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The story of Patek Philippe
Man’s dabbling into portable mechanical timepieces began about 500 years ago. With Patek Philippe having just celebrated its 175th anniversary three years ago, doing the math reveals that the illustrious Genevan watch manufacturer has co-written a third of its intriguing history. While indeed there are many brands that claim to be older, most of them had discontinued their activities in the course of time and were reestablished by completely foreign people at a much later date. Conversely, Patek Philippe has endeavoured without interruption since its inception on 1 May 1839 and has always been privately owned. Today, it is widely viewed as one of haute horlogerie‘s most prestigious names and a leading manufacturer of fine mechanical timepieces.
This is the story of a manufacture that was born from the fascinations of a Polish immigrant; the story of a manufacture that has endured trials and tribulations and – in spite of all that – stayed true to its ethos.
This is the story of Patek Philippe.
Antoine Norbert de Patek
Antoine Norbert de Patek was born in Poland in 1812 and grew up in testing times. At the age of 16, he joined the Polish 1st Mounted Rifles Regiment and fought in the Polish-Russian War, also known as the November Uprising (1830-1831). In 1831, he received the Virtuti Militari, Poland’s highest military decoration for acts of heroism (similar to the American Medal of Honor). Later in that year, the Polish uprising against Russian occupational forces was crushed, forcing Patek and his fellow soldiers to embark on the ‘Great Emigration’ toward Western Europe. Patek had initially settled in France though he was later forced to resettle in Switzerland after an unfavourable decree was issued by the French government (under pressure from the Russian embassy).
Antoine Norbert de Patek
It was in Geneva, Switzerland that he became fascinated by the city’s watchmaking heritage and the complementary artistry of engravers, enamellers, and jewellers. As a refugee, Patek sought the company of immigrants and became acquainted with François Czapek, a Polish watchmaker of Czech descent. On the 1st of May 1839, Patek along with Czapek and Thomas Moreau (his wife’s uncle) formed Patek, Czapek & Cie – Fabricants à Genève; little did Patek know that this was the beginning of a lasting legacy.
The company was successful from the beginning, but increasing discord between Patek and Czapek inevitably meant that the two men eventually had to part ways. On a lookout for a new partner, Patek met gifted French watchmaker Jean Adrien Philippe at the French Industrial Exposition of 1844 in Paris.
Jean Adrien Philippe
It was at the exhibition that Philippe’s patented invention, a mechanism for winding a movement and setting the hands without requiring a separate key, was awarded a Gold Medal. Naturally, this caught Patek’s eye. A year later, Patek terminated his partnership with Czapek and together with Jean Adrien Philipppe and Vincent Gostkowski, a third partner, established a new company under the name Patek & Cie – Fabricants à Genève. In 1851, the company was renamed Patek, Philippe & Cie. […]
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Article from: DEPLOYANT – Luxury watch reviews & horological lifestyles, by Frank Chuo
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