Patek Philippe: A Brief History
Antoine Norbert de Patek and François Czapek founded Patek, Czapek & Cie in 1839. Adrien Philippe - inventor of the keyless winding stem (1842) - joined in 1845, and the firm was renamed Patek Philippe & Cie in 1851. Charles and Jean Stern acquired it in 1932; the Stern family still controls the company today through Thierry Stern (president since 2009).
Notable horological firsts
1845: keyless winding (Adrien Philippe). 1925: first wristwatch perpetual calendar (ref. 97 975). 1933: Henry Graves Supercomplication pocket watch - 24 complications, the most complicated watch in the world for over half a century. 1989: Calibre 89 for the brand's 150th anniversary, briefly the most complicated watch ever made (33 complications).
Reference 1518 and 2499
Reference 1518 (1941) was the first perpetual-calendar chronograph produced in series by any manufacturer (281 examples). Its successor, reference 2499 (1950–1985, ~349 examples), is among the most coveted vintage Patek references.
Patek Philippe Seal
In 2009 Patek Philippe withdrew from the Geneva Seal and introduced its own 'Patek Philippe Seal', applied to the entire watch with stricter chronometric tolerances (-3/+2 seconds per day for movements over 20 mm).
Key facts
- ▸Founded 1839 in Geneva
- ▸Owned by the Stern family since 1932
- ▸Patek Philippe Seal introduced 2009 (-3/+2 sec/day)