In Stock
Patek Philippe Gondolo Calendario 5135J Silver Dial 18K Yellow Gold

$29,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe NEW YORK 5230G World Time Limited Edition

$70,800

In Stock
Patek Philippe 5080 "Neptune" SS Silver Dial

$18,000

In Stock
Patek Philippe Annual Calendar 5396R-012 18k Rose Gold / Breguet Numerals DISCONTINUED

$47,400

In Stock
Patek Philippe Retrograde Perpetual 5159G 175th LONDON SAATCHI EDITION UNWORN

$71,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe Calatrava Ladies 18K White Gold Diamonds Manual Wind 33MM

$20,800

In Stock
Patek Philippe 6301P Grande and Petite Sonnerie Platinum Black Enamel Dial UNWORN

$1,995,000

In Stock
Patek Philippe Gondolo Calendario 5135R Cream Dial 18K Rose Gold

$35,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe Annual Calendar 5205G Silver Dial 18K

$38,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711R-001 18K Rose Gold

$84,600

In Stock
Patek Philippe Calatrava 5115 Enamel Dial 18K Yellow Gold

$18,500

In Stock
Patek Philippe 5204/1R Split Second Perpetual Calendar Chronograph

$225,000

In Stock
Patek Philippe 5079J Grand Complication Minute Repeater 18K Yellow Gold Enamel Dial

$385,000

In Stock
Patek Philippe Mens Cufflinks Calatrava Hobnail Outer Ring 18K WG

$3,300

In Stock
Patek Philippe Retrograde 5496P Perpetual Calendar Platinum

$59,900

In Stock
Patek Philippe Ultra Thin Skeleton 5180/1G 18K White Gold / Bracelet

$69,900

Guide to Patek Philippe Watches

As rare and finely constructed timepieces, Patek Philippe watches are excellent stores of value. Recently, the collecting public’s attention has been focused mainly on sports models like the Nautilus and Aquanaut, which in turn resulted in a meteoric increase in the prices for these models. In 2017, a stainless steel Nautilus ref. 5711/1A-001 was worth around $35,000. Now, after the model was discontinued in 2021, the 5711 is worth well over $100,000. Apart from the sports models, other more complicated references in the Patek Philippe catalog such as the 3970, 5970, 5270, and many others have also seen dramatic increases in the past few years.

Patek Philippe does not officially disclose the number of watches it produces each year but industry experts estimate that the company puts out roughly 60,000 watches annually.

Patek Philippe is currently owned by the Stern family of Switzerland who acquired the company in 1932 from members of the founding Philippe family. The current president is Thierry Stern and his father, Philippe Stern, acts as Honorary President. The Sterns are heavily involved in all aspects of Patek Philippe's business, including both marketing and production. Both Thierry and Philippe have been credited with some of Patek Philippe's most notable references, including the 3970 and 5970. It has been reported that Thierry Stern personally evaluates the quality, and particularly the sound, of every minute repeater that leaves the Patek Philippe manufacture.

The Patek Philippe seal is a symbol used by the company to guarantee quality. In use since 2009, the seal guarantees the quality of the entire watch, not just the movement, and covers the standard of finishing, aesthetics, and reliability. The Patek Philippe seal also guarantees the accuracy of the watch, with a tolerance of no more than -3/+2 seconds per day which is stricter than the COSC industry standard of -4/+6 seconds per day.

The Calatrava Cross is Patek Philippe's distinctive logo. The manufacture registered the image of the Calatrava Cross in 1887, and it has since been adopted as an unmistakable identifier of the Patek Philippe brand. The logo consists of a cross, with lilies adorning each of the 4 branches. The Calatrava Cross has its origins in a 12th century order of Spanish knights.

History of Patek Philippe

Patek Philippe Logo

The legacy of Patek Philippe began by the word of mouth of European royalty, perhaps the most effective form of advertising of its day. These crown heads of state eagerly sanctioned the artistry of Antoine Patek, a one-time Polish soldier who recognized the superb public relations power of monarchs. Like the earliest clockmakers, Patek received his seminal marketing advantage via kings, queens, sultans, dukes, and countesses, including Prince Christian IX and Princess Louise of Denmark, and King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy. This grand company makes the worlds’ finest, most sophisticated watches, and with all due respect to the other brilliant Swiss, Italian, French, and German watchmakers, this brand occupies the top of the pyramid with legendary quality, dedication to tradition, and commitment to horologic innovation. They manufacture their own parts and movements, and it usually takes at least a year to produce each and every watch.

