PATEK PHILIPPE WATCHES

Since its founding in 1839, Patek Philippe has been a leader in high watchmaking, pioneering many complications and design elements that are now seen widely throughout the watch industry. The Stern family, who purchased Patek Philippe in 1939, still own and operate the brand today and have built it into what is almost certainly the most prestigious Swiss luxury watchmaker and definitely the one most valued on the auction scene. Patek Philippe’s array of complications, found mostly in its elegant and historic Calatrava line (which has been in production since 1932) but also in some pieces within the sportier Nautilus and Aquanaut collections, include annual calendars, perpetual calendars, chronographs, world-time functions, minute repeaters, and, in some of its most coveted and priciest watches, combinations of two or more of the above. Patek created the first annual calendar and the first wristwatches with a perpetual calendar and a split-seconds chronograph. The Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A-010 contained no less than 20 complications and sold for $31.19M in 2019. To the surprise and consternation of many diehard enthusiasts, Patek Philippe recently discontinued the Nautilus, the sport-luxury trendsetter designed by Gerald Genta and released in 1976, which had been its hottest item for many years. It remains to be seen what the manufacture will do for an encore.

Founded: 1839

Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland

Ownership: Stern Family

Notable models: Calatrava, Nautilus, Aquanaut, Sky Moon Tourbillon

Did you know: The Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 5711 with Tiffany Blue dial is the most expensive wristwatch ever sold at auction, fetching $6.5 million at Phillips in 2021.