Is this the most exclusive Patek Philippe watch yet?
The timepiece has been designed by Thierry Stern for the 85th birthday of his father, Philippe, the honorary president of Patek
If you are president of Patek Philippe, the last remaining family-run haute horology house in Geneva, what do you get your father for his 85th birthday? It could have been a tough call for Thierry, fourth generation of the Stern family, to come up with a gift for Philippe Stern, but the result represents the love of a son for his father and also a tribute to his horological legacy.
Formed in 1839, the company has been in the hands of the Stern family since 1932. Joining the firm in in the Sixties, Philippe worked for a while in New York then back at HQ in Geneva, taking over from his father, Henri, as president in 1993 until 2009, when Thierry assumed the reins. Philippe was made honorary president, but was still actively involved in the business. A celebrated figure of horology, he changed the way Patek Philippe was run. He made it relevant for the modern era with a fresh management style that successfully balanced the financial, operational and organisational requirements of the company with the artisanal culture on which its success and reputation was founded. He introduced strategic marketing and, significantly, all the while maintained the house’s character and independence. Notably, he shaped the history of the brand with ambitious real estate projects, establishing the Patek Philippe Museum, inaugurated in November 2001, as well as developing exceptional timepieces.
For his birthday last month, Thierry decided to pay tribute to his father by commissioning a unique chiming watch with a groundbreaking movement. The chiming timepiece is a Patek Philippe signature, celebrated for their crystal-clear sound — which also happens to be Philippe’s favourite complication. The new watch, identified as Reference 1938, the year of his birth, combines a minute repeater with a special acoustic function — an alarm chiming the programmed time. This represented a big technical challenge that the watchmakers met full on, resulting in four new patents being filed for the innovations they created. Despite the complexity of what’s inside, the company maintains the watch meets its typically user-friendly functions.
Aesthetically, what sets it apart from all the other pieces in the brand’s catalogue is obvious at a glance: it features a grand feu enamel miniature portrait of Philippe on the dial. In other less expert hands this might have ended up cartoonish, but here it reflects the elegant style of the man and the manufacture. In tones of black and grey, it complements the black grand feu enamel dial. The 41mm case is made in platinum with an “officer’s style” dust cover, reminiscent of the earliest wristwatches that emerged at the start of the last century. Platinum is often avoided because of its weight and difficulty to work with, but this was clearly a provocation that Thierry relished, pushing yet another boundary. “I chose platinum for the Ref 1938 because it is the most precious of the noble metals,” he explains. “But also because, when the aim is to obtain the true Patek Philippe chiming sound, this metal represents the greatest challenge to the watchmaker in terms of acoustics.” The hinged dust cover carries a message from Thierry that reads: “To my father, 85 years of watchmaking passion.”
This limited edition of just 30 pieces is a labour of love, a fitting accolade for a life lived keeping time and an acknowledgment of what Thierry has learnt: “My father taught me that the movement has to be perfect, very beautiful and extremely accurate; and as slim as possible so that a beautiful case can be built round it. That’s what I tried to do with this special tribute watch.”
POA, patek.com