Patek Philippe has created and owns more innovations and “bests” than anyone else in the industry, including the first bracelet wristwatch in 1868. They made the most expensive watch ever sold in 1932, and the most complicated watch ever made in 1989. One at a time, they make the most beautifully crafted, most accurate, and complicated wristwatches in the world. They have over 80 patents on the chronograph, the perpetual calendar, the minute repeater, the Gyromax balance spring, and many dozens more.

IN THE BEGINNING

Antoine (Antoni) Norbert de Patek (1812-1877) was a Polish soldier and veteran of the 1830 revolution against Russian domination. In 1833 he sought political asylum in France and then Geneva, Switzerland because the Russians insisted that Poles who fought in the insurrection must leave the country; he was lucky to keep his life, unlike many other Poles who had served in the war against the Russian Czar. Patek was a Renaissance intellect with talents as a warrior, a true artist, and he had great abilities in business, as well as knowledge and interests in many other areas. He became a student of Swiss painter Alexandre Calame, the prominent, romantic realist landscapist who had gained fame in Berlin as an exponent of the Dusseldorf School.

Antoine Norbert de Patek
Antoine Norbert de Patek
Francois Czapek
Francois Czapek

One of Antoni Patek's earliest fascinations was with horology; his preoccupation with clocks and watches trumped his other formidable talents. Living in the watch capital of the world, Patek began buying watch components and movements, eventually building a trade in fine Swiss timepieces, selling them to wealthy and influential Polish clients. He was a naturally gifted salesman, and with his instinctive appreciation for the highest quality, his business grew quickly - fueled by his combined horologic passion and an understanding of the true meaning of artistry. At the age of 27, intent on the formidable task of creating his own company, Patek formed a partnership with a fellow Polish displaced ex-soldier and watchmaker, Francois (František) Czapek, who was a year younger, and was originally born a Bohemian Czech in Somanice. They registered their new manufactory on May 1, 1839, as Patek, Czapek & Cie. Patek continued to acquire Swiss pocket watch and clock movement blanks (ebauches), as well as the finest hand-made cases from other established Swiss watch companies, who were already leading the European world in horology. Czapek, the brilliant technician, combined and reinvented the finest pocket watch components in their small shop, and being a naturally gifted designer, he also began creating his own case architecture. Patek, the Polish outsider artist, and Czapek, with his superior engineering abilities, entered into direct competition with the other Swiss watchmakers including Breguet. They were absolutely fearless, with charming old-world manners and an indomitable entrepreneurial spirit that seemed to immediately pay off. After only a year - by July of 1840 - the workshop had six experienced Polish technicians who were producing 200 timepieces a year from individual orders, while the Patek name immediately spread among wealthy clients.

In 1843 Antoni Patek was granted Swiss citizenship, and the next year he was introduced to French watchmaker Jean Adrien Philippe (1814-1894), a young horologist who had invented an astonishingly thin watch as well as a revolutionary keyless winding mechanism, two remarkable steps towards the era of the wristwatch. On April 18, 1845, the firm was dissolved when Patek and Czapek had begun to have problems; their chemistry as partners appeared to be far less than a good match. Patek immediately made young Philippe the head watchmaker, and they were joined by Vincent Gostkowski, whose communication skills and pragmatic talents for numbers filled in the void. In their new agreement, Patek ran the business, direction, and marketing, Gostkowski was the firm’s accountant and correspondent, and Philippe was in charge of the manufactory. In 1845 they produced their first pocket watch with a minute repeater. By 1850 the workshop was producing Philippe’s own movement designs on the newest machinery. By 1851 Gostkowsky had left the concern, and the twin partnership of Antoni Patek and Jean Philippe was registered in Geneva as a corporation named Patek Philippe & Cie, a duo for the ages. Their first pocket watches were marked with “PP” on the dial-face, and were wound by turning the crown, which was also Philippe’s invention.

Patek Philippe& Cie European Watch Co
Jean Adrien Philippe
Queen Victoria
Queen Victoria
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
Hussein Kamel
Hussein Kamel
Vittorio Emanuele III di Savoia
Vittorio Emanuele III di Savoia

The Horologist Philippe was in charge of production and development, while the superb salesman, Patek began traveling around the world to gather wealthy and influential customers. He understood how to market to the powerful, gifting Queen Victoria with one of the newest watches during the Great Exhibition in the Crystal Palace in 1851. It was a gift that kept on giving when at the Universal Exhibition in London in 1857, both Queen Victoria and Prince Albert purchased new Patek Philippe pocket watches, launching the stratospheric prestige of the brand. Soon Patek Philippe was available at Rodanet in Paris, at Eli Mayer in Leipzig, and in Madrid and Moscow. Among the smitten customers were Christian IX and Princess Louise of Denmark, the Egyptian sultan Hussein Kamel, and the Italian Duke Victor Emmanuel III. As world royalty heartily embraced Patek Philippe, the firm produced the very first Swiss wristwatch for The Countess Koscowicz of Hungary in 1868.

With a new international consciousness, the world was described for the first time by 24 time zones in 1870, and Louis Cottier, an independent Geneva watchmaker, invented a brilliant universal time indicator mechanism allowing pocket watches to tell the local time in several world capitals. This remarkable futuristic innovation was immediately utilized in several Patek Philippe universal time watches (Currently the ref. 5230). Not long after that, Patek Philippe became one of the first watchmakers to be represented in the United States, entering into an exclusive contract with Tiffany & Co. in New York.

When Antoni Patek died at the age of 65 in 1877, Jean Philippe inherited the firm as sole owner. In 1881 Philippe patented his precision regulator, and in 1889 he registered his perpetual calendar mechanism. In 1887 the company had registered their Spanish Calatrava Cross as the Patek Philippe brand symbol. Jean passed away in 1894, but by the turn of the century, affluent and fashionable people and world leaders, including Americans, were carrying Patek Philippes.

Jean Adrien Philippe
Jean Adrien Philippe

In 1901, Patek Philippe & Cie was sold and renamed to "Ancienne Manufacture d’Horlogerie Patek Philippe & Cie, S.A."

World’s First Perpetual Calendar Wristwatch
World’s First Perpetual Calendar Wristwatch

In 1902 they received their patent for the split seconds chronograph, and in 1909 they created a milestone – the “Duke of Regla” coat-of-arms pocket watch, with a minute repeater that played the Westminster chimes on a grande and petite sonnerie. In 1916, during World War I, Patek introduced the first ladies’ wristwatch containing a five-minute repeating mechanism. In 1922-23 they debuted the first split-seconds chronograph wristwatch, with a round case design that’s a precursor to the Calatrava line. By this time the wristwatch was becoming wildly popular, replacing the pocket and fob watch. The European watchmakers responded to their new international demand by innovating with novel complications. In 1925 Patek Philippe brought out the first perpetual calendar wristwatch – the caliber 97925. It automatically adjusted itself for the months with only 30 or 28 days, as well as for leap years. The first was sold to American watch connoisseur Thomas Emery in 1927. Patek introduced moon phase displays, the first bracelet chronographs with split-second mechanisms, and the astounding minute repeater watches. Also, in 1927, automobile magnate James Ward Packard received his Patek Philippe astronomical pocket watch, purportedly the most complicated watch in the world, including a celestial chart with the constellations in the sky above Packard’s home in Ohio.

The economic downfall of 1929 began a slowing of production that lasted throughout the Depression and the 1930’s. By this time Patek Philippe had secured its position in the world enough to outlast the crisis, being a familiar, international premier brand, such as Rolls Royce. The company was sold again in 1932 and was purchased by the Stern brothers, Charles and Jean, who changed the firm’s name back to its prestigious and permanent Patek Philippe S.A. (The company still remains in the Stern family to this day). Despite the world's great economic depression the Stern brothers continued undaunted with their creative vision for Patek Philippe. They debuted the first model of their new, signature line – the Ref. 96 Calatrava – elegant, sleek, and the hybrid of an avant-garde aesthetic with a touch of Bauhaus simplicity. The circular Calatrava cases, whether wide or thin, with polished bezels or decorated with hobnail patterns, had an immediately identifiable style. They were described as “impervious to short term trends,” or in other words, “timeless.” The shape and solidarity of the Calatrava line became one of the world’s most copied watches. Some of the earliest were remarkable, with perpetual calendar and triple date functions, minute repeaters, and age and phases of the moon. The Stern brothers chose the name Calatrava from the legend of a Spanish religious order that defended the Calatrava Citadel against the invasion of the Moors in the Middle Ages, which fit in nicely with the Patek brand symbol, the even-quadrant Templar-like cross with its elegant filigree design.

Charles Stern and Jean Stern
Charles Stern and Jean Stern
Patek Philippe Henry Graves Supercomplication
Patek Philippe Henry Graves Supercomplication

In 1933 the Sterns held their own great international watch contest for their two best clients when millionaire banker Henry Graves competed with automobile magnate James Ward Packard for ownership of the world’s most complicated watch. After the legendary and highly talked-about Packard astronomical watch, Graves, the competitive magnate who would not be outdone, commissioned Patek to surpass the already legendary 1927 watch. Rising to the challenge, it took the company three years to engineer and produce a monumental timepiece for Graves, costing him an incredible 60,000 Swiss Francs (500 percent more than the watch belonging to Packard). Named “The Super complication,” it had a stunning two-dozen different functions, including a perpetual calendar with phases and age of the moon, with an innovative indicator of sunset and sunrise. This unique masterwork sold in 1999 for $11,000,000 at Sotheby’s, which set the record for the most expensive watch to ever sell at auction.

In 1941, at the start of World War II, Patek initiated regular manufacture of their perpetual calendar wristwatches (Ref. 1526), as well as the ref. 590 time-only watch produced from 1938 to 1948, the staples that allowed them to survive the war.

In 1944, at the Geneva Observatory Competition, Patek received a startling amount of first prizes for their popular marine chronometers, sold to officers with money in every navy. In 1948, competing with the new Japanese post-war quartz watch industry, and to the shock of the other Swiss watchmakers, Patek opened a proprietary department for the electronic quartz movement technology. They endured the old-world criticism of the other watch companies, although many of the makers of mechanical movements gave in and also eventually entered the quartz phase, even though they knew that the premier accuracy of the standardized quartz battery mechanisms couldn't replace the haute horology of the precision mechanical movements.

Patek received patents from 1949 to 1951 for their Gyromax monometallic balance wheel, defining the state of the art for enduring decades for other watchmakers as well. In 1950, in a fascinating cold war response to a technological need in the scientific communities, they introduced the ref. 2509, an antimagnetic watch designed for laboratories with high electro-magnetic fields, including the aeronautics industry such as NASA and the blossoming space programs. It had a stainless-steel case and bracelet with a soft anti-magnetic iron core for research scientists whose proximity to overwhelming magnetic fields tended to abrogate the normally metallic watch mechanisms. They introduced the ref. 2508 Calatrava in stainless-steel in 1951, ushering in a new era of more affordable and enduring “time only” fine Swiss watches that have lasted to today. The revolutionary first self-winding wristwatch, ref. 2526 was released in 1952, again installing Patek at the top of cutting-edge horology with the radical 12-600 AT movement that oscillated at a frequency of 19,800 vph (2.75 Hz), with its 18K gold guilloche rotor balance weight and swan neck index regulator.

Patek Philippe 2509 Calatrava Tiffany & Co
Patek Philippe 2509 Calatrava "Tiffany & Co"
Patek Philippe Calatrava 2508 in Stainless Steel
Patek Philippe Calatrava 2508 in Stainless Steel
Patek Philippe Calatrava Automatic 2526
Patek Philippe Calatrava Automatic 2526

From 1953 to 1956 Patek initiated a unique new technological era with patents for their self-winding movements. In 1956 they engineered the first totally electronic clock, and from 1959 to 1962, meeting the needs of the dawning of the jet age of personal and corporate air travelers, they were awarded patents for GMT and world time zone watches, suiting the new requirements for worldwide commerce.

During the 1960’s Patek expanded their technological edge with a new precision timekeeping record at the 1962 Geneva Observatory Competition. In 1965, after the extensive testing of every Swiss-made watch, the world learned that Patek had been the most accurate watchmaker from the years of 1880 to 1964. In 1968 they debuted the first novel model of the Ellipse line - the revolutionary oval ref. 3548, a stunning simple design with a lapis-colored blue dial. In 1976 Patek released the futuristic first example of their Nautilus sports collection in stainless steel, the ref. 3700/1. The following year they were awarded a patent for their extremely thin caliber 240 automatic movement for the Nautilus, an engine that would be placed in some of the most important timepieces ever made, including the Ellipses.

Patek Philippe Nautilus 3700 European Watch Company
Patek Philippe Nautilus 3700
Patek Philippe 3960 European Watch Company
Patek Philippe Ref. 3960

Patek introduced the first automatic completely skeletonized wristwatch in 1981, the ref. 3878, with gilded components all throughout the open-worked mechanism in an extremely thin case. In 1986 Patek was awarded their patent for the retrograde perpetual calendar, and in 1989, to mark their 150th anniversary, they released an unequaled masterpiece – their caliber 89 astronomical watch - with 33 different functions and 1,728 unique components, which was the most complicated pocket timepiece ever created; each example required nine years to produce. 1989 also brought several Patek masterpieces to further celebrate the anniversary, including their Officer's watch ref. 3960 in an edition of 2,200 examples, as well as the magnificent homage to the Patek jump hour watch of the 1920’s – the delicate tonneau-shaped ref. 3969, produced in a small edition of 500.

1993 brought the launch of the tonneau-shaped art deco-inspired Gondolo collection, beginning with ref.4824. At the Baselworld exhibition that year Patek also debuted their ref/ 5050 – the first perpetual calendar wristwatch with a retrograde date and a moon phase aperture. Their annual calendar mechanism received a patent in 1996, while their annual calendar watch (now manually adjusted only once every 365 days) was voted the watch of the year at Baselworld. They also moved into their new building in Plan-les-Ouates. In 1998 their novel state-of-winding indicator was awarded its patent, the retrograde date arc complication was introduced on the ref. 5059 watch, and they released their ref. 5055, an incredibly complicated automatic with a power reserve, a date, and moon phases. Just before the millennium, in 1999, they debuted the elegant and feminine ladies Twenty-4 collection, decorated with top Wesselton diamonds, represented by the ref. 4910/10A.

For the Millennium celebration Patek Philippe created an incredible double-sided pocket watch – the Star Caliber 2000 - which had 21 complications. Also being introduced was the deco-tonneau design watch with a 10-day power reserve ref. 5100, in a limited edition of 3100 with different precious metals. In 2001 they debuted the most complicated double face wristwatch ever made, the spectacular Sky Moon Tourbillon ref. 5002, and in 2003 they brought out the rectangular Art Deco 10-Day Tourbillon ref. 5101. In 2005 Patek advanced research announced a watch using their new silicon escape wheel, and in 2006 the Spiromax® silicon-based balance spring was introduced. The 30th anniversary of the Nautilus collection coincided with the newly renovated Geneva Salon in 2006, and in that same year the Geneva seal of quality, which had been stamped on every Patek watch, was replaced by the Pate Philippe quality seal.

Geneva Seal Patek Philippe Seal
Geneva Seal
Patek Philippe 5101P 10 Day Tourbillion  European Watch Company
Patek Philippe 5101P 10 Day Tourbillion
Patek Philippe 5550 Advanced Research European Watch Company.jpg
Patek Philippe 5550 Advanced Research

In 2009 Philippe Stern, the 3rd generation chairman of the Stern family ownership of Patek Philippe, passed the torch to his son Thierry, who accepted the role of president.

Thierry and Philippe Stern
Thierry and Philippe Stern

The Patek Philippe Line

The Patek factories, with 200 skilled professional workers, and the museum, is still located in Geneva; with the enhanced complexity of the watches and the evolved high prices, production is understandably lower. During Patek's 160 years in the business, they have manufactured 600,000 watches, with the average timepiece requiring at least nine months to complete, with the more complicated watches taking even longer. The entire process takes place at the Patek factory by thoroughly trained master technicians with unequalled abilities, who labor in the company’s specialized workshops.

There are currently eight official lines produced by Patek Philippe. Each style reflects philosophy of design, knowledge of the past, and the traditional Patek virtue of always looking to the future. There are some vintage as well as recent adjunct model lines such as the Square, the Tank, the Pagoda, and the Top Hat, precursors to the Gondolo collection.

