Patek Philippe is a world-famous watch brand. It is a favorite brand of many people because it stands out in terms of its appearance and quality. Let’s see how Patek Philippe came to be and why it has captured the hearts of collectors for so long. The beginning of Patek Philippe Patek Philippe began in 1839 when Antoine Norbert de Patek, a former Polish cavalryman, came to Geneva, Switzerland and founded a watch factory with François Czapek, a talented watchmaker. They became shareholders together and registered the company under the name Patek, Czapek & Cie. Later in 1844, while Antoine Patek was visiting Paris, he met a watchmaker named Jean Adrien Philippe, an inventor who had successfully created a pocket watch that did not require a key to wind, which was the latest innovation at that time. Antoine Patek therefore invited Jean Philippe to work with him in Geneva. And established a new company called Patek & Cie. A big change, both Antoine Patek and Jean Philippe were determined and dedicated to their own duties, Patek had to travel far to market in many countries, while Philippe continued to develop a mechanism that used a crown to wind the first watch for the brand. This made Patek Philippe's reputation spread quickly and the company was very successful. More than 20 years later, both Antoine Patek and Jean Philippe, who had worked hard, passed away. Joseph Emile Philippe, Jean Philippe's son, took over the business until 1929. The European economy was in a recession. Of course, the brand itself was affected as well. The company faced a bad financial situation. To prevent competitors from taking over the business, the executives contacted Charles and Jean, the Stern brothers, owners of Cadrans Stern Frères, a leading manufacturer of high-quality watch dials. To help the company continue to exist. The first Calatrava under the management of Stern The management of the Stern brothers began by producing the Patek, Philippe & Co. Calatrava Ref. 96 in 1932, resulting in a simple and timeless design. The Calatrava Ref. 96 is a classic dress watch that quickly became popular. The Calatrava Ref. 96 has become the prototype for the design of future Calatrava watches to the present day. The birth of the most complicated pocket watch in the world After the Stern brothers took over the management of Patek Philippe, the business continued to do well. They are committed to constant improvement, insisting on producing quality watches and inventing new things, and the reputation of Patek Philippe has continued to grow until it is known all over the world. The most complicated watch in the world is called the Patek Philippe Henry Graves Jr. Supercomplication. It is a pocket watch with 24 functions that was finally successfully delivered to Henry Graves. The birth of the Nautilus legend. Another time that Patek Philippe faced a big crisis. The Quartz Crisis was cheaper and more accurate. Many mechanical watches at that time were not popular. Patek Philippe itself thought of a way to overcome this crisis. Therefore, it thought out of the box and decided to try to make the brand's first sport watch. The first watch released in 1976 was the Nautilus Ref. 3700, which stood out with an octagonal dial, horizontal raised dial pattern and timeless style. This became the starting point of the Nautilus collection, which became the King of Sport Watch once again with the record for the most complicated watch in the world. Patek Philippe continued to be managed by the Stern family, and the company continued to grow. The brand is still committed to creating the best watches. There are always new mechanisms being developed and innovations being devised. In 1989, the brand launched the Patek Philippe Caliber 89, which was the most complicated watch mechanism in the world at that time. It had 33 complicated functions and was another achievement in science and art in manufacturing. The birth of the Aquanaut, another pride of Patek Philippe. It started when the brand wanted to make a more modern watch and wanted something new. So, they extended the idea from the Nautilus to the “Casual Luxury” line, which was successfully created as the Aquanaut collection, released in 1997. Both have the same square dial, but what makes the Aquanaut stand out and people remember it is: The “Tropical” rubber strap and the Aquanaut’s Central Raised Guilloche Motif dial pattern in a grid pattern, nicknamed the “Chocolate Bar,” are the signature features that immediately make you know that this is the current Aquanaut Patek Philippe. The spirit of the Patek Philippe brand has been passed down to the present. In 2014, the brand launched the first Grandmaster Chime collection with the Ref. 5175, which came with 20 functions and was considered the brand’s most functional wristwatch at the time. Furthermore, on November 9, 2019, at the Only Watch 2019, the world’s largest charity watch auction in Geneva, the watch that was auctioned at the highest price was the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A, which sold for a high price of 31 million Swiss francs, or more than 1.1 billion baht! Instagram: / auctionhouse_official / auctionhouse.th #AuctionHouse #WatchReview #WatchInsights #Invest in watches #Review watches