CALATRAVA

The Calatrava is still Patek’s signature model. From its debut with the iconic ref. 96 during the beleaguered Great Depression days of 1932, the Calatrava watches invoke Patek Philippe's precision, novel artistry and style. The Calatravas have elegantly thin cases with broad polished bezels or hobnail high relief surrounding the dials. Noting the immediate popularity of these watches, nearly all the Swiss watchmakers have tried to copy them, trying to capture the sleek lines and elegance; however, Calatrava is unique to Patek Philippe. With the immediate popularity and acclaim for this new, elegant offering, the Stern brothers adopted the Calatrava cross as their now familiar company logo from the legend of a Spanish religious order that defended the Calatrava Citadel against the invasion of the Moors in the Middle Ages, fitting nicely with the traditional Patek brand symbol of the Spanish knight. The Calatrava quickly became known as the epitome of the round wristwatch, as well as the most recognizable example of the Patek Philippe style. Supremely elegant, it affects every new generation of watch aficionados with its timeless simplicity and perfection. As of 2021 there are 15 Calatrava models for men and women, available in white, rose gold, and platinum.

Patek Philippe Calatrava 96 Circa 1940s
Patek Philippe Calatrava 96 Circa 1940s
Patek Philippe 5196P Calatrava Circa 2015
Patek Philippe 5196P Calatrava Circa 2015

NAUTILUS

The Nautilus was first introduced in 1976 and was a contemporary horologic revolution, a sports watch based on the universal shape of the porthole of a maritime vessel. The first Nautilus 3700/1, was made in stainless steel, but the line has been expanded into rose and white gold, with several complications, some with encrusted diamonds and metal bracelets, making them suitable as dress watches instead of just a sports watch. The Nautilus is known for its octagonal bezel, its porthole-shaped case, and dials with horizontal embossed stripes. In forty-years it has evolved into a collection of exciting examples for both men and women. As of 2021 there are 31 models available in white and rose gold, and stainless steel.

Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1A-014
Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1A-014
Patek Philippe Nautilus 5712/1A-001
Patek Philippe Nautilus 5712/1A-001

AQUANAUT

The Aquanaut is one of the world's great marine watches. It debuted in 1997 with a rounded, octagonal case inspired by the Patek Nautilus, water resistant to 120 meters, the ref. 5060 It has a sealed dive case and screwed down crown and when it was introduced in 1997, the Aquanaut created a huge sensation. It had a “Tropical” composite rubber strap ultra-resistant to salt-water, wear, and UV radiation. As of 2021 there are 17 models made in stainless steel and rose gold with an assortment of straps, metal bracelets, and even diamonds for women.

Patek Philippe Aquanaut Automatic 5065A-001
Patek Philippe Aquanaut Automatic 5065A-001
Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5167A-001
Patek Philippe Aquanaut 5167A-001

GONDOLO

The Gondolo series debuted in 1993 as Patek’s homage to Art Deco art and aesthetic movement of the 1920's and early 1930's. Art Deco pioneers utilized their rules of style and “form for function” as well as artistic beauty, producing architecture, furniture, industrial design, jewelry, and clothing. The Gondolo watches are a contemporary re-examination of the stepped stylistic lines of that school and its philosophy. This collection is named for the “Chronometro Gondolo” pocket watches created by Patek Philippe for the Latin Brazilian Gondolo & Labouriau jewelers in Rio de Janeiro in 1902. With its often diamond-encrusted rectangular, tonneau, or cushion-shaped cases, the Gondolo combines most of Patek Philippe’s “form” watches, the term for all those that are not round, such as the Square, the Pagoda, the Tank, and the Top Hat. Their strong lines, timeless style and geometric simplicity are innovative interpretations of the art deco style, which was still influential in 1932 during one of Patek Philippe’s own golden ages as the Stern Brothers took over the greatest watchmaking firm in the world. Wth the Gondolo, Patek Philippe has reinterpreted – with a subtle infusion of modernity – some of the historical watches that are part of its heritage and may be admired in the Patek Philippe Museum. As of 2021 there are currently 7 Gondolo watches made in rose or white gold, with bezel and dial designs utilizing fine white diamonds.

Patek Philippe Gondolo 5098R
Patek Philippe Gondolo 5098R
Patek Philippe 5135G Gondolo Calendario
Patek Philippe 5135G Gondolo Calendario

GOLDEN ELLIPSE

The Golden Ellipse was first introduced in 1968, a time of startling, novel fashion. The radical and innovative Ellipse has become one of the Patek Philippe flagships with its automatic, ultra-thin, simple elliptical case, and its design based on the golden mean, a mathematical division of geometric form discovered more than two thousand years ago. The Patek caliber 16.250 movement was designed especially for the Ellipse and other ladies’ watches, and the ref. 4826/21 has become one of the most beautiful women’s watches in the world. The Ellipse is one of Patek Philippe’s most recognized watches with the elliptical case, a combination of a circle and a rectangle. The most famous example had a blue dial with hands and hour markers floating over its depths, and it's still made today. Its design was inspired by the principle of the “golden section” discovered by the ancient Greek mathematicians. This so-called “divine” proportion, expressed as a ratio of 1 / 1.6181, also forms the basis of some of history’s greatest works of art and architecture. As of 2021 there are 3 models, both with the renowned Patek caliber 240 movement, produced in 18K rose gold or platinum.

Patek Philippe Ellipse 3548
Patek Philippe Ellipse 3548
Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse 5738R-001
Patek Philippe Golden Ellipse 5738R-001

LADIES TWENTY-FOUR

The Twenty-4® series of ladies’ watches combine designs for active as well as stylish women, made for every occasion. The crowns include diamond or onyx buttons, and each watch has top Wesselton diamonds on the case, the bezel, or the bracelet. These thin, narrow watches have feminine elegance. They are perfect for fashionable business, dress, or casual wear. The Twenty-4 automatic self-winding line was introduced in 2018, featuring a round case with the caliber 324 S C movement with a date aperture and sweep seconds. As of 2021 there are 12 models in rose gold or stainless steel.

Patek Philippe 7300/1200A-001
Patek Philippe 7300/1200A-001
Patek Philippe 4910 10A-001
Patek Philippe 4910 10A-001

COMPLICATIONS AND GRAND COMPLICATIONS

Complications are the extraordinary horologic special functions aside from simple time-telling that have always made Patek Philippe so formidable. From Jean Philippe’s first pocket watch with a minute repeater in 1845, to his 1881 patent for a precision regulator, and his novel perpetual calendar mechanism in 1889, Patek Philippe innovations have defined the company as being “on the prow of the ship.” After Jean Philippe’s death in 1894, the brand (In 1901 named "Ancienne Manufacture d’Horlogerie Patek Philippe & Cie, S.A."), continued to embrace the high complication technology, including a split seconds chronograph in 1902, their watch with a minute repeater playing the Westminster chimes on a grande and petite sonnerie in 1909, the first ever perpetual calendar wristwatch with the caliber 97925, and of course the watches custom made for connoisseur Thomas Emery as well as the 1927 astronomical pocket watch created for automobile magnate James Ward Packard (At that time the most complicated watch in the world). Patek introduced moon phase displays, the first bracelet chronographs with split-second mechanisms, and a host of other radical horologic creations.

These innovative complication and grand complication watches still set the bar for the modern era. The 1980's and '90's saw a number of impressive Perpetual Calendar Chronographs including the elegantly simply ref. 3450 in 1981, the 1987 ref. 3970 with its subsidiary dials for the constant seconds, 24-hours, moon phase, and a 30-minute chronograph totalizer. The ref. 5970 40mm Perpetual Calendar Chronograph was introduced in 2009, and Hollywood mogul Michael Ovitz – a passionate Patek devotee – helped design his extraordinary namesake Perpetual Calendar Split Second Chronograph 5004/1J-001 in 2011. The company continues to introduce notable Grand Complications timepieces such as the 2017 ref. 5316 with a minute repeater, a tourbillon, a perpetual calendar, a moon phase, and a retrograde date. In 2020 they released three new Grand Complications including the exquisite ref. 5303 minute repeater/tourbillon with the striking mechanism on the dial side, the ref. 5370 Split seconds chronograph, and the ref. 5270 chronograph-perpetual calendar. As of 2021 there are 35 Grand Complication models and 35 Complication watches.

Patek Philippe 3450
Patek Philippe 3450
Patek Philippe 3970R Second Series
Patek Philippe 3970R Second Series
Patek Philippe 5004J Unique Dial.jpg
Patek Philippe 5004J Unique Dial
Patek Philippe 5970P Perpetual Calendar Chronograph
Patek Philippe 5970P Perpetual Calendar Chronograph
Patek Philippe 5004P Split Seconds Perpetual Calendar Chronograph with Diamond Dial
Patek Philippe 5004P Split Seconds Perpetual Calendar Chronograph with Diamond Dial

Between the earliest days of Patek’s founding and their currently produced lines of watches, the superlative craftsmanship and visionary design has never missed a beat; they are literally better than ever